IRS Phone Lines Are Busy This Weekend. Do This Before Calling
Filing your tax return can be complicated, but if you call the IRS, you can expect long wait times.
The IRS can answer tax questions by phone, but you'll need to be patient.
Getting your taxes filed early and out of the way is a great idea -- especially with a looming government shutdown. But if you have questions about your tax return, we recommend waiting until Presidents Day weekend is over. The IRS says this period is peak time for IRS phone lines. That means you can expect longer wait times before reaching a representative.
Raphael Tulino, an IRS representative, underlined the importance of finding answers through online resources: "It's IRS.gov, IRS.gov and IRS.gov first before you call."
The IRS has roughly 600 local offices around the country as well as staffing a toll-free hotline. You may be able to answer some of your tax questions with online resources, too: The IRS has a tool called the Interactive Tax Assistant that walks you through various inquiries to help you determine whether your income is taxable, whom you can claim as a dependent and what your filing status is.
If you want to track the status of your tax refund, you can do so by visiting the IRS's Get Refund Status tool. Lastly, be sure to create your own online IRS account -- you can also use that account to get info about your prior year's tax return.
If you've exhausted all the online options and still haven't solved your problem, we'll tell you how to contact the IRS by phone or make an appointment in person at a local office. For more tax info, here are all the tax credits and deductions you can get for your home in 2024.
Call this IRS phone number to ask about tax refunds and more
Before you make a call to the IRS, note that the call volumes are high and you may have to wait a long time to speak with a representative.
To get started, call 800-829-1040 to reach the tax agency about an issue you're having with your taxes. Make sure you have the following information on hand to verify your identification.
- Your Social Security number or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number
- Your birthdate
- Filing status: single, head of household, married filing joint or married filing separate
Got a specific tax question? There's a hotline for that
Streamline your call to the IRS by calling one of the many IRS phone numbers that address a specific question or topic.
IRS numbers to call
| Purpose | Number |
|---|---|
| Scheduling an appointment with the IRS | 844-545-5640 |
| Locating free tax clinic near you | 800-906-9887 |
| Taxpayer Advocate Service | 877-777-4778 |
| Interpretation services for Spanish speakers | 800-829-1040 |
| Interpretation services for other languages | 833-553-9895 |
| Deaf or hard of hearing assistance | 800-829-4059 |
| IRS Disaster Hotline | 866-562-5227 |
| Requesting IRS to mail paper tax forms | 800-829-3676 |
| Ordering a tax transcript | 800-908-9946 |
| Checking status of a tax refund | 800-829-1954 |
| Self-employed taxpayer assistance | 800-829-4933 |
| Reporting phishing or tax scams | 800-366-4484 |
| Estate and gift tax law questions | 800-829-1040 |
| Victims of identity theft assistance | 800-908-4490 |
| Checking status of amended tax return | 866-464-2050 |
Complex tax topics the IRS won't discuss on the phone
There are a few topics the IRS does not discuss on the phone. The list of complex tax topics includes:
- Business, sale and depreciation
- Capital gains and losses
- Commuting
- Corporations, exempt organizations and partnerships
- Education
- Health care
- International
- Rentals and residential
- Trusts
- Specific forms
It might be in your best interest to make an in-person appointment with a representative instead of searching online for your answer to one of these topics.
How to set up an in-person appointment with an IRS representative
The IRS has many offices across the US, and if there's one near you, you can make an appointment to speak with someone in person. Here's how to schedule a meeting.
1. Head to the IRS Taxpayer Assistance Tool page and enter your ZIP code. Tap Search.
2. Choose the location nearest to you and select Make Appointment.
3. Call the appointment phone number for the office you want to visit.
4. When you go to your local branch, make sure to bring a government-issued photo ID and your ITIN or Social Security number.