Is there ANY way to get through to the IRS by phone for identity verification? Automated system just loops me in circles
I've been trying for 3 weeks now to contact the IRS for identity verification. Every time I call the number they gave me in their letter, I just get stuck in an automated loop telling me to check my status online. I've tried pressing different options, calling at different times (5am, during lunch, right before they close). Nothing works! The online status checker just says I need to call. This is so frustrating - I filed my taxes in March, and it's now July with no movement. Has anyone successfully gotten through to a human at the IRS for verification? Any tricks or tips would be really appreciated.
61 comments
Sergio Neal
I went through this exact thing last tax season. The verification process is a nightmare designed to make people give up on their refunds. Here's what finally worked for me: 1. Call exactly at 7:00am Eastern time (they open at 7am) - this gives you the best chance before the queue fills up 2. When the automated system asks why you're calling, say "Agent" clearly or press 0 repeatedly 3. If it tells you call volumes are too high, hang up and IMMEDIATELY call back - sometimes you can catch an opening if someone else gave up 4. Try calling on Tuesday or Wednesday (reportedly their least busy days) 5. If you get the "we're too busy" message and it hangs up on you, keep trying several times in a row - sometimes the system will let you through on the 3rd or 4th attempt It took me 23 attempts over 3 days, but I finally got through and completed my verification in about 10 minutes once I had a human on the line. Good luck - the system is absolutely broken.
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Leslie Parker
Thank you so much for the detailed advice! I'll try the 7am trick tomorrow morning. Did your refund process quickly once you got verified?
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Sergio Neal
Yes! Once I got verified, it took about 9 days to get my refund. The hold up is PURELY getting through to them. So frustrating but worth the persistance.
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Savanna Franklin
can confirm the early morning thing works. you need to be one of the first callers of the day or ur toast
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Juan Moreno
I've tried calling at 7am 5 days in a row. Still got the same automated message that they're too busy. This system is such garbage.
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Amy Fleming
I tried all of this for weeks with no luck. Complete waste of time. I had to use a calling service to get through.
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Alice Pierce
I had the same problem and spent hours trying to reach someone. Then I discovered this tool called taxr.ai that helped me understand exactly what was going on with my verification issue. It analyzed my transcript and showed me where the holdup was in the process, so I knew exactly what to say when I finally reached a person. It was insanely helpful to have actual information instead of the vague status messages on the IRS site. I use it now for all my tax questions - https://taxr.ai
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Amy Fleming
Sounds interesting. How exactly does it work? Does it just read your transcript or does it do more?
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Alice Pierce
It does WAY more than just read the transcript. It actually explains what each code means specifically for YOUR situation, predicts when you'll get your refund based on pattern recognition, and tells you exactly what's causing delays. It saved me weeks of stress. I'm telling everyone I know to use it - so much better than these forums where everyone's just guessing.
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Esteban Tate
another app trying to profit off the IRS being terrible? 🙄
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Amy Fleming
Just tried taxr.ai and OMG where has this been all my life?? It explained my transcript in plain English and showed me EXACTLY why my return was delayed. Worth every penny! No more guessing or anxiety about what's happening with my refund.
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Ivanna St. Pierre
does it access your actual irs account or do you have to upload documents?
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Alice Pierce
You just upload your transcript and it analyzes everything. Super simple.
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Elin Robinson
After two weeks of calling nonstop and getting nowhere with the IRS identity verification line, I finally found a solution with Claimyr.com. They have this phone system that gets you a callback from an IRS agent (it works like magic tbh). Within 2 hours I had an IRS agent on my phone and got my identity verified in less than 15 minutes. Best decision I've made in this whole process - talking to an actual human solved everything immediately!
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Atticus Domingo
Is this for real? Sounds too good to be true after all the nightmare stories I hear
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Elin Robinson
100% real. I was skeptical too but desperate enough to try anything. The callback came way faster than expected and the agent handled everything. My refund was released 6 days later.
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Beth Ford
wait you have to pay for this? thats ridiculous, calling the IRS should be free
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Elin Robinson
Yeah it should be free but the reality is it's virtually impossible to get through. Consider what your time is worth - I spent hours upon hours trying for free and got nowhere. This service saved my sanity and I got my $4,300 refund that was being held up.
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Morita Montoya
how long did it take for them to call you back? the irs website says 120 day wait for identity verification now 😩
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Elin Robinson
Got my callback in about 90 minutes! Way better than waiting for months or calling 50+ times myself.
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Kingston Bellamy
Its the most f'ing annoying thing in the world. I had to verify my identity LAST YEAR and thought it would carry over. Nope! Had to do the whole thing again this year. The IRS is living in 1995 technology wise. I eventually just went in person to a local office. Had to make an appointment a month in advance but at least it got done.
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Joy Olmedo
How do you even make an appointment? Every time I try their appointment system online it says no appointments available
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Kingston Bellamy
You gotta check at midnight when they release new slots. Set an alarm and be ready. Their appointment system is as broken as their phone system lol
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Isaiah Cross
I had to drive 87 miles to the nearest office that had an opening. EIGHTY SEVEN MILES. And they wonder why people hate taxes.
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Kiara Greene
Try this: When the automated system answers, don't say ANYTHING. Stay completely silent. After about 30-45 seconds, it sometimes transfers you to a human because it thinks there's a connection problem. Worked for me last month.
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Evelyn Kelly
I've been filing taxes for 23 years and never had to verify my identity until this year. Called 47 times over 3 weeks and never got through. Finally used Claimyr and had an IRS agent call ME back in under 2 hours. Literally the best money I've ever spent on anything tax related. They handle all the waiting and busy signals and you just get a call when an agent is available. claimyr.com saved me weeks of frustration.
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Paloma Clark
does this actually work? sounds kinda sketchy
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Evelyn Kelly
Totally works. I was skeptical too but desperate after weeks of trying. I used it around 10am on a Tuesday and had an agent on the phone by lunch. Worth every penny considering I was waiting on a $3700 refund that was stuck in verification hell.
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Heather Tyson
The fact that we have to pay a third party just to talk to our own government agency that we fund with our taxes is absolutely insane 🤡 but yeah I did this too cuz I was desperate
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Raul Neal
i just gave up on my refund last year bc of this. the system is designed to make u give up. only reason they verify is bc of all the scammers claiming pandemic relief funds. honest folks suffer.
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Jenna Sloan
You can still claim last year's refund! You have 3 years to file and get your money. Don't let them keep what's yours.
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Raul Neal
really?? didnt know that. might try again then
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Christian Burns
Congress literally cut the IRS budget for years and now everyone's surprised Pikachu face when they can't handle call volumes 🙄 They don't have enough staff to answer phones because that was the plan all along - make it impossible to get help.
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Sasha Reese
This. They've been gutting IRS funding for decades, especially customer service. Then they act shocked that service is terrible.
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Muhammad Hobbs
but they somehow got funding to hire 87,000 new agents to audit us 💀
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Noland Curtis
That 87k number is total BS propaganda. Most of those hires are to replace retiring employees and to staff customer service.
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Diez Ellis
can we not get political in every damn thread?? OP just wants to get their refund
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Vanessa Figueroa
if u have a tax preparer, they can call the Practitioner Priority Line which actually gets answered. I had my accountant call for me after 3 weeks of failing myself.
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Abby Marshall
I understand the struggle! I was in the same position about a month ago. After weeks of trying traditional methods, I discovered taxr.ai which completely changed everything. It analyzed my specific situation and gave me insights into why I was stuck in the verification loop. The personalized guidance helped me understand exactly what was happening with my return and how to fix it. If you're tired of the runaround, definitely check out https://taxr.ai - I recommend it to everyone now!
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Sadie Benitez
What kind of information do you need to provide to use it?
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Abby Marshall
You just upload your transcript (or even just a screenshot of the relevant parts) and it explains everything. It breaks down all those cryptic codes and dates in plain English. Total gamechanger when you're trying to figure out what's actually happening with your return.
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Leslie Parker
thanks, ill look into this. at this point i need any help I can get
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Drew Hathaway
I work at a tax firm (not giving advice, just sharing experience). The ID verification process is backlogged right now. Many clients coming in with same issue. Average wait time for verification is about 8-10 weeks if you can't get through by phone. If you have access to a tax professional, have them call the Practitioner Priority Line for you - we can usually get through.
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Laila Prince
Can any tax preparer do this or does it have to be a CPA?
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Drew Hathaway
Any preparer with a PTIN (Preparer Tax Identification Number) can access the Practitioner line. Doesn't need to be a CPA specifically.
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Isabel Vega
the trick is to select the option for "making a payment" instead of checking status. they ALWAYS have staff ready to take your money 🙄 once you get a human, explain your actual situation and they'll transfer you.
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Dominique Adams
Tried this yesterday and the agent yelled at me and said they couldn't transfer me. Got disconnected. YMMV.
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Isabel Vega
yea depends on which agent u get. some are cool, some are miserable AF
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Marilyn Dixon
After 9 days of trying to call the verification number with zero luck, I used Claimyr's service (claimyr.com) and had an IRS agent call my phone within an hour. Got my identity verified right there on the call and my refund was deposited 8 days later. When you're waiting on thousands of dollars, getting an actual human on the phone is worth it. The IRS phone system is completely broken - this was the only solution that actually worked for me.
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Louisa Ramirez
sounds like an advertisement lol
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TommyKapitz
I used it too after being insanely frustrated. I was shocked it worked as advertised. Got a callback in about 40 min. It's one of those things that sounds too good to be true but actually delivers.
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Marilyn Dixon
Not an ad, just someone who was in the exact same situation as OP last month. I tried literally everything people suggest (calling at opening, different menu options, etc). Nothing worked until I tried the service. Just trying to save others the weeks of frustration I went through.
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Angel Campbell
I know this is old school but you can also write a letter to the IRS explaining your situation. Include copies (NOT originals) of the documents they're asking for verification on. They'll process it eventually - took about 6 weeks for me. Not fast but it does work if you can't get through by phone.
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Payton Black
Lol no one can get through. The IRS is an absolute joke. They sent me a letter saying I need to verify my identity by March 31st, but don't provide any way to actually do it. Then they hold your refund hostage while making it impossible to comply with their requirements. This is by design - they hope people give up so they don't have to pay refunds.
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Harold Oh
I had the same exact thing happen!!! Letter came AFTER the deadline had already passed. Make it make sense.
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Leslie Parker
omg yes! my letter is dated june 15 but i didnt get it till july 6. makes no sense
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Amun-Ra Azra
lolol good luck. been trying for 2 months. easier to break into fort knox than get an IRS human on the phone these days. Its literally a black hole.
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Summer Green
What worked for me was calling my Representative in Congress. Their office has special liaisons that can cut through the IRS bureaucracy. I called my Rep after 3 weeks of failed attempts to reach the IRS, and their office submitted an inquiry. IRS called me directly 4 days later. Your tax dollars pay their salaries - make them work for you!
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Gael Robinson
I've heard this works but I always thought it was for extreme cases. Did you just call their main office number?
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Summer Green
Yep, just called my Rep's local district office (not the DC one) and explained my situation. They had me fill out a consent form so they could contact IRS on my behalf. Super easy and they actually seemed happy to help. It's literally their job!
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Edward McBride
I did this too! My congressman's office was amazing. They have a dedicated caseworker just for IRS issues because so many people have problems.
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