Michelle Ezell EA LTC

Grants Pass, OR

The IRS Won’t Answer the Phone?

March 4th, 2023

If you’ve spent time in phone purgatory trying to get customer service help from the IRS, you are not alone.

During the 2022 filing season, the IRS received about 73 million telephone calls. Only one out of 10 calls reached an IRS employee, and it is only getting worse. If you keep calling and the IRS never picks up the phone, consider setting up an online account. Although it requires more time and documentation than most online accounts, once it is set up it is well worth it. Even if you don’t need it now, it’s a good idea to have an IRS online account in case you run into a tax issue in the future. This prevents having to create an online account during the stress of a tax problem. 

What can you do with an IRS account?

View Your Balance

  • View the amount you owe and a breakdown by tax year

 

Make and View Payments

  • Make a payment from your bank account or by debit/credit card 

  • You can also make a guest payment without logging in 

  • View 5 years of payment history, including your estimated tax payments 

  • View any pending or scheduled payments 


View or Create Payment Plans

  • Learn about payment plan options and apply for a new payment plan 

  • View details of your payment plan if you have one


Manage Communication Preferences

  • Go paperless for certain notices 

  • Get email notifications for new account information or activity

 

Access Tax Records 

  • View key data from your most recently filed tax return, including your adjusted gross income, and access transcripts 

  • View information about your Economic Impact Payments 

  • View information about your advance Child Tax Credit payments 

  • View digital copies of certain notices from the IRS


Here’s How to Get Started

  • Go to IRS.gov and select “View Your Account”

  • Select the “Log in to your Online Account” button  

  • Click “Create Account”  

  • Pass “Secure Access” authentication. Individuals must be able to authenticate their identity to continue to set up an account. See How to Register for Certain Online Self-Help Tools for details.  

  • Create a profile


Despite the IRS hiring 4,000 new customer service representatives, the phone lines remain extremely busy, and IRS continues to urge people to first visit IRS.gov for information related to their tax questions. Many questions can be answered online, providing faster answers for people than calling. 

 

Also see: Here's What You Can Do With IRS Online Account - YouTube

Sources: Phone image by Alexander Andrews