Calling the IRS was a frustrating situation for me, which is probably to be expected given that no one likes to deal with the IRS. Still, I am disappointed that I wasn't able to get an answer to my question. Even after calling multiple times, the system hung up on me, which leads me to think there is a glitch in their telephone system, or I will just have to go online and wade through the information. Of course, I was calling so I didn't have to do that.
Admittedly, there are a thousand reasons why people might call the IRS. From overdue tax payments to questions about audits to checking the status of a refund, millions of people in the US use the IRS. When money is involved, people tend to call and check up on things. Therefore, it is not surprising, but it is still frustrating that I couldn't get to someone who could help me with my issue.
All of that said, I certainly had a lot of runaround and absolutely no help from the IRS department via this phone number. When I first called, a virtual voice said, "Welcome to the Internal Revenue Service. You can also visit us at www.irs.gov. To continue in English press or say 1." I tried to say one, but it wouldn't recognize my verbal response. However, after I pressed the button, it did work.
It then gave me a standard message about the economic stimulus payments, which is what I was actually calling about. It told me, "If you are calling with questions about economic stimulus patients, please visit www.irs.org for the latest information." It then gave me a second option to also call another number if I needed help with that, but then it gave me an option to get direct help, so that was reasonable to go ahead and follow.
It gave me the following three options, "For questions about your stimulus payment, press 3. If you are calling about a notice or letter you received, press 1. If you are calling to check the status of your refund, press 2."
I pressed three and then hold music started to play. Then it abruptly stopped, and a voice said, "Said your call cannot be completed at this time. Please try your call again later." Then it hung up on me. I tried to call again, and the same thing happened. It was the middle of the afternoon, too so there was no reason for it not to work.
This IRS phone number is ranked #6 out of 10 because 2,306,316 IRS customers tried our tools and information and gave us feedback after they called. The reason customers call 800-829-8374 is to reach the IRS Tax Professionals department for problems like Track My Refund, Setup Payment Arrangement, Ask For Tax Help, Order a Transcript, Missing Refund. As far as we can tell, IRS has call center locations in Utah or New York or Tennessee and you can call during their open hours Mon-Fri 8am-8pm EST. IRS has 10 phone numbers and 11 different ways to get customer help. We've compiled information about 800-829-8374 and ways to call or contact IRS with help from customers like yourself. Please help us continue to grow and improve this information and these tools by sharing with people you know who might find it useful.
Calling IRS at this number should be pretty straightforward. Also important is what you do once you call, or what your other phone number options are. First of all, we strongly recommend using our free call-you-back tool. Essentially, we navigate their phone menu for you, wait on hold, and then call you when a representative from IRS Tax Professionals can talk. Generally, it saves you at least 27% of your wait time. So it's faster and you don't need to listen to bad hold music. Once on the phone with IRS's Tax Professionals department, you may need to provide them with information that identifies you as a customer, like your full name (or name on the account), email address, phone number, or an account number. It's usually worthwhile to gather this information before you call.
While 800-829-8374 is IRS's #6 most popular phone number, it's not the only way to get a hold of their customer care team. You already know from reading above that 800-829-1040 is their best customer phone number overall, and we have put together a comparison of their 11 total ways to contact support for you to look at as well. One thing to keep in mind as you try to reach IRS help by calling them, is that other customers give their customer support at this number a 61% score for their communication skills and a 53% score for the overall help they received. That could be indicative of their abilities to help you resolve your problem overall, regardless of whether or not you call this number.