CARL WATTS & ASSOCIATES

February 26, 2018

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Calling the IRS
There are various reasons for which you may find yourself in the situation of having to call the IRS. You may either receive a notice requiring additional information or data correction, or you may want to find out why there were changes to your tax return, or just to ask about your refund.

But before you decide to make a phone call, consider this: the IRS expects taxpayers to file more than 155 million returns this year and more than 70 percent of taxpayers to get tax refunds. With such a traffic, you may want to check the irs.gov website first for the information you need. Here are a few suggestions.




“Where’s My Refund?” on IRS.gov and the IRS2Go mobile app remain the best way to check the status of a refund. The tool is updated no more than once a day, so taxpayers don’t need to check more often.

If you kept up with our newsletter, you remember that refunds cannot be issued before mid-February for tax returns that claim the Earned Income Tax Credit or the Additional Child Tax Credit. This applies to the entire refund, even the portion not associated with the EITC and ACTC. While the IRS will process the EITC and ACTC returns when received, these refunds cannot be issued before mid-February. The IRS expects the earliest EITC/ACTC related refunds to be available in taxpayer bank accounts or on debit cards starting on Feb. 27, 2018, if they chose direct deposit and there are no other issues with the tax return.



Also, the Let Us Help You page helps answer most tax questions, and the IRS Services Guide links to these and other IRS services.

You can go to IRS.gov/account to securely access information about your federal tax account. You can view the amount you owe, pay online or set up an online payment agreement; access your tax records online; review the past 18 months of payment history; and view key tax return information for the current year as filed. Visit IRS.gov/ secureaccess to review the required identity authentication process.

Taxpayers with incomes of $66,000 or less can get free tax preparation assistance through IRS Free File, for those who want to prepare their own returns, or through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, for those who want a volunteer to help prepare their returns.

Use the Let Us Help You page to get help answering most tax questions, get a copy of a tax record and make a payment among other services.

If you do have to call the IRS, first make sure that the provisions of the taxpayers’ bill of rights are respected, especially the first two referring to the right to be informed and the right to quality service.




As a taxpayer, you have the right to be informed and:

Know what you need to do to comply with the tax laws.

Have clear explanations of the laws and IRS procedures in all forms, instructions, publications, notices and correspondence.

Be informed of IRS decisions about your tax accounts, and to receive clear explanations of the outcomes.


The right to quality service stipulates that you have the right to:

Prompt, courteous and professional assistance when dealing with the IRS.

Be spoken to in a way you can easily understand.

Receive communications that are clear and easy to understand.

Speak to a supervisor about inadequate service.
Before you make the call to the IRS, make sure you have the following documents and information ready:

Social Security numbers and birth dates for those who were named on the tax return in question;

An Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) letter if you have one in lieu of a Social Security
number (SSN);

Filing status – Single, Head of Household, Married Filing Joint or Married Filing Separate;

The prior-year tax return. Telephone assistors may need to verify your identity with information from the return before answering certain questions;

A copy of the tax return in question;

Any IRS letters or notices received.

By law, IRS assistors will only speak with the taxpayer or to their legally designated representative. If taxpayers or tax professionals are calling about a third party’s account, they should be prepared to verify their identities and provide information about the third party they are representing.

Before calling about a third-party, be sure to have the following information available:

Verbal or written authorization from the third-party to discuss the account;

The ability to verify the taxpayer’s name, SSN/ITIN, tax period, and tax form(s) filed;

Preparer Tax Identification Number or PIN if a third-party designee;

A current, completed and signed Form 8821, Tax Information Authorization, or

A completed and signed Form 2848, Power of Attorney and Declaration of Representative.


Questions regarding a deceased taxpayer require different steps. Be prepared to fax:

The deceased taxpayer’s death certificate, and

Either copies of Letters Testamentary approved by the court, or IRS Form 56, Notice Concerning Fiduciary Relationship (for estate executors).


And, since phone calls is our topic today, also remember that the IRS will never:

Call to demand immediate payment using a specific payment method such as a prepaid debit card, gift card or wire transfer. Generally, the IRS will first mail a bill if taxes are owed.

Threaten to immediately bring in local police or other law enforcement groups to have people arrested for not paying.

Demand that taxes be paid without giving the taxpayer opportunity to question or appeal the amount owed.

Ask for credit or debit card numbers over the phone.


You probably think that this is one of those very few newsletters with do-it- yourself information, and you are right. But that will not stop us from reminding you that help from a tax professional is priceless in all your dealings with the IRS.
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