7 ms·

Get a person at the IRS

122 points by aaronbrager 2y ago

seeknotfind 2y ago
I would not recommend calling the IRS based on phone numbers you see on GitHub, though they may be correct sometimes.
- instagib 2y ago
  The IRS changes the call route also. Whoever you used last year usually has a service number to call or faq to get the latest instructions.
- armada651 2y ago
  Just google the phone number to confirm it's correct, takes about 5 seconds.
  - Terr_ 2y ago
    "It's the top sponsored result, that automatically means it's legit." :p
  - seeknotfind 2y ago
    I would also not recommend calling the IRS based on mutable files on GitHub that are verified by people on HN. Though they may be correct sometimes.
billconan 2y ago
I have never called IRS before, but I can imagine how horrible that can be. I called banks before, It may take 50 minutes for someone to pick up the phone. I don't understand why they think live phone call serves customers better, whereas I think email is a much better option and they seem to remove this option.
- maxerickson 2y ago
  I had to do some kind of identity verification a couple of years ago. I tried a couple of times and didn't get through and then mistakenly called like an hour before I was supposed to be able to and got right in.
- arbuge 2y ago
  I had to call them over a routine matter (address change) a couple months ago and it wasn't so bad apart from the odd phone tree referenced in this post. The waiting time was about what you mentioned, but there was a convenient option to leave a call back number so you don't have to wait on hold. I made a total of 3 calls, each spaced a few days apart. The first two agents were markedly impatient and eager to get me off the phone for some reason. The third one was very friendly and helpful and finally resolved the issue.
- 7jjjjjjj 2y ago
  I called the IRS some time pre-2019, after they misinterpreted my $500 taxable income as $500,000. (I had to file for other reasons.) I got an agent quickly and he was helpful and resolved the problem.
- Workaccount2 2y ago
  Honestly the one time I had to call I got an agent who spoke clear english and was able to tell me exactly what forms to download and exactly what to write on them to clear up the matter. I was stunned and frankly pretty surprised.
- adastra22 2y ago
  As the other replies are mentioning, the IRS actually bucks the trend. Historically at least they are very well funded, and investment in this kind of customer service literally pays off as they help taxpayers get their tax in correctly. You can call the 800 number and actually get an agent on the other end who knows the system and is empowered to help you out. I haven't had to call in for an agent post-Trump though, so things could have changed. (Not meant as a political statement; it's a simple fact that Trump utterly destroyed their funding for a few years.)
htss2013 2y ago
Oh don't worry. When you get an audit notice you get assigned an agent dedicated to your case. You can talk to them easily. They will talk to you all the time. It's amazing. The question and answer flow is just non ending.
- CamperBob2 2y ago
  I got an audit notice once. The agent never answered his phone or my voicemails. Ended up having to actually drive down to the Federal Building and hunt down his cubicle on the deadline date. That said, the process was pretty smooth, and since I wasn't trying to pull any tax shenanigans, not all that upsetting. There are any number of corporations whose customer service is far worse than the IRS's.
  - hackernewds 2y ago
    Companies will provide you just as strong customer service if they believe you owe them money. It's the flip side that is the gauge
    - seanmcdirmid 2y ago
      I made an error on my tax form one year causing the IRS to say I owed a whole year of taxes, and I was able to resolve it amicably even after they realized they weren’t going to be getting any money from me. When you are in accounts payable, the service does get better. I’m in one of those now again because we forgot to file the 1099s for the RSUs sold to satisfy my wife’s ordinary income tax on RSU grants. Of course, since it was sold to pay ordinary income tax the cost basis adjusts all the way up, they haven’t gotten back to me yet.
      - bombcar 2y ago
        Every interaction with the IRS I’ve had has been top notch, if sometimes excruciatingly slow. That includes the “you forgot cost basis in day trading so you made fifty million dollars” letter a friend got, to the “you are an idiot and filed wrong, here’s the few grand we owe you unless you really want to contest” because of forgetting withholding.
move-on-by 2y ago
I got audited once. They had my old address, and I was very worried it would appear I was avoiding them. I kept calling my agent and leaving messages- but I never got a hold of anyone. I reached out to a CPA who said I should fax the agent instead. I got a response after that! This was only 10 years ago- so don’t underestimate the power of a fax when dealing with the IRS!
MelvinButtsESQ 2y ago
MIT licensed?
ChrisArchitect 2y ago
Tell HN:
- deleted 2y ago
  [deleted]
realjohng 2y ago
Beautiful
BuyMyBitcoins 2y ago
It would be nice to have an overlay on your phone that displays the options of what you can press. I’ve always wanted to skip having to listen to the recorded message drone on and on before mentioning which number to press for something. Does anyone know if such an app already exists?
- tjohns 2y ago
  Google Pixel phones will do this: https://guidebooks.google.com/pixel/optimize-your-life/use-direct-my-call https://guidebooks.google.com/pixel/optimize-your-life/use-d...
- OJFord 2y ago
  That's not sufficient though, IME they rarely accept numbers until they've at least started giving options. E.g. I know the option I want because I'm calling back after it dropped or the next day or whatever; have to listen to the options again even though I know my answer.
bsimpson 2y ago
Like many FAANG employees, the IRS calculates my withholding incorrectly. I got a letter in January announcing that I didn't withhold enough and applying a penalty. I spent two hours on the phone on a Friday being bounced around the IRS. Talked to plenty of people, but each one thought I was someone else's problem. I tried again on that Monday: waited on the phone for two full hours before being unceremoniously hung up on by their automated system. FWIW, it seems there's the luck of the draw on three distinct systems (robot + touch dial menu + human operator, robot + voice menu + human operator, or just robot + voice menu). They're incompatibly dysfunctional. The first one is when I got bounced around. The second one, the operator hung up on me because she couldn't hear callers routed through that system. The last one was where I spent 2 hours without a human before being dropped. Calling the IRS was even more of a pain in the ass than I anticipated. I gave up and paid the penalty. (And that was in January!)
- sgerenser 2y ago
  IRS doesn’t calculate your withholding, you (and your employer) do. If you end up owing money at the end of the year, you probably failed to properly update your W4. For example, my employer only withholds 22% on RSU grants. It’s my responsibility to update my W4 to withhold extra from my regular pay to compensate, or make estimated quarterly tax payments.
- jkaplowitz 2y ago
  > Like many FAANG employees, the IRS calculates my withholding incorrectly. I got a letter in January announcing that I didn't withhold enough and applying a penalty. The IRS doesn’t calculate withholding. They provide rules and default formulas to employers and payroll providers, but you can and should adjust the withholding as necessary by filing Form W-4 with your employer’s payroll department. If you can’t get enough tax withheld to avoid a penalty for whatever reason, you also have the option of paying estimated taxes four times a year directly to the IRS - but usually this is only needed for cases like freelancers where there isn’t enough withholding to pay the required tax. Normally estimated taxes would be four equal payments with specific due dates, though unequal payments can also be made. How much do you need to have paid through withholding plus estimated taxes avoid a penalty? At least 90% of the current year’s total tax liability, or all but $1000 of that amount, or at least 100% or 110% (depending on your income) of the same amount for the previous year, whichever is lowest. The IRS has publications which discuss this. If you make unequal estimated tax payments, there are special calculations to avoid a penalty based on when in the year you get how much income. So, if you use the formula based on your previous year’s tax liability, and don’t make unequal estimated tax payments, you’ll never have to guess and will never owe a penalty.
Waterluvian 2y ago
A few years ago when I had to call the Canada Revenue Agency, I got a human immediately. No machine. Just a hello/bonjour and then asking for my info and solving my problem. It was quite shocking given the stereotype that tax agencies suuuuuuuck.
zephrx1111 2y ago
This technique can also be used to protect your copyright. A Taiwanese YouTuber was annoyed because somebody always pirate his content to China mainland sites like bilibili. He complained to bilibili but no response. So, he intentionally put a small Winnie-the-Pooh in the corner of the video, only on 1-2 frames. Then his contents got deleted immediately.

122 points by aaronbrager 2y ago

seeknotfind 2y ago

I would not recommend calling the IRS based on phone numbers you see on GitHub, though they may be correct sometimes.

instagib 2y ago
The IRS changes the call route also. Whoever you used last year usually has a service number to call or faq to get the latest instructions.
armada651 2y ago
Just google the phone number to confirm it's correct, takes about 5 seconds.
- Terr_ 2y ago
  "It's the top sponsored result, that automatically means it's legit." :p
- seeknotfind 2y ago
  I would also not recommend calling the IRS based on mutable files on GitHub that are verified by people on HN. Though they may be correct sometimes.

billconan 2y ago

I have never called IRS before, but I can imagine how horrible that can be. I called banks before, It may take 50 minutes for someone to pick up the phone. I don't understand why they think live phone call serves customers better, whereas I think email is a much better option and they seem to remove this option.

maxerickson 2y ago
I had to do some kind of identity verification a couple of years ago. I tried a couple of times and didn't get through and then mistakenly called like an hour before I was supposed to be able to and got right in.
arbuge 2y ago
I had to call them over a routine matter (address change) a couple months ago and it wasn't so bad apart from the odd phone tree referenced in this post. The waiting time was about what you mentioned, but there was a convenient option to leave a call back number so you don't have to wait on hold. I made a total of 3 calls, each spaced a few days apart. The first two agents were markedly impatient and eager to get me off the phone for some reason. The third one was very friendly and helpful and finally resolved the issue.
7jjjjjjj 2y ago
I called the IRS some time pre-2019, after they misinterpreted my $500 taxable income as $500,000. (I had to file for other reasons.) I got an agent quickly and he was helpful and resolved the problem.
Workaccount2 2y ago
Honestly the one time I had to call I got an agent who spoke clear english and was able to tell me exactly what forms to download and exactly what to write on them to clear up the matter. I was stunned and frankly pretty surprised.
adastra22 2y ago
As the other replies are mentioning, the IRS actually bucks the trend. Historically at least they are very well funded, and investment in this kind of customer service literally pays off as they help taxpayers get their tax in correctly. You can call the 800 number and actually get an agent on the other end who knows the system and is empowered to help you out. I haven't had to call in for an agent post-Trump though, so things could have changed. (Not meant as a political statement; it's a simple fact that Trump utterly destroyed their funding for a few years.)

htss2013 2y ago

Oh don't worry. When you get an audit notice you get assigned an agent dedicated to your case. You can talk to them easily. They will talk to you all the time. It's amazing. The question and answer flow is just non ending.

CamperBob2 2y ago
I got an audit notice once. The agent never answered his phone or my voicemails. Ended up having to actually drive down to the Federal Building and hunt down his cubicle on the deadline date. That said, the process was pretty smooth, and since I wasn't trying to pull any tax shenanigans, not all that upsetting. There are any number of corporations whose customer service is far worse than the IRS's.
- hackernewds 2y ago
  Companies will provide you just as strong customer service if they believe you owe them money. It's the flip side that is the gauge
  - seanmcdirmid 2y ago
    I made an error on my tax form one year causing the IRS to say I owed a whole year of taxes, and I was able to resolve it amicably even after they realized they weren’t going to be getting any money from me. When you are in accounts payable, the service does get better. I’m in one of those now again because we forgot to file the 1099s for the RSUs sold to satisfy my wife’s ordinary income tax on RSU grants. Of course, since it was sold to pay ordinary income tax the cost basis adjusts all the way up, they haven’t gotten back to me yet.
    - bombcar 2y ago
      Every interaction with the IRS I’ve had has been top notch, if sometimes excruciatingly slow. That includes the “you forgot cost basis in day trading so you made fifty million dollars” letter a friend got, to the “you are an idiot and filed wrong, here’s the few grand we owe you unless you really want to contest” because of forgetting withholding.

move-on-by 2y ago

I got audited once. They had my old address, and I was very worried it would appear I was avoiding them. I kept calling my agent and leaving messages- but I never got a hold of anyone. I reached out to a CPA who said I should fax the agent instead. I got a response after that! This was only 10 years ago- so don’t underestimate the power of a fax when dealing with the IRS!

MelvinButtsESQ 2y ago

MIT licensed?

ChrisArchitect 2y ago

Tell HN:

deleted 2y ago
[deleted]

realjohng 2y ago

Beautiful

BuyMyBitcoins 2y ago

It would be nice to have an overlay on your phone that displays the options of what you can press. I’ve always wanted to skip having to listen to the recorded message drone on and on before mentioning which number to press for something. Does anyone know if such an app already exists?

tjohns 2y ago
Google Pixel phones will do this: https://guidebooks.google.com/pixel/optimize-your-life/use-direct-my-call https://guidebooks.google.com/pixel/optimize-your-life/use-d...
OJFord 2y ago
That's not sufficient though, IME they rarely accept numbers until they've at least started giving options. E.g. I know the option I want because I'm calling back after it dropped or the next day or whatever; have to listen to the options again even though I know my answer.

bsimpson 2y ago

Like many FAANG employees, the IRS calculates my withholding incorrectly. I got a letter in January announcing that I didn't withhold enough and applying a penalty. I spent two hours on the phone on a Friday being bounced around the IRS. Talked to plenty of people, but each one thought I was someone else's problem. I tried again on that Monday: waited on the phone for two full hours before being unceremoniously hung up on by their automated system. FWIW, it seems there's the luck of the draw on three distinct systems (robot + touch dial menu + human operator, robot + voice menu + human operator, or just robot + voice menu). They're incompatibly dysfunctional. The first one is when I got bounced around. The second one, the operator hung up on me because she couldn't hear callers routed through that system. The last one was where I spent 2 hours without a human before being dropped. Calling the IRS was even more of a pain in the ass than I anticipated. I gave up and paid the penalty. (And that was in January!)

sgerenser 2y ago
IRS doesn’t calculate your withholding, you (and your employer) do. If you end up owing money at the end of the year, you probably failed to properly update your W4. For example, my employer only withholds 22% on RSU grants. It’s my responsibility to update my W4 to withhold extra from my regular pay to compensate, or make estimated quarterly tax payments.
jkaplowitz 2y ago
> Like many FAANG employees, the IRS calculates my withholding incorrectly. I got a letter in January announcing that I didn't withhold enough and applying a penalty. The IRS doesn’t calculate withholding. They provide rules and default formulas to employers and payroll providers, but you can and should adjust the withholding as necessary by filing Form W-4 with your employer’s payroll department. If you can’t get enough tax withheld to avoid a penalty for whatever reason, you also have the option of paying estimated taxes four times a year directly to the IRS - but usually this is only needed for cases like freelancers where there isn’t enough withholding to pay the required tax. Normally estimated taxes would be four equal payments with specific due dates, though unequal payments can also be made. How much do you need to have paid through withholding plus estimated taxes avoid a penalty? At least 90% of the current year’s total tax liability, or all but $1000 of that amount, or at least 100% or 110% (depending on your income) of the same amount for the previous year, whichever is lowest. The IRS has publications which discuss this. If you make unequal estimated tax payments, there are special calculations to avoid a penalty based on when in the year you get how much income. So, if you use the formula based on your previous year’s tax liability, and don’t make unequal estimated tax payments, you’ll never have to guess and will never owe a penalty.

Waterluvian 2y ago

A few years ago when I had to call the Canada Revenue Agency, I got a human immediately. No machine. Just a hello/bonjour and then asking for my info and solving my problem. It was quite shocking given the stereotype that tax agencies suuuuuuuck.

zephrx1111 2y ago

This technique can also be used to protect your copyright. A Taiwanese YouTuber was annoyed because somebody always pirate his content to China mainland sites like bilibili. He complained to bilibili but no response. So, he intentionally put a small Winnie-the-Pooh in the corner of the video, only on 1-2 frames. Then his contents got deleted immediately.