Critter-3: Your advice is very good in a normal tax season but right now it simply isn't applicable. The IRS is no longer taking "any" calls, even with their automated system. They are referring callers to on-line sources for information. Most local IRS offices are still 'closed' and the advocate offices can get no more information than any individual can on the internet, and their primary function to to assist tax payers with audit issues, not the timeliness of initial processing.
The best advise to to tell everyone to give the IRS time to catch up. They will, but not quickly.
