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BACK TAXES AND TAX DEBT

How do I contact the IRS?

Jim Buttonow, CPA, CITP SVP Post-Filing Tax Services Published On July 08, 2021

You can contact the IRS by phone, mail, or walking in/making an appointment at a local Taxpayer Assistance Center. The IRS typically does not email taxpayers.

Most taxpayers contact the IRS by phone. The most common number to contact the IRS for individual taxpayers is (800) 829-1040. However, the IRS has specific hotlines dedicated to taxpayer issues. For example, if a taxpayer needs to contact IRS Collection, the phone numbers are (800) 829-3903 for individuals with small business/business entities and (800) 829-7650 for wage earners.

It is sometimes very difficult to connect with the IRS by phone. In some cases, taxpayers can wait hours before talking to an IRS representative. Taxpayers may want to consider engaging and authorizing a Tax Pro who can use a special hotline (The Practitioner Priority Service) to get through to the IRS.

Common IRS hotlines

The IRS has over 150 hotlines to help taxpayers reach them. Here are the most common hotlines and their hours of operation:

Hotline	Phone number	Hours/availability
Individual accounts	(800) 829-1040	For taxpayers (Tax Pros use Practitioner Priority Service (PPS)) M-F, 7AM – 7PM, local time
Business and Specialty accounts	(800) 829-4933	For taxpayers (Tax Pros use PPS) M-F, 7AM – 7PM, local time
Taxpayer Assistance Center appointments	(844) 545-5640	Call for appt: 7AM – 7PM, local time Local offices (appt only, some centers allow walk-ins), days and times vary – most M-F, 8:30AM – 4:30PM
e-Services Help Desk	(866) 255-0654	For tax professionals M-F, 6:30AM – 6PM, CST (can open longer during filing season)
Taxpayer Advocate National Hotline (central intake)	(877) 777-4778	M-F, 7AM – 7PM, local time Local offices: 8AM – 4:30PM
Automated Underreporter Unit (includes Automated Underreported Reconsiderations-AUR)	(800) 829-3009 (Wage & Investment (W&I)) (800) 829-8310 (Small Business/Self-Employed (SB/SE))	M-F, 7AM – 8PM, local time
Correspondence Exam Unit (includes audit reconsideration) [IRM 4.19.19.16 (12/12/2017)]	(866) 897-0177 (W&I) (866) 897-0161 (SB/SE)	W&I: M-F, 8AM – 8PM, local time SB/SE: M-F,7AM – 7PM, local time
Payment plans: taxpayer not in IRS Collection	(800) 829-0922	M-F, 7AM – 7PM, local time (Set up streamlined installment agreements)
Automated Collection: Individuals	(800) 829-7650 (W&I)	M-F, 8AM – 8PM, local time
Automated Collection: Self-employed and businesses	(800) 829-3903 (SB/SE)	M-F, 8AM – 8PM, local time
Centralized Offer in Compromise Unit (on Form 656-PPV)	(844) 398-5025 (Memphis) (844) 805-4980 (Holtsville)	M-F, 8AM – 5PM (CST) M-F, 8AM – 11PM (EST)
Centralized Lien Unit	(800) 913-6050	M-F, 8AM – 5PM, local time
Penalty Hotline	(855) 223-4017 x225	M-F, 7AM – 7PM, local time
Identity Protection Specialized Unit	(800) 908-4490	M-F, 7AM – 7PM, local time
Treasury (Tax) Offset Program (not an IRS number)	(800) 304-3107	M-F, 7:30AM – 5PM CST
Innocent Spouse	(855) 851-2009	M-F, 6:30AM – 2:30PM CST
Automated Substitute for Return Unit	(866) 681-4271	M-F, 8AM – 5PM, local time
IRS Appeals appointment hotline	(559) 233-1267	Leave message and will get a response back in 24-48 hours with appeals assignment and contact info

Keep researching, or ask us for help

For assistance creating a strategy to address your tax issue, visit Jackson Hewitt’s Tax Resolution Hub to see the various ways we can help you.

About the Author

Jim Buttonow, CPA, CITP, is the Senior Vice President for Post-Filing Tax Services at Jackson Hewitt. He’s been a leader in helping taxpayers and tax professionals resolve tax problems with the IRS, where he had worked for 19 years in various compliance-enforcement positions. Prior to his current role, Jim’s consulting practice focused on the areas of tax controversy and tax administration, which included leading product development on tax problem software for tax professionals, testifying before Congress, advocating for IRS transparency and efficiency, and proposing innovative large-scale solutions for taxpayers and tax professionals. Jim is also the author of Tax Problems and Solutions Handbook, a publication aimed at helping tax pros work more effectively in post-filing matters and resolving their clients’ most common tax problems.

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