IRS help with federal income tax is available to taxpayers from a multitude of sources ranging from IRS help phone lines, IRS help web sites and walk-in offices, to its U.S. Taxpayer Advocate Service for more involved or ongoing tax issues.
IRS Help Phone Lines
The IRS offers live telephone assistance with preparing tax returns or answering questions about tax notices sent to taxpayers by the IRS.
- Telephone IRS Help for Individuals:
Toll-Free, 1-800-829-1040
Hours of Operation: Monday – Friday, 7:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m. your local time (Alaska & Hawaii follow Pacific Time).
- Telephone IRS Help for Businesses:
Toll-Free, 1-800-829-4933
Hours of Operation: Monday – Friday, 7:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m. your local time (Alaska & Hawaii follow Pacific Time).
- Telephone IRS Help for Tax Exempt Organizations, Retirement Plan Administrators, and Government Entities:
Toll-Free, 1-877-829-5500
Hours of Operation: Monday – Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Central Time.
- Telephone IRS Help for People with Hearing Impairments:
Toll-Free 1-800-829-4059 (TDD)
Hours of Operation: Monday – Friday, 7:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m. your local time (Alaska & Hawaii follow Pacific Time).
- Telephone IRS Help for Victims of Identity Theft:
Toll-Free 1-800-908-4490 (Automated and live assistance)
Hours of Operation: Monday – Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. your local time (Alaska & Hawaii follow Pacific Time).
- Telephone IRS Help for People Living Outside the United States:
See: IRS International Services web page for phone numbers and hours of operation.
IRS Help Online Resources
- IRS Help Online for Individuals:
Includes popular and essential IRS help resources including, Free File, Where’s My Tax Refund, and Tax Trails, the IRS’s online tax question and answer feature. Having trouble keeping up with the latest changes in the tax laws? You are not alone, but to help you out, the IRS provides 1040 Central, a compilation of tax changes for the current filing year. And, of course, you want to know your Taxpayer Rights.
- IRS Help Online for Businesses:
Don’t have your own corporate tax attorney? No problem IRS help is available online. Small and large business can benefit from EFTPS: The Electronic Federal Tax Payment System – a free service. Corporations that prepare and transmit their own electronic corporate income tax returns and those that use the services of third party tax professionals can use e-File for large and mid-sized corporations. And any business with employees will someday need help with Employment Taxes.
IRS Help Face-to-Face
- IRS help on a face-to-face, human-to-human basis is offered at Taxpayer Assistance Centers (TACs) located in cities in all 50 states. TACs are staffed by trained IRS employees who can help you resolve tax problems and answer questions about how the tax law applies to your individual tax return. While all TACs welcome walk-in visitors, the IRS suggests you call ahead to set an appointment. Phone numbers can be found using the TAC Locator web page.
IRS Help from the Taxpayer Advocate Service
- The Taxpayer Advocate Service is an independent organization within the IRS whose employees assist taxpayers who are experiencing economic harm, who are seeking help in resolving tax problems that have not been resolved through normal channels, or who believe that an IRS system or procedure is not working as it should. Taxpayer advocates are available in all 50 states and U.S. territories. To find out if your tax situation is eligible for help from a Taxpayer Advocate, you can call the Taxpayer Advocate Service Case Intake Line at: 1-877-777-4778 or TTY/TTD: 1-800-829-4059.
