IRS warns taxpayers not to try to call now
The agency anticipates a wave of calls with tax issues this weekend.
Most of us would hardly see ourselves experts . Nevertheless, each year, we must browse confusing documents and constantly evolving rules in order to deposit our taxes. If you do not have remunerated taxation that helps you with your declaration, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has employees on board to provide free assistance to taxpayers in person and by phone. But obtaining this help could end up costing you something else: your time and your patience. Taxpayers have long complained about the difficulty of reaching one of the agency's telephone assistants. And now the IRS warns even to try. Read more to find out why the agency advises taxpayers to avoid calling now.
Read this then: 3 IRS deductions that you cannot take this year, warn the experts .
The IRS recently hired thousands of new telephone assistants.
The 2023 fiscal season should be confusing for taxpayers, as many changes related to the pandemic are deleted after three years. Consequently, the IRS said that it "had taken additional measures" to help improve service this year.
One of these major adjustments was an increase in the agency's workforce. The adoption of the law on the reduction of inflation in August 2022 allowed the IRS to hire more than 5,000 New telephone assistants In recent months. These new customer service representatives have received weeks For training "Helping to improve taxpayers' experience" by answering telephone questions, according to the agency.
"The IRS is fully determined to provide the best possible service, and we will quickly use new funding to help taxpayers during the occupied tax season," said the former IRS commissioner Chuck Rettig said in a statement in October 2022. "Our telephone lines were simply overwhelmed during the pandemic, and we have not been able to provide the help that IRS employees wish to give and that the taxpayers of the country Deserve ... as the newly hired employees are trained and moved online in 2023, we will have more assistants on the phone than at any time in recent history. "
But the agency still warns taxpayers against the call for help.
Despite this recent addition to the agency's workforce, the IRS still calls for caution with regard to assistance on the phone. "Even if we have new hires in the pipeline, our telephone lines remain extremely busy," warned Rettig in October.
Doug O'Donnell , the IRS interim commissioner who recently succeeded Rettig, gave a similar warning in January, just before the start of the 2023 tax season. "We have formed thousands of new employees to answer the phones and help People [but] our telephone volumes remain at very high levels, "he confirmed.
In recent years, these historically high levels have led to telephone calls many unanswered people. During the 2022 tax season, the IRS received 73 million phone calls taxpayers in search of help, according to The Washington Post . But Erin Collins , the defender of national taxpayers, said that only 10% of approximately these calls had actually reached an IRS employee.
"If a private company has not answered nine out of 10 out of 10 calls, customers would go elsewhere. This is of course not an option for American taxpayers," said Collins in its report.
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You should really avoid calling in the coming days.
It is now more important than ever to take this advice into account. In a new alert Published on February 16, the IRS warned the taxpayers that the "peak period" for the deposit of taxes approaches quickly. According to the agency, many people prepare and submit their income tax declarations during the weekend of presidents each year. As a result, this creates a peak period for IRS calls.
"The IRS continues to see improvements this fiscal season compared to previous years, including better telephone service," O'Donnell said in a statement. "But we always see a significant increase in telephone traffic around the presidents' day. With the advanced calendar, millions of people turn their attention to taxes during this period."
The IRS recommends using online tools during this period.
In light of this planned telephone line overvoltage, you would better try different options before using the call. "During the period of two weeks of February following the presidents' day, the IRS first recommends turning to the self-assistance tools available online," the agency said in its new alert. AE0FCC31AE342FD3A1346EBB1F342FCB
The IRS website is full of tools designed to provide rapid responses to taxpayers at any time. "There is no waiting time or necessary appointments - online tools and resources are Available 24 hours A day, "explains the agency. To help answer current tax questions, the IRS suggests looking for the Interactive tax assistant (Ita), Tax subjects , And Frequently asked questions (FAQ) Sections of its online website. You can also configure your own online account To help quickly get tax information.
"To avoid potential delays, we encourage people to check the IR.gov first, which can instantly provide the same information to taxpayers," O'Donnell said in his declaration.
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