What’s open at the IRS in June

Many people need to interact with the IRS to obtain information concerning their refunds and stimulus.  Additionally, there are many taxpayers who need to correspond with IRS employees concerning their tax problems. The IRS automated phone lines are available now.  However, if you want to talk to an IRS employee, including the stimulus phone line for those who received an EIP letter (Notice 1444), you should expect a long wait. If you're looking for an update for your regular tax refund, you can call the automated number at 1-800-829-1954.  Be aware that this line has no information about the status of your stimulus checks.  The phone number for the stimulus is 1-800-919-9835. Fortunately, the Practitioner Priority Service (PPS) line has recently opened.  However, this line is only for tax professionals.  I have made several calls using the Practitioner Priority Service line in the past week and have been able to talk to the IRS in several minutes.  Using a licensed tax professional can be very beneficial since they can speak with the IRS on your behalf. The Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS) local phone lines are open.  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.  You can go to taxpayeradvocate.irs.gov to find your local number. IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig said earlier this month that the IRS is reopening operations for employees with non-portable work.  So far, employees with non-portable work returned to offices in Kentucky, Texas, and Utah on Monday. Additional IRS offices and centers are opening in the coming weeks, including Georgia and Tennessee beginning June 15.  This re-opening includes key processing centers, notice print facilities, and call center operations. Web services at IRS.gov remain open.  This includes:
  • Taxpayers can check the status of their stimulus at Get My Payment.
  • Taxpayers can check their refund status at Where’s My Refund.
  • Taxpayers can obtain a tax transcript at Get Transcript Online.
  • Taxpayers can make payments through Direct Pay.
Taxpayers who previously have been issued an Identity Protection PIN but lost it must use the Get an IP Pin tool to retrieve their numbers. If you received correspondence (Letters 5071C, 5447C, or 5747C) from the IRS asking if you filed a suspicious tax return, you can use the online Identity Verification Service to validate your identity.  If you received a Letter 4883C, follow its instructions.  While online services are available, phone assistance is limited. David Zubler is a tax accountant and Enrolled Agent representing clients before the IRS with over 25 years of tax experience. He is the author of four tax books and is the founder and president of Your Tax Care. The company provides business and tax education to the public at its website, YourTaxCare.com. David can also be contacted by email at zublerdavid@gmail.com