Someone shared this page with you.
ITIN · Step by step
What the ITIN is, how to get or renew it without overpaying, and how to use it to open an account, build credit, rent and buy a home. All with sources from the IRS and official agencies.
With your county, the calculators and the steps use your numbers.
Guides verified against official sources · last verified: October 31, 2026 · 78 official sources
Your number
The same income, two paths. FHA requires a minimum down payment published by HUD; ITIN loans come from private lenders, and here we use an example of their terms.
Examples to compare; each lender sets its own minimum.
Place: the United States
What you type stays in this browser; it is not sent anywhere.
Highest price your income carries
$227,000
Home price
Minimum down payment of 3.5% (HUD Handbook 4000.1). Requires an SSN and permanent residency.
$240,000
Home price
Example: 15% down and 1.5 points more in rate. Each lender sets its own terms; this is not an offer.
With your income, an FHA loan would reach $227,000 for those who qualify. With the ITIN example and 15% down you reach $240,000, and you need to save $43,200 to start.
Papers lenders ask for
The IRS says that to buy or refinance you have to give the lender copies of the tax returns you filed. The guide explains which ones and how to request your transcripts.
HUD stopped insuring FHA loans for non-permanent residents; with an ITIN, the option is private lenders. See HUD’s letter
Calculate how much home I can buyGuide: ITIN mortgagesGuide: what the ITIN is
Highest price with housing at 28% of income and all debts at 36%, before counting savings. An educational estimate, not an offer.
How we calculate it: the highest price whose payment fits the debt-to-income references of “How much house can I buy?”. Starting values: American Community Survey (average 2020–2024), Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey (as of November 5, 2026), and Conforming loan limits (2026 data).
See the full methodStep by step
The ITIN is a tax number, but used well it opens a chain: filing every year, opening an account, building credit, renting and, with some lenders, buying. The steps below follow that chain in order, with sources from the IRS and official agencies in each one.
Your papers and taxes
An IRS number for filing taxes when you cannot get an SSN. It gives no work permit or status, but it opens doors worth knowing about.
Key guide: What an ITIN is and what it is for
Your papers and taxes
Form W-7, the documents they accept and where to do it without paying: IRS offices, VITA sites and certifying acceptance agents. Going the free route avoids paying for a procedure the IRS does not charge for.
Your papers and taxes
Filing with your ITIN keeps the number active and builds the income history asked for when you rent or apply for a loan. There is free help to prepare it.
Key guide: Filing taxes with an ITIN and why it matters for buying
Your money and your home
With an ITIN, a passport or a consular ID. An account in your name leaves a record of your income and your savings.
Your money and your home
Check whether you already have a credit report and start building it with products made for that. Check it again every so often.
Your money and your home
What you can be asked for, the alternatives to a Social Security number and your rights if you are rejected because of your report. Knowing your rights before you apply saves you from accepting terms the law does not allow.
Key tool: How much rent can I afford?
Your money and your home
Some lenders consider the ITIN, on their own terms and outside the federal programs. What they ask for, how to compare them and when it pays to wait.
Your papers and taxes
Who can really help you with immigration paperwork, what the IRS keeps and how to spot someone charging for what is free. A “notario” is not an attorney in the United States, and that misunderstanding is costly.
Key guide: A notario is not a lawyer: who can give you legal advice
Common mistakes and scams
Around the ITIN there are plenty of charges for free procedures and “notarios” who are not attorneys. Here are the most common mistakes and scams, with what the IRS and USCIS say beside them.
What they tell you Scam
The trap: paying a “notario” for immigration advice
The reality
USCIS warns that a notary public is not authorized to provide immigration legal services in the United States. Only an attorney or a representative accredited by the Department of Justice can give you immigration legal advice.
Source: USCIS, “Common Scams (notario público)”
What they tell you Scam
The trap: overpaying for the application
The reality
Applying at an IRS Taxpayer Assistance Center with ITIN service or at a VITA site that offers it is free. A certifying acceptance agent authenticates your documents and returns them right away.
What it means: VITA (free tax preparation)Source: IRS, “How to apply for an ITIN”
What they tell you Myth
The mistake: letting your ITIN expire without noticing
The reality
An ITIN not used on a federal return for three consecutive tax years expires. It is renewed with the same Form W-7, ticking the renewal box.
What it means: Form W-7Source: IRS, “How to renew an ITIN”
What they tell you Myth
The mistake: believing the ITIN gives you a work permit or status
The reality
It does not grant or change either, and it does not give Social Security benefits. It is a number for federal taxes, nothing more.
Read the guide: What an ITIN is and what it is forSource: IRS, “Individual taxpayer identification number (ITIN)”
The down payment with an ITIN
HUD stopped insuring FHA loans for non-permanent residents; with an ITIN, the option is private lenders, and each sets its own down payment. With the typical home value and an example, this is the difference.
Housing and money guides, with official sources
The most complete guides to living, renting and buying with an ITIN. Start with the featured one; each guide says which sources we verified and when.
Renting 11 minute read
ITIN
The questions we hear most about the ITIN, answered briefly and with the source one click away.
The ITIN identifies your taxes; the loan depends on each lender and the type of program. The step “Buy a home with an ITIN” explains what is out of reach and what to consider.
Go to the step: Buy a home with an ITINAt an IRS Taxpayer Assistance Center with ITIN service, by appointment, or at a VITA site that offers it. You can also mail Form W-7 together with your federal return.
Read the guide: What an ITIN is and what it is forMany landlords accept other ways to identify you and prove your income. If you are rejected because of your credit report, they must give you a notice with the details of the company that made it. The guide explains what they can ask for.
Read the guide: How to rent without a Social Security number or creditIRS VITA sites prepare returns free for people with moderate incomes, with disabilities or with limited English, and some also help with the ITIN. For immigration matters, only an attorney or an accredited representative.
See the free help
See the free help
IRS VITA sites prepare returns for free for those who qualify, and some help with the ITIN. For any immigration matter, only an attorney or a representative accredited by the Department of Justice can advise you; the official list is below.
This site explains and links what official sources publish; it does not give individual advice. For your case, these organizations help for free or at low cost:
HUD-approved housing counselors give independent advice, free or at low cost. Find your county and we show you the nearby agencies with the languages they serve, or go straight to HUD’s directory.
Five questions, none personal. You get the steps in order, with the guides and calculators that fit you.
Start my plan
