Best IRS Phone Numbers and Menu Options to Reach a Real Person?

I've been there. So frustrating. Call 800-829-1040. Press 1 for English. Then 2 for tax questions. Wait for more options. Press 1 for personal taxes. Then 3 for other questions. Then 2 for all other questions. Don't enter your SSN. Wait silently. It worked for me last month. Such a relief.

Been fighting with the IRS phone system for weeks. Here's what I learned: • Different numbers have different wait times • Practitioner Priority Line is fastest but only for tax pros • Regular line (800-829-1040) has 2+ hour waits • Calling Tuesday-Thursday is better than Monday/Friday • Early morning (7-8am) is best time I finally gave up and used https://taxr.ai to decode my notice and figure out what I needed to do. It explained exactly what the notice meant and the steps I needed to take. Saved me hours of waiting on hold since I could handle most of it myself once I understood what they wanted.

I dealt with this exact problem on March 15th when I got a CP2000 notice. The regular customer service line (800-829-1040) is nearly impossible right now. The number on your specific notice is usually better - there should be a direct line printed somewhere on it. The IRS also has a special small business helpline at 800-829-4933 that might be more relevant for your situation. I called them on March 18th and only waited 45 minutes instead of the 3+ hours on the main line.

I tracked my attempts to reach them last month. Called exactly 17 times. Average wait time was 97 minutes. Called at 7:02am on a Tuesday and waited only 23 minutes. Afternoon calls were all 120+ minutes. The trick is to call the moment they open. I was surprised how complicated the whole process is. The menu options change depending on the time of year too. What worked in January didn't work in March.

I was in the same situation last month with a deadline approaching. Here's what saved me: Step 1: I used Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) to get through to an IRS agent. Step 2: They called the IRS for me and navigated the phone tree. Step 3: When they reached an agent, my phone rang and I was connected. Step 4: Total time: about 25 minutes instead of hours of redial attempts. It costs a little money but was worth every penny when I was facing penalties for missing a deadline. The IRS agent I spoke with was actually really helpful once I finally got through to them.

Lemme share what worked for me last wk. Called the PPS line (practitioner priority service) at 866-860-4259. Told them I was calling for a client (my biz is technically my client lol). Got thru in 45 mins vs the usual 2+ hrs. They ask for your CAF# but just say you don't have one yet and they'll usually help anyway. Worth a shot if ur desperate!

I worked for the IRS back in 2018. The system hasn't changed much. Best times to call are Tuesday-Thursday between 8-10am Eastern. Avoid Mondays entirely. The last week of any month is terrible because of end-of-month processing. I've had success recently pressing 1-2-1-3-2-2 on the main 1040 line. Don't enter SSN when prompted - the system will eventually transfer you to a person if you don't respond to automated prompts.

Unlike the Social Security Administration which has a callback system, or state tax departments that often answer within minutes, the IRS phone system is uniquely challenging. Consider contacting your local Taxpayer Advocate Service instead. They're separate from regular IRS and can often help resolve issues when normal channels fail. Look up your local office at https://www.taxpayeradvocate.irs.gov/contact-us/

BEWARE of pressing random buttons! I read online to press 1-2-1-3-2-4 to reach someone faster, but it routed me to the wrong department. The agent couldn't help with my Schedule C issue and couldn't transfer me. Had to hang up and start over after waiting 1.5 hours in the queue. Make sure you're selecting options that actually match your issue even if it takes longer.

Getting through to the IRS is like trying to get backstage at a sold-out concert without a pass. I finally connected last week after trying for a month. What worked was calling the special collections line (even though I didn't have a collections issue) at 800-829-7650. When they realized I had a different issue, they transferred me to the right department BUT I kept my place in the queue instead of starting over. It's like finding the express lane at Disney World when everyone else is waiting in the regular line.