How to Talk to a Real Person at the IRS Without Waiting Forever in Line
Not all questions can be answered using a computer, especially when it comes to taxes. This year, the IRS announced it will extend hours of operation at nearly 250 Taxpayer Assistance Centers (TACs) across the country, providing additional assistance to people who need it. The company will also work to improve its phone service as well as expand its online tools. However, anyone who has tried to call the IRS knows that it can seem impossible to get a real person to answer your call. The IRS expects more than 146 million individual 2023 tax returns will be filed this season, due April 15, 2024. This means that many taxpayers are delayed. And sometimes you need to talk to a real person . Here’s how to quickly connect with someone.
How long will you have to wait to talk to someone at the IRS?
Most callers either get frustrated with the long wait or get fed up with a complicated phone tree that only leads from one automated message to another, so they just hang up. If you can stick it out, the IRS says the average wait time this year is just four minutes. Some phone lines may have longer wait times. This is a significant improvement from the average of 27 minutes over the past few years.
The IRS also reports that the longest waits typically occur on Mondays and Tuesdays. Back in 2017, a major study by enQ, Inc. showed that the best time to call is before 9 a.m. on the East Coast and after 5 p.m. on the West Coast .
What to do before calling the IRS
The IRS recommends checking your online resources before calling. It has a list of common problems that may answer your question about your tax return, payments, or identity theft issues.
How to Contact a Real Person at the IRS
To talk to someone at the IRS, you need to call, navigate through a menu, and eventually find an agent if one is available.
The IRS telephone number is 1-800-829-1040 , available from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. local time, Monday through Friday. Accountant Amy Northard offers the following cheat sheet for navigating IRS phone menus on her blog:
The first question the automated system will ask you is the choice of language. Once you have set the language, do not select option 1 (regarding refund information). Instead, press 2 to get the answer “For personal income tax answers…”.
Then press 1 to reply “For questions about the form you have already submitted…”. Then press 3 to answer all other questions.
Next, press 2 “for all other questions.” When the system asks you to enter your SSN or EIN to access your account information, do not enter anything. After he asks twice, you will be offered another menu.
Then press 2 to answer “personal or individual tax-related questions.”
Finally, press 4 for all other queries. The system should then transfer you to an agent.
Make sure you are prepared before calling the IRS with questions.
Before you call, make sure you gather everything you might need by taking your agent with you. The IRS recommends having the following items on hand:
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Social Security Numbers (SSN) and Dates of Birth
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Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) for taxpayers without a Social Security Number
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Filing status (single, head of household, married, filing jointly, or married filing separately)
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Tax return for the previous year
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The tax return you are calling about
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Any correspondence the IRS sent to you.
What to do if you can’t contact anyone at the IRS
If you live near your local IRS office , you can skip the main phone line and call them directly. They probably won’t be able to answer your questions over the phone, but your Taxpayer Assistance Center (see state guide here ) can set up an appointment.
If you’re still having trouble getting help from a real, live person, try contacting Taxpayer Advocacy Services . This is an independent office of the IRS that exists to help people solve their current tax problems.