Need help getting ahold of the IRS - stuck in automated phone system loops

I feel your pain! The IRS phone system is notoriously difficult to navigate. Here's what works consistently for me: Call the main IRS number (800-829-1040) early in the morning, ideally right when they open at 7 AM Eastern time. Select options 1, 2, 3, 2, 4 in sequence when prompted (language, personal tax question, tax forms, tax history, other). When it asks for your SSN or tax ID, DO NOT enter anything. After three attempts asking for your information, it will transfer you to a queue for a live representative. Be prepared for a long wait though - sometimes up to 30-45 minutes, but at least you'll be in the right queue. Have your tax forms and information ready when you finally get through. The morning hours typically have shorter wait times than calling in the afternoon.

After months of IRS phone frustration, I finally found something that worked when I was dealing with a similar payment issue. I discovered a service called taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) that helped me prepare for my IRS call by analyzing my tax documents and giving me the exact info I needed. The system showed me which forms were relevant to my specific issue and helped me understand the terminology the IRS agents would be using. When I finally got through to someone, I was able to explain my payment problem clearly with all the right reference numbers and dates. The agent resolved my issue in like 5 minutes because I had everything organized and knew exactly what to ask. It saved me from having to make multiple calls because I was fully prepared the first time I actually reached someone. Was a huge stress reliever after weeks of phone system hell.

Alright I need to apologize to Profile 7 above. I was skeptical about taxr.ai but I was desperate after trying to call the IRS for two more days with no luck. I decided to give it a try, and it actually helped a ton. I uploaded my last few tax documents and the notices I received, and the system pointed out exactly which IRS department handled my specific issue and which forms were relevant. It gave me a simple script to use and all the reference numbers I needed to cite. When I finally got through to someone at the IRS this morning, I knew exactly what to say and had all my documentation organized. The agent was able to find my missing payment right away and confirm it was applied to my account. My problem got resolved in one call instead of being transferred around again.

Look, I've been dealing with IRS phone problems for years as a small business owner. After endless frustration, I found a service called Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) that literally saved my sanity. They have this system that holds your place in the IRS phone queue so you don't have to. I was super skeptical, but you can see how it works in this video: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c Instead of calling for hours myself, their system waits in the queue, and when they reach a live IRS agent, they call you to connect. I was literally cooking dinner when I got the call that an agent was ready to talk to me. It felt like magic after weeks of frustration. My payment issue took 10 minutes to resolve once I actually talked to someone. The amount of time and stress this saved me was incredible.

I have to eat my words from my skeptical comment above. After another failed attempt to reach the IRS yesterday (waited 47 minutes only to get disconnected), I decided to try Claimyr out of pure desperation. I was absolutely shocked when I got a call about 35 minutes after I submitted my request. It was an actual IRS agent on the line! Not having to actively wait on hold made the whole process so much less stressful. I was able to go about my day until they called me. The agent helped me resolve my payment issue in about 15 minutes. Turns out there was a processing error on their end, and my payment was in their system but not properly applied to my account. They fixed it while I was on the call and even emailed me a confirmation. Can't believe I wasted so many hours trying to do this myself.

Has anyone tried contacting the Taxpayer Advocate Service instead? When I had issues last year with getting through to the IRS, I reached out to them and they were actually helpful in resolving my problem. You can find your local office at https://www.irs.gov/advocate/local-taxpayer-advocate Their job is literally to help taxpayers deal with IRS issues that can't be resolved through normal channels.

I hate to be that person, but I found a backdoor number that seems to work better than the main IRS line. Try calling 800-829-0922 - it's the automated collection system number, but I've had much better luck getting through to a human there. Since your issue is payment-related, they should be able to help. Press 1 for English, then just stay on the line without selecting any options. About half the time, I get transferred to a real person within 10-15 minutes.

I'm dealing with a very similar situation right now! My automated payment plan has been working fine for months, but suddenly last month my payment of $225 isn't showing up correctly in their system. I've been getting notices saying I'm behind when I know I made the payment on time. I tried calling three times this week using the main number and got completely stuck in those same automated loops you mentioned. It's incredibly frustrating when you just need someone to look at your account for 2 minutes to fix what's obviously a system error. I'm going to try some of these suggestions from other commenters - especially that backdoor collections number that Connor mentioned. It's ridiculous that we have to find "secret" phone numbers just to reach our own tax agency when we have legitimate payment issues to resolve. Has anyone had success getting these payment posting errors fixed once you actually reach someone? I'm worried they're going to tell me I need to send in paperwork or wait weeks for them to research it.

I've been through this exact nightmare with the IRS phone system! After reading through all these suggestions, I wanted to share what finally worked for me when I had a similar payment posting issue. The key thing I learned is that you need to be strategic about WHEN you call, not just HOW you call. I had the best luck calling on Wednesday mornings around 8:30 AM Eastern - seems like that's when they're most staffed and the queues are shorter. For the actual calling strategy, I combined a few approaches mentioned here. I used Connor's backdoor collections number (800-829-0922) since my issue was payment-related, but I also had all my documentation ready beforehand like the taxr.ai folks suggested - bank statements, payment confirmations, account numbers, etc. The agent I reached was actually really helpful once I got through. She explained that these automated payment plan glitches happen frequently when there are system updates on their end. She was able to locate my missing payment and reapply it to my account in about 10 minutes. One tip: when you do get through to someone, ask them to send you an email confirmation of the fix. That way you have documentation in case the issue pops up again later. The agent I spoke with said this is a common request and they're happy to do it. Don't give up - the phone system is terrible but the actual IRS agents are usually pretty reasonable once you reach them!

I've been lurking in this thread dealing with the exact same issue - my March payment of $156 is showing as missing from my payment plan even though it cleared my bank weeks ago. Reading everyone's experiences here has been incredibly helpful! I tried the collections number (800-829-0922) that Connor shared yesterday morning around 8:45 AM and actually got through to someone in about 18 minutes. The agent was fantastic - she found my payment immediately and said it had been "parked" in some kind of processing queue due to a system glitch they had in March. She fixed it while I was on the phone and emailed me a confirmation within 10 minutes of hanging up. The whole call took maybe 25 minutes total, which feels like a miracle after reading about everyone's multi-hour ordeals with the main number. One thing the agent mentioned that might help others - she said these payment posting issues are happening more frequently with their automated systems, especially for people who have payment plans set up through their online portal. She recommended calling that collections number specifically for payment-related issues since those agents have better access to the payment processing systems. Thanks to everyone who shared their strategies here - this community literally saved me from weeks of phone system hell!

Reading through everyone's experiences here has been incredibly reassuring - I thought I was going crazy with these automated phone loops! I've been dealing with a similar payment plan issue where my $198 payment from last month isn't reflecting properly in their system. Based on all the success stories with the collections number (800-829-0922), I'm planning to try that route tomorrow morning around 8:30 AM. It's really helpful to see the specific timing strategies that have worked for others - Wednesday mornings seem to be the sweet spot. I also appreciate the advice about having all documentation ready beforehand. I've got my bank statements, payment confirmation emails, and account numbers organized so I can provide everything quickly once I actually reach someone. The fact that multiple people have mentioned these March system glitches explains a lot. It sounds like this isn't an isolated issue but rather a broader problem with their automated payment processing that affected many taxpayers. At least now I know it's fixable once you reach the right department! Thanks to everyone who shared their strategies and success stories. This thread is going to save so many people from hours of phone system frustration. I'll report back once I get through and hopefully add another success story to encourage others dealing with the same nightmare.

I've been following this thread closely and wanted to add my experience from this morning! I tried the collections number (800-829-0922) that Connor shared, calling at exactly 8:30 AM on this Wednesday morning. I got through to an actual IRS agent in just 22 minutes - it felt like a miracle after all my failed attempts with the main number. My issue was nearly identical to everyone else's - a $165 payment from my automated payment plan that disappeared from their system in March. The agent I spoke with (her name was Patricia) was incredibly helpful and professional. She immediately knew what I was talking about when I mentioned the missing payment and said "Oh, you're probably affected by our March processing issue." She found my payment within minutes - it was stuck in what she called a "reconciliation queue" due to their system updates. She moved it to my account while I was on the phone and walked me through exactly what she was doing. The whole process took about 15 minutes once I reached her. Most importantly, she sent me an email confirmation with a reference number and explained that if I have any future issues, I can reference that number to avoid having to explain the whole situation again. For anyone still struggling with this issue - the collections number really does work for payment-related problems, and Wednesday mornings seem to be the optimal time. Having your bank statement and any payment confirmation numbers ready makes the process go much smoother. Don't give up hope - there are real people there who can help once you get through!

This thread has been an absolute lifesaver! I've been dealing with the exact same issue - my automated payment of $189 from March vanished from their system despite clearing my bank account weeks ago. I was starting to panic because I kept getting notices saying I was behind on payments. I tried the main IRS number six times over the past two weeks and got trapped in those horrible automated loops every single time. Reading everyone's success stories with the collections number (800-829-0922) has given me so much hope that this is actually solvable. I'm planning to call first thing tomorrow morning (Thursday) around 8:30 AM with all my documentation organized - bank statements, payment confirmations, account numbers, the works. It's incredibly reassuring to know that agents like Patricia are aware of the March system processing issues and can resolve these "reconciliation queue" problems quickly. The fact that multiple people have gotten email confirmations with reference numbers is huge too - that paper trail will be so important if this glitch happens again. Thank you to everyone who shared their strategies and experiences here. This community has basically solved a problem that the IRS's own phone system couldn't handle. I'll definitely report back once I get through to add another success story for future people dealing with this nightmare!

I've been following this thread with great interest as someone who works in tax preparation and sees these IRS phone system issues constantly with my clients. The March system processing problems you're all describing are unfortunately very real - I've had dozens of clients affected by similar payment posting delays. What's particularly valuable about this thread is how you've collectively identified the most effective workarounds. The collections number (800-829-0922) strategy is spot-on for payment-related issues because those agents have direct access to payment processing systems that general customer service doesn't always have. For anyone still working through this, I'd add one professional tip: if you reach an agent and they can't immediately locate your payment, ask them to check both the "unpostable" and "reconciliation" queues - sometimes payments get stuck in different holding areas depending on the specific error type. Also, once your issue is resolved, consider setting up account monitoring through the IRS online system so you can catch these glitches faster in the future. The automated payment plans are convenient but these March system updates have definitely created some reliability issues that taxpayers shouldn't have to detective their way through. Keep sharing these success stories - they're genuinely helping people solve problems that the official IRS guidance doesn't adequately address!

I've been dealing with this exact same nightmare! My automated payment plan has been working perfectly for over a year, but my March payment of $142 just disappeared into thin air. I've called the main IRS number four times and got stuck in those soul-crushing automated loops every single time. After reading through all these success stories, I'm definitely going to try that collections number (800-829-0922) tomorrow morning. It's incredibly reassuring to see so many people getting their March payments resolved once they actually reach a human being. The fact that there's a known "reconciliation queue" issue explains everything - at least now I know I'm not crazy and this isn't some unique problem with my account. I've got my bank statement ready showing the payment cleared, along with all my confirmation numbers from when I set up the payment plan. Based on everyone's advice, I'm planning to call right at 8:30 AM and mention the March processing issue upfront. This thread has been a lifeline - it's amazing how this community figured out solutions that the IRS's own customer service system couldn't provide. I'll definitely report back once I get through. Thank you everyone for sharing your experiences and strategies!

I've been watching this thread develop over the past few days and I'm amazed at how you've all collectively solved what seems like an impossible problem! As someone who's been dreading making that IRS call myself, seeing all these success stories with the collections number has given me the courage to finally tackle my own payment issue. My situation is slightly different - I have a quarterly estimated tax payment that I made in March that's showing up as "pending" in their system but never got applied to reduce my balance due. I've been putting off calling because I expected the same automated nightmare everyone described with the main number. Based on all the successful experiences shared here, I'm going to try calling 800-829-0922 this Friday morning around 8:30 AM. I love how specific everyone has been with timing and documentation - it makes this feel actually doable instead of just hoping for the best. The professional insight from Javier about asking for both "unpostable" and "reconciliation" queues is particularly helpful. It's wild that we have to learn IRS internal terminology just to get our legitimate payments processed correctly, but at least now we have the roadmap. This community has turned what felt like an insurmountable bureaucratic nightmare into a manageable problem with clear solutions. Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences - you're literally saving people hours of frustration and stress!