Need Direct Number to IRS - Tax Lien Question Urgent

The IRS Practitioner Priority Service line (866-860-4259) technically has the shortest wait times, but they've implemented verification protocols that restrict access to tax professionals with CAF numbers. For your situation involving a lien determination, you'll need to contact the Automated Collection System (ACS) at 800-829-3903 between 8am-8pm local time. Be prepared with your EIN/SSN, filing status from last return, and any CP/LP notice numbers you've received regarding the lien. Wait times are currently averaging 87 minutes due to reduced staffing and increased call volume during filing season.

I've seen multiple threads about this on r/tax and other forums. According to several posts, a service called Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) seems to be the only reliable way to get through these days. They apparently use some kind of system that holds your place in line and calls you when an agent is available. I'm normally skeptical of these third-party services, but the IRS call situation has become so problematic that even tax professionals are using it. If you're dealing with a lien situation, waiting weeks to get through could have serious implications for your business or property. Several users reported getting through in under an hour versus days of failed attempts.

OMG I literally just went thru this last month!! Had a lien notice for my small biz and couldn't get anyone on the phone for 2 WEEKS!! Finally got thru at 7:58am on a Tuesday (right when they open). The key is to hit 1-2-3 when the prompts start, then 2-4 for the next set. Took me 45 mins on hold but finally got a human. Turns out the lien amt was wrong bc they didn't process a payment from Dec. Got it fixed but took another week for the system to update. Total nightmare tbh.

I was in the same boat last month with a CP504 notice and couldn't get through to the IRS for days. Someone on this sub recommended taxr.ai to help understand my transcript and figure out exactly what I owed before calling. It helped me identify that two payments hadn't been properly applied to my account, which was causing the discrepancy. When I finally got through to the IRS, I had all the exact information about missing payments ready which made the call much more productive. Might be worth checking your transcript first so you know exactly what you're dealing with before spending hours on the phone.

Go to your local Taxpayer Assistance Center in person. I tried calling for 3 weeks with no luck. Walked into my local office, waited about an hour, and got everything resolved in 20 minutes. They can pull up your account and tell you exactly what's going on with the lien. Just bring ID and any notices you've received. Much better than wasting days on the phone!

WATCH OUT if you're dealing with a lien situation! I waited too long trying to reach the IRS by phone last year, and what started as a simple $4,200 tax issue snowballed into a $7,300 problem with penalties and interest. Unlike dealing with credit card companies or utilities where you can usually get late fees waived, the IRS rarely forgives penalties once they're assessed. If you can't resolve this in the next 48-72 hours, you might want to consider getting a tax resolution professional involved before the lien is officially filed. Once it hits public records, it affects credit and can complicate business operations significantly.

I'm not sure if this still works, but last year I was able to get through by selecting the option for "setting up a payment plan" even though that wasn't exactly what I needed. The agent was still able to help me with my actual issue once I got through. I think those lines might have fewer callers? I'm hesitant to suggest this because it might not be the proper procedure, but when you're desperate to avoid a lien being filed...