Busiest Tax Day

The IRS says the day after Presidents Day is one of the year’s busiest days. That is because millions of people use the long weekend to work on their taxes. The agency warns that it will take longer to get a call back from the helpline during this time of year. The IRS recommends filing online, which will give you a better chance of getting your questions answered quickly. The IRS also has a lot of information on its website, including its Interactive Tax Assistant and Tax Topics sections. These tools can answer most of your questions but are less personalized than a phone call.

Best Time to Make a Call to the IRS

If you do need to call the IRS, try to do so before 9 AM if you live on the East Coast or after 5 PM if you are on the West Coast. When you call, bringing your social security number and a copy of your tax returns is also a good idea. You can also visit an IRS Taxpayer Assistance Center (TAC) to speak to a representative in person. The centers are open this weekend, but you must make an appointment first.

Another way to avoid long wait times is to save your calls for later in the week. The IRS typically sees a surge of phone traffic on the first few days after the start of the tax season and again in May. The agency says a typical call to the helpline takes 13 minutes, but that can increase dramatically during these busy periods.

How to Contact the IRS?

The IRS is not the easiest to reach, especially in peak tax filing season. But if you’re looking to avoid long wait times this weekend, here are some tips to help. First, start your quest for answers by visiting the IRS website. The site has plenty of tools that can answer simple questions and provide definite answers much faster than calling a representative. Of course, it won’t work for every question, and some information isn’t available online, so you may still need to call. But try to make the call early in the day or just after they open rather than during lunchtime or during normal business hours.

If you have a more complex issue, your best bet is to visit a local Taxpayer Assistance Center (TAC). TACs are located throughout the country and can assist with many issues, including audits, appeals, and collections. You can find the location of a TAC near you by using the IRS office locator tool on their website. This tool can also show you average wait times for the specific location you’re interested in.

Another option is to file your return online. In fact, e-filing is the best way to ensure that your taxes are correct and that you get the refund you’re entitled to. It also helps reduce errors and speed up the processing of your refund. If you choose direct deposit, the IRS can process your refund even faster.

In addition to e-filing, you can also get a lot of help from an expert tax preparer. They can review your returns for errors and recommend changes to maximize your refund. And they can also help you navigate the complexities of filing for a small business or self-employed individual.

It’s important to remember that if you’re being visited by an IRS revenue officer, this is a serious matter. These visits are part of the agency’s efforts to catch people who don’t file their taxes. This is a problem that costs the federal government billions of dollars in lost revenue.