Need help with your taxes? To help meet the high demand for its toll-free call center that typically comes with the Presidents Day holiday, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is extending its customer service hours.
The IRS toll-free telephone lines will be available Saturday, February 18, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (local time) and Monday, February 20, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. (local time). You read that correctly: Presidents Day is a federal holiday, but IRS telephone lines will remain open.
Don’t wait to call. According to the IRS, Tuesday, February 21, the day following Presidents Day, is typically the busiest day of the year for IRS telephone lines. On that day, the IRS expects to field thousands of calls per hour.
If you need to call the IRS about your personal taxes, you need to be prepared to prove you are who you say you are. The best way to do this? Have your prior year return together with your most recently filed tax return. In addition, you should also have the following information handy:
- Social Security numbers or Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers (ITINs) and birth dates for yourself, your spouse and any dependents claimed on your tax return (for more on ITINs, click here)
- Filing status (for more about filing status, click here)
- A copy of the tax return in question
- Any letters or notices received from the IRS.
If you are calling in response to a letter 4883C, that means the IRS has questions about a suspicious tax return. When you call, you should have the following information handy:
- A copy of letter 4883C
- Copy of prior year tax return (if you filed)
- Current year tax return (if you filed)
- Any supporting documents (including forms W-2, 1099, Schedule A, Schedule C, Schedule F, etc.)
If you need in-person help, IRS has that, too. IRS offers in-person help at taxpayer assistance centers around the country but you’ll need to make an appointment (find out how here). Don’t forget that it’s a holiday weekend: while the phone lines are open, all IRS taxpayer Assistance offices will be closed Monday, February 20, for Presidents Day.
Remember that you may not need to call or visit IRS: most taxpayer questions can be answered online at IRS.gov.
If you’re looking for your tax refund, the IRS strongly suggests that you use the “Where’s My Refund?” tool. For a primer on how to use the app, click here.
You can also estimate your refund date using this handy chart. You won’t find out any additional information by calling the IRS (for more refund myths, click here).
