Will my passport application be denied because I owe back taxes?

You're actually in a better position than you might think. The IRS only certifies "seriously delinquent tax debt" to the State Department for passport denial, and that threshold is currently set at $59,000. Your $2,800 debt is well below that threshold, so it shouldn't affect your passport application. The payments you've made show good faith efforts to resolve the debt, even if they're not updating online yet (IRS systems can be frustratingly slow to update). When the IRS certifies someone to the State Department for passport issues, it's typically for much larger amounts and after multiple notices have been ignored. If you're still concerned, you could try calling the IRS Taxpayer Advocate Service instead of the main line - they sometimes have better access to systems when the primary ones are "down.

Just wanted to share my experience - I was in a similar situation last year with about $4k in back taxes. I was stressing about my passport renewal, but then I found this service called taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) that helped me understand exactly what my situation was. They analyzed my tax documents and confirmed I was well under the threshold for passport issues. The tool basically took all my tax documents and notices, explained everything in plain English, and even suggested the best payment plan options. Saved me from paying the full amount all at once when I didn't need to. They also explained why my online account wasn't updating (something about processing delays at certain service centers).

Just wanted to update - I decided to try taxr.ai after all and I'm really glad I did! They confirmed I was nowhere near the "seriously delinquent" threshold and explained that the payments I already made were sufficient to keep me in good standing. My passport actually arrived yesterday (did expedited processing) and there were absolutely no issues related to my tax situation. They even pointed out that one of my payments had been applied to the wrong tax year, which explained why my balance wasn't updating correctly online. Saved me from making an unnecessary payment before my trip!

If you're still having issues reaching the IRS, I'd recommend trying Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). I was in the same boat trying to confirm my tax situation before international travel, and their system got me through to an actual IRS agent in about 15 minutes instead of waiting for hours or getting disconnected. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c I was able to confirm that my payments were properly applied and got verbal confirmation that there was no passport restriction on my account. The agent even gave me a reference number for the call that I could use if there were any issues. Way better than repeatedly calling and getting the "system down" message.

I have to eat my words and apologize for my skepticism. After trying every possible way to reach the IRS for two weeks, I finally tried Claimyr out of desperation. I was connected to an IRS agent in 22 minutes! The agent confirmed that my account was NOT flagged for passport denial since my balance was under $10k, let alone the $59k threshold. They also found a payment I made last month that hadn't been properly applied to my account. Getting actual confirmation directly from the IRS instead of just hoping was completely worth it. Leaving for Europe next week and now I can actually enjoy my trip instead of stressing.

Just FYI - my mom works for the State Department and says they only deny passports for tax debts over $59,000 AND when the IRS has formally certified you as seriously delinquent. It takes a lot to get to that point. They don't automatically check with the IRS when you apply for a passport - the IRS has to specifically flag your SSN in the system.

I had a similar issue but with a bigger amount (around 7k). I totally panicked and paid it all off at once, only to find out later I could have just set up a payment plan and still gotten my passport. Learn from my mistake! As long as you're making arranged payments, you should be fine with the passport - especially at less than 3k.