The Best Way to Contact the IRS

If you have a question about your tax return or want to know where your refund is, it is possible to contact the IRS. However, you should be prepared to wait a while before you’re able to speak to a real person (more on that below).

You can contact the IRS by calling the general help line at 1-800-829-1040. However, there may be better ways to reach the IRS, depending on your reason for contacting them.

Calling the IRS

It is possible to reach an actual person by calling the IRS. However, you should be prepared to wait in order to get a hold of someone. According to the 2021 National Taxpayer Advocate Annual Report to Congress, customer service representatives at the IRS only answered 11% of the 282 million calls made. The average hold time was 23 minutes.

While there is a general helpline to call, 1-800-829-1040, you might get a hold of someone more quickly if you try calling a line designed specifically for your question. Reference the chart below to see if your question has a designated line.

IRS Phone Numbers
Reason for Contacting Phone Number
Disaster Victims 866-562-5227
Estate and gift tax 866-699-4083
Excise tax 866-699-4096
Help getting your EIN 800-829-4933
Identity theft 800-908-4490
Innocent spouse relief 866-681-4271
Lost ITIN documents 800-908-9982
Balance due questions 800-829-0922
Tax liens 800-913-6050
Help with self-employed business tax return 800-829-0115
Self-employed taxpayers with an account or a tax law question 800-829-4933

The IRS phone lines are open from 7 am to 7 pm (local time) and are closed for federal holidays. You’re more likely to get a hold of someone if you call early in the morning. It’s also best to avoid the days surrounding tax filing deadlines (if you can).

What You Need to Contact the IRS

The last thing you want is to finally get a hold of someone at the IRS and not have the information that you need in order to proceed. Before contacting the IRS, you should collect the following items:

  • Social Security number or ITIN
  • Filing status
  • Date of birth
  • Prior-year return and/or any year’s tax return that you have a question about
  • Any IRS correspondence that you have received recently

Contacting the IRS Online

While the IRS doesn’t have a customer service e-mail, there are several online tools that you can use to answer some of your tax questions. Some of the most commonly used online IRS tools include the following:

These are just some of the online resources that the IRS offers to taxpayers. For a full list of resources, visit the IRS help page.

Meeting the IRS in Person

Most people don’t realize it, but you can actually meet with the IRS in person. Every state has at least one Taxpayer Assistance Center. You can use the Taxpayer Assistance Center Office Locator to see which office is closest to you. Then call 844-545-5640 to set up an appointment.

Appointments can be hard to come by. Therefore, you should use in-person meetings as a last resort.

Avoiding Scams

The IRS will rarely, if ever, contact an individual taxpayer via phone. Therefore, if you’re having trouble getting a hold of the IRS via phone, it’s important to be wary of any calls that may come from the IRS. The IRS does most of its communication via the US postal service and will never call you demanding payment. If you are making a payment to the IRS, make sure it’s through a verified source like their website and not some third-party app or wire transfer.

How to Get Quick Tax Help

If you’re looking for fast, reliable tax assistance, consider IRS Shield. Our team of tax experts can help answer your questions and walk you through any notices you may receive from the IRS.

Avoid long wait times and get answers quickly with IRS Shield.

What to Do if the IRS Contacts You (and why they do)

Everyone dreads being contacted by the IRS, but few think of what the right steps to take are if they do reach out.

How do you know if the information the IRS has is accurate? What if it’s not? How do you know if it’s actually the IRS contacting you?

There is no need to panic. This post will teach you what to do if the IRS contacts you.

What to Do If the IRS Contacts You

Getting contacted by the IRS can be frightening. They typically contact taxpayers by sending a paper notice via the mail. If you do receive a notice, follow these simple steps:

  • Don’t ignore it – receiving a notice from the IRS typically requires some form of action. If there is a response from you needed by a specific date, make sure to comply to minimize additional interest and penalty charges.
  • Read the notice in its entirety – make sure to read the entire notice and that you agree with the information. If you don’t agree, respond as directed in the notice.
  • Dispute or pay – if you disagree with the notice, you can dispute it. There are usually instructions on the notice on how to do so. If you do agree with the notice, then you should pay what you owe or work out a payment plan with the IRS.

If you’re having trouble understanding what an IRS notice means, you can search the IRS website based on the notice number for more information.

What to do If You Disagree with an IRS Notice

The IRS does make mistakes and can send out notices when you don’t actually owe any money. If you think the IRS has made a mistake by sending you a notice or an error in calculating what you owe, then you do have the option to dispute a notice.

Disputing a notice can be a difficult and lengthy process. IRS Shield offers consultation with qualified tax professionals to help determine the best solution for you. They’ll even work with the IRS directly on your behalf to achieve a resolution.

How to Respond to an IRS Notice

It isn’t always clear how to respond to an IRS notice. In some instances, you may need to send additional documentation, while other instances may require you to pay the IRS money, and in some cases, they may not even need a response at all.

If you agree with the information on the notice, make sure you understand what the IRS expects as a response. If they are asking for additional documentation, make sure to collect all the documentation required before responding.

Avoiding Tax Scams

There are several scams of individuals impersonating the IRS to steal money. Most contact from the IRS comes via mail. Therefore, it’s important to be extra vigilant if you believe that you are being contacted by phone or text message. The IRS will only contact you via phone for special circumstances like:

  • Having an overdue tax bill
  • Trying to secure a seriously overdue tax return

In most of these cases, you would’ve received several notices via mail before receiving a phone call.

Additionally, if you do need to make a payment to the IRS, make sure it’s through their online payment portal. The IRS will not ask you to give payment details over the telephone.

Why Does the IRS Contact You?

The IRS may contact you for several different reasons. Not all of them are necessarily bad! Some of the reasons the IRS may reach out to you include the following:

  • There’s been a change to your refund
  • They are questioning the information on your tax return
  • They need to verify your identity
  • You have an overdue balance
  • The information you provided on your return was insufficient, and they need more detail
  • Your return has been changed due to an error
  • There is a delay in processing your return

If you want to learn more about the types of notices the IRS sends, read our article on what the IRS sends notices for.

When Should I Get Help?

If you have the slightest suspicion that the notice is inaccurate or are confused about what to do next, you should get help before taking action. IRS Shield can help you understand your notice, determine appropriate action, and even work with the IRS on your behalf. Reach out to us today to get started resolving your IRS notice.