I don't know about illegal immigrants but there used to be a thriving business for scammers and fraudsters. These days you're asked to go to one of the identity verification offices of the IRS with a state issued id and social security card.

This applies to previously flagged accounts, audited filings etc.

http://www.cnbc.com/2015/02/11/tax-refund-fraud-to-hit-21-bi...

I wasn't aware that it was even possible to file a tax return without a valid SSN...then again, I've never manually filled out a 1040 either.

How would an illegal immigrant without a valid SSN file a tax return?

EDIT: Disregard...from the parent's link article: Many of these people use Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers, or ITINs.

The IRS also wants its cut of your drug slinging and theft. http://money.cnn.com/2013/02/28/news/economy/illegal-income-...

I seriously doubt this could account for a 5% drop in filings. Also, the primary reason that illegal immigrants file tax returns is to obtain refunds. Yet the total dollar amount of refunds disbursed actually increased this year despite the large drop in filings. If the drop in filings were immigration related, a similar drop in overall refunds would have been the likely result.

Why not? 4.5 million people without SSNS filed last year.

http://www.npr.org/2017/04/17/523634144/tax-filings-seen-dip...

The drop in returns received was 6 million.

> Also, the primary reason that illegal immigrants file tax returns is to obtain refunds.

Could you source this statement? I haven't seen anything besides speculation about this subject.

If a US citizen whose income exceeds a defined (low) threshold must file an annual tax return by law, then what other sensible reason would there be for an illegal immigrant to do the same if the primary compliance tracking mechanism is a SSN?

One important reason is to qualify for financial aid at private colleges and universities. I have worked with undocumented parents of documented students applying to really competitive colleges. Some of these colleges will meet their financial need even if their parents are undocumented so these parents file their taxes, often owing taxes, to demonstrate their income.

Makes sense. Thanks for pointing that out.

Could you provide a source for your speculation?

Precisely what part was speculative?

How could an illegal alien even get an ITIN? Wouldn't being in the country legally be a prerequisite? Or are forged documents used?