Do Not Call the IRS This Weekend Unless Absolutely Necessary.
If you have a tax question, this weekend is the worst time to try and get through to someone from the IRS. According to a February 16 press release , President’s Day weekend has historically been the busiest time of the year for the IRS phone system. Luckily, there are ways to take care of most things without wasting hours of waiting (but if you still need to call, here’s how to get in touch with a real person quickly ).
Even though 5,000 help desk reps have hired their help desk during peak demand, the IRS is still expecting long wait times this weekend and is recommending that you start looking for answers on its website. Most tax questions have definite yes or no answers, and you can use one of the many tools on the IRS website to find them. Doing your own research is not as easy or certain as a response from a person, but in the end, you will probably get the information you need faster than if you called, especially this weekend. The Interactive Tax Assistant , Tax Topics , and Frequently Asked Questions sections of the IRS website are searchable, so you can easily find sections of the tax code that apply to your question.
The IRS website also has several tools specifically designed to help taxpayers with questions about certain loans, reimbursement status, and withholdings, which are some of the most common questions that cause confusion. If your question is related to any of these topics, these tools will help you get started:
- The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) Assistant can help you find out if you qualify for this credit.
- Where is my return? the tool does what it says on the tin; if you are still waiting for a refund, start here
- The IRS2Go app allows you to check the status of your return and/or refund.
- A tax withholding assessor can answer most questions about withholding amounts.
Of course, some questions are too complex to be answered with an interactive tool or article. In that case, it’s probably time to bite the bullet and call the IRS – just wait until the holiday weekend is over if you can.