Which IRS Phone Number to Call: Every Line by Problem and by Department

By what you are trying to do

Most wasted IRS calls come from the right question going to the wrong line. Pick the row that matches the problem, not the department you think owns it. Hours are exactly as IRS.gov prints them; where a cell says "not printed," the IRS page for that line gives no hours, so none are stated here rather than guessed. IRS.gov says its help lines are open Monday through Friday, that residents of Alaska and Hawaii follow Pacific time, and that phone lines in Puerto Rico are open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. local time.

Choosing between the account lines

Practitioner Priority Service vs. the individual or business line. PPS is for a tax professional with a valid third-party authorization on file; the individual and business lines are what the taxpayer calls. IRS.gov's own telephone page says third parties calling for someone else should have the taxpayer's name and SSN or ITIN, the return being discussed, verbal or written authorization (Form 8821 or Form 2848) to discuss the account, and a PTIN or personal identification number. PPS's phone menu, per-call limits, and eligibility are covered on the Practitioner Priority Line page — that page owns the detail, and this one only routes you to it.

Identity theft has two different phone paths. If your client has been a victim and needs their account fixed, the IRS FAQ points to 800-908-4490 for "specialized assistance." If your client instead received an identity-verification letter (for example Letter 5071C), they call the number printed on that letter, not this one — the taxpayer phone-line guide explains the difference and the wait times. A caller outside the U.S. uses the International line, 267-941-1000, which is not toll-free, per the PPS page and IRM 25.23.12.

Where e-Services help ends and PPS begins. The e-Services help desk answers registration and access questions. It is not an account line: a question about a client's balance, notice, or transcript request belongs to PPS, and IRS.gov says a practitioner registered for e-Services with a valid authorization on the CAF can pull the transcript through e-Services without calling PPS at all.

When to go to TAS instead of calling again. TAS is for a problem that is causing financial difficulty, or one the normal IRS channels have not resolved. Its toll-free number connects you to an advocate who starts the case; the taxpayer phone-line guide describes Form 911, the written route.

By department name: lines that do not fit a task

Some lines are organized by who is calling or what kind of return it is, not by a task, and forcing them into the table above would only hide them. If you know the department you want, start here.

What to have ready, and how long the wait runs

For a call about a deceased taxpayer, IRS.gov lists a death certificate and either a court approval letter or Form 56, Notice Concerning Fiduciary Relationship (for estate executors).

IRS.gov says wait times can average 8 minutes in filing season (January through April) and 15 minutes after it (May through December), with some lines longer. Waits run longer on Mondays and Tuesdays, over Presidents Day weekend, and around the April deadline; after filing season they run shorter Wednesday through Friday. On most toll-free topics, when waits exceed 15 minutes, the IRS may offer a return call instead of hold time, if a representative can be reached during regular business hours. These are the IRS's own averages, not a guarantee for any one line; the priority line page has the National Taxpayer Advocate's line-by-line answer rates and hold times.

What this page leaves out, and why

No number appears here unless a current IRS.gov page prints it. Four lines practitioners ask about are absent for that reason: there is no separate CAF Unit line (IRS.gov's CAF page sends a practitioner who has lost their CAF number to PPS); the IRS Return Preparer Office (PTIN, Special Enrollment Examination scheduling, continuing education) is listed on IRS.gov's Serve Your Clients page with its topics but no phone number; the Taxpayer Protection Program line's number is printed on the identity-verification letter itself; and the Taxpayer Advocate Service's local office numbers are published in a directory rather than as one number.

IRS.gov also tells callers that telephone assistors cannot address every topic, and it publishes a list of topics assistors cannot handle. If a call keeps getting transferred, check that list before dialing again.

Common Questions