I've posted steps below to reach a live IRS agent by craftily navigating their phone triage. I have found that for me it was best to call just before closing time--about 6:50-6:55 PM and go through the steps below. I figured a lot of folks would not call that close to closing, and that if I was one of the last to get into the queue, they would finish off all the people who were in the queue at closing time. I still sometimes have to wait about 25-30 minutes; it's unpredictable. Others have had success when they first open at 7 AM. Mondays are said to be the worst.
IRS: 800-829-1040 (7AM-7 PM local time) Monday-Friday
When calling the IRS do not choose the first choice re: "Refund", or it will send you to an automated phone line.
- First choose your language. Then listen to each menu before making the selection.
- Then press 2 for "personal income tax".
- Then press 1 for "form, tax history, or payment".
- Then press 3 "for all other questions."
- Then press 2 "for all other questions."
- It may then ask for your SSN, but do not enter it. Just wait. If it asks for SSN a second time, still do not enter it.
- Then it will get "tired", and you'll get another menu. Choose 2 for "personal".
- Then in the next menu choose 4 for "all other inquiries", and it should transfer you to an agent but expect a long wait.
- I usually use a speakerphone so I can work on something else while waiting.
If you have no luck reaching the IRS, or don't get satisfactory information, you can try contacting the IRS Taxpayer Advocate Service for your area. They are especially prone to help if you have an economic hardship, or if there have been continued delays with lack of info from the IRS. Every state has one or more IRS taxpayer advocate offices, and there is also a national office. See this article for more info on how the IRS Taxpayer Advocate Service works:
http://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc104.html
If the IRS Taxpayer Advocate Service can't/won't help you, ask them to transfer you to an IRS agent. A couple of users reported that was a backdoor to the IRS that worked for them.
