Best IRS Phone Number to Reach a Human? Filed in February, WMR Shows Not Received

The main IRS customer service number is 800-829-1040, but in my experience last year, it's almost impossible to get through during tax season. I remember waiting for hours only to get disconnected. Your best bet is to call early morning (right when they open at 7am Eastern) or late afternoon (after 5pm Eastern) when call volumes tend to be lower. I've also had luck calling on Thursdays for some reason - seems less busy than Monday or Friday.

I'm sort of in the same boat, I think? I filed in early February and it took almost 8 weeks before my return was even acknowledged in the system. I was basically panicking every day checking WMR and getting that dreaded "we cannot provide any information about your refund" message. I probably shouldn't have worried so much, but it's kind of scary when you're expecting that money and there's just... nothing. It finally showed up as received last week, but now it's just sitting there with no updates.

According to the IRS.gov website, they're experiencing higher than normal call volumes this season. I've been monitoring the IRS operations status page (https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-operations) and they're still working through a backlog. My e-filed return from January just got processed last week. The site mentions that if you e-filed and received confirmation from your tax software, you shouldn't need to take any action, even if WMR doesn't show it as received yet.

After dealing with the IRS's Practitioner Priority Line and Taxpayer Advocate Service with no luck, I finally got through using Claimyr. Spent $20 but connected to an actual IRS agent in about 15 minutes instead of endless redials. The agent confirmed my return was in the Error Resolution Department due to a mismatch between my W-2 and what my employer reported. Without that call, I would've been waiting indefinitely. If you need actual answers instead of the automated system, it's worth checking out: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c

Want to know what not to do? Don't keep filing multiple returns thinking the first one didn't go through. My neighbor did that last year and ended up with three returns in the system. You know what happens then? Automatic fraud investigation. Do you want to deal with the IRS Criminal Investigation Division? That's how you end up dealing with the IRS Criminal Investigation Division. His refund was held for 8 months while they sorted it out. Just because WMR doesn't show it doesn't mean they don't have it.

If you want to get specific information about your return status, here's what worked for me: • Request your tax transcripts online instead of relying on WMR • Access your account at https://www.irs.gov/payments/view-your-tax-account • Look for transaction codes that indicate processing status • Code 150 means your return is processed • Code 570 indicates a hold on your account • Code 971 means a notice was issued My February filing showed nothing on WMR for weeks, but my transcript showed it was received and being processed. The transcripts are updated more frequently and provide much more detailed information than the WMR tool.