Start by talking with your tax accountant. You’re already paying this person to prepare your return, and they have all the documentation at their fingertips to answer questions about your personal situation. If you aren’t working with a CPA, software such as TurboTax typically offers a way to chat with a specialist or have your questions reviewed. But if you think your question is best answered by an IRS employee, visit their website before calling. Many questions can be answered through the website. “The IRS has some interactive tools online you can try first,” says Alex Oware, a tax expert with JustAnswer, an expert-connection site. A couple of tips: Don’t call with questions about filing dates or to get advice. That’s what your accountant and non-IRS tax professionals are for. “The IRS usually doesn’t provide advice on the phone because they don’t want that risk,” Oware says. And don’t call asking for updates on the status of your return. That info is easily found online through the refund status tool. RELATED: Tips For Overcoming Barriers to Wealth-Building “There are a number of reasons to call the IRS directly: You may have questions regarding your tax refund [or] about an existing installment agreement, or want to confirm that your payment on an individual tax return was received,” says Colleen McCreary, chief people officer and financial advocate at Credit Karma. “Or, you may just want the location of an IRS office or of a free tax preparation service.” If you need to establish a payment plan or apply for an offer for tax debt forgiveness, it’s best to make contact with someone at the IRS who can walk you through the process. If you’re being audited, you’ll want to touch base with someone at the agency to stay on top of the process. Your accountant or tax preparer can also assist here. And if you’ve received correspondence from the IRS, you’ll want to call to see what’s going on. There’s a possibility unsolicited contact from the IRS is actually a scam, and the only way to be sure is to contact them directly. “I’m sure this sounds silly, but you’ll need to have your name, date of birth, and your social security number ready,” Oware says. If you’re calling on behalf of someone else, say an elderly parent, you’ll need to have proof of power of attorney showing you have the permission and authority to do so before getting information about that individual’s account. Once you’ve identified yourself, it’s down to the nitty-gritty. You should have the following forms on hand in a pinch:
Your completed tax returnYour EIN or Tax Payer Identification numberProof of past payments if you’ve made quarterly payments or put money toward a debt to the IRS
“The better prepared you are, the more efficient the phone call will be,” McCreary says. You can streamline your call by contacting the correct office off the bat, McCreary says. Some common departments include:
Individual tax helpline: 800-829-1040Businesses tax helpline: 800-829-4933Hearing-impaired helpline (TTY/TDD): 800-829-4059To order tax forms: 800-829-3676International Taxpayer Service Call Center: 267-941-1000 (6 a.m. to 11 p.m. Eastern time)
If you get an unsolicited email from the IRS, McCreary suggests forwarding the message to the IRS so they can investigate by sending a message to phishing@irs.gov. The IRS will only contact you via snail mail. Slott adds that, in the off chance you’re audited, you’ll receive notice in the mail. In these letters, there might be a phone number to call directly. “The reason they might contact you is due to a large deduction or possibly income omitted from the tax return—or anything unusual that stands out,” he says. “Another audit item might be a lifestyle audit where you show low income but live large, like large real estate taxes and deductions that don’t mesh with your income,” he adds. “Foreign transactions and cryptocurrency are also a big item with IRS enforcement now.”
