I know tax pros are grinding right now, so let me keep this good news brief for you:
It looks like IRS is, at least for now, actually answering their phones.
And fast, too!
- IRS Practitioner Priority Hotline (for tax pros) 866-860-4259 getting answered in average 10 minutes wait time.
- General Customer Service (for taxpayers, but tax pros can also use it) 800-829-1040 getting answered in average 12 minutes wait time.
- Also worth noting, IRS now allows tax pros to discuss more than 5 different taxpayers on ONE call to the Priority Practitioner Hotline (assuming you have the proper clearances, etc.)
IRS claims that these drastic improvements to phone answering times are due to:
- All the new customer service agents they’ve hired (see, they told you more IRS employees is a good thing), and
- Their new policy of blocking “line-jumping” phone technologies, which have been a longtime “secret weapon” of tax pros seeking a way to “cut the line” to get to the front and talk to IRS right away.
IRS says they can’t promise this level of phone answering will continue as tax season heats up.
Nevertheless, I figured you’d want to know about this newfound responsiveness and maybe take a minute to think about how you or your clients can take advantage of it while it lasts.
For example, telling a client to “call IRS yourself” isn’t nearly as “hostile” of a statement in a world where the IRS actually answers their phones.
Meanwhile, if you haven’t already signed up for the “ChatGPT for Tax Pros” webinar with CPA Adam Shay, here are the details:
- The ChatGPT for Tax Pros webinar is happening on Friday, February 17, at 3pm EST / 12pm PST.
- This webinar is free for all Dream Team Members.
- If you’re a “Not Yet Dream Team Member,” you can either get a Dream Team Membership here and get this webinar included with all your other benefits, or you can click here to buy a ticket to attend this ChatGPT for Tax Pros webinar for only $37.
Recording of the webinar will be provided for all Dream Team Members and also all $37 ticket purchasers, in case you can’t attend live.
