MyTax Illinois 2FA: how to set up an authenticator app

MyTax Illinois is the Illinois Department of Revenue's (IDOR) online account system at mytax.illinois.gov. Individuals use a logon to file returns and read IDOR letters, and businesses use it for sales tax, withholding and registration. The Illinois Department of Employment Security uses it too (IDOR).

Two-step verification is required: since October 2021, MyTax Illinois has asked for a security code after your password (IDOR). You can get the code by email, by text message or from an authenticator app, and you choose a primary and a backup method (IDOR). This guide uses Authenticator App - Novaz on iPhone, but any authenticator app works the same way.

How we checked this guide: the MyTax Illinois steps come from IDOR's own help pages and an IDOR email bulletin, linked below, which we read on October 20, 2026. The tax.illinois.gov site didn't load for us that day, so we read its help pages in archived copies on web.archive.org, the newest saved between April and October 2026. We haven't tested the steps on a MyTax Illinois account, so a label may differ slightly. The Novaz steps are checked against the app, version 1.0.5.

One logon, one person

IDOR says two-step verification is there so only one person uses each username and password (IDOR). Don't share your logon or your authenticator with a bookkeeper or coworker. A business's master user can create separate logons under Manage My Profile > More… > Manage Additional Logons, and a tax preparer can get third-party access with their own logon (IDOR).

Turn on 2FA with an authenticator app

IDOR's help doesn't show the setup screen, but its pages describe the flow (IDOR, IDOR):

1. Sign in at mytax.illinois.gov with your username and password.
2. If you haven't set up two-step verification yet, MyTax Illinois asks how you want to get your security code. Choose the authenticator app.
3. Follow the instructions on screen. IDOR doesn't say whether you get a QR code, a key, or both. If you see a QR code, open Novaz, tap +, then Scan QR code. If the code is on the same iPhone, take a screenshot and use Choose a photo. See scanning a QR code on the same iPhone.
4. If you only see a key, tap + in Novaz, then Enter key manually, and type it as the Setup key. See What is a 2FA setup key? IDOR doesn't say how long its codes are or how often they change, so scan the QR code when there is one: it carries those settings.
5. Type the security code from Novaz when MyTax Illinois asks for it.

Already getting codes by email or text? The master user can change the authentication method under Manage My Profile (IDOR).

IDOR's 2021 manual for MyDec, a county assessor account on the same site, shows an Authentication App option with a Set Up link (IDOR). It's older and covers a different account, so your screen may differ.

Add a backup method

IDOR's pages don't mention backup or recovery codes. Instead, IDOR suggests that authenticator app users add a second method, such as a second email address, under Manage My Profile (IDOR). Do it: unless you've turned on iCloud backup or exported a backup file in Novaz, its keys exist only on your iPhone, so that second method is your way back in if the phone is gone.

When MyTax Illinois asks for a code

You need a new code each time you log in, unless you've saved the browser as trusted. You can remove trusted browsers via Two-Step Security (IDOR). IDOR's 2021 bulletin called the option a Trust this device box, shown after you enter your code (IDOR), so the label may differ. Don't trust a shared or public computer.

If MyTax Illinois rejects your code

IDOR's help doesn't cover rejected app codes. The usual cause is the iPhone's clock: open Settings > General > Date & Time and turn on Set Automatically. Novaz also warns you when your clock is 15 seconds or more off. Other causes are in Authenticator code not working?

Changing phones

IDOR says that if you change phones, you need to reconnect the authenticator app to MyTax Illinois (IDOR). It doesn't list the steps, but the authentication method lives under Manage My Profile. Do it while you still have the old phone or a working backup method. With Novaz's iCloud backup or a backup file, you can restore your accounts on the new iPhone and the codes keep working. Without one, you'll set up MyTax Illinois again on the new phone. See How to transfer your authenticator app to a new iPhone.

If you lose your authenticator

Use your backup method if you set one up. IDOR doesn't describe how you switch methods at the code prompt.

If you can't use any of your methods, IDOR's help says to contact it (IDOR):

• email Rev.MyTaxHelp@illinois.gov, or
• for a business account, call the Central Registration Division at 217-785-3707, or
• for an Individual Income Tax account, call Taxpayer Assistance at 800-732-8866 and pick the tax type from the menu.

IDOR doesn't say what proof it asks for or how long a reset takes. If a business's master user has left and nobody can use the master logon, IDOR points to the same email address or Central Registration at Rev.CRD@illinois.gov (IDOR). More in Lost the phone with your authenticator app?

Official MyTax Illinois help

• Two-Step Verification Guide
• MyTax Illinois User Management
• What is MyTax Illinois and how do I access it?
• New MyTax Illinois Logon Process (IDOR email bulletin, October 8, 2021)
• MyDec County Assessor ID and Password Setup and Inviting Users (PDF, August 2021)