IRS phone numbers and hours
Pick what you need help with to get the right IRS number, its hours in your time zone, whether it’s open right now, and the menu path to a person. Every number is checked against irs.gov.
IRS individual help line
Monday–Friday: 7 a.m. – 7 p.m., your local time (Alaska and Hawaii: Pacific time)
TTY/TDD: 800-829-4059
Menu path to a person (reported by callers, not published by IRS; menus change)
- 1Press 1 for English.
- 2Press 2 for personal income tax questions.
- 3Press 1 for questions about a form, tax history or payment.
- 4Press 3 for all other questions.
- 5Press 2 to speak to a representative.
- Have your Social Security number, the tax year, last year's return and any letter you received in front of you. The menu asks for your SSN before routing you.
- If the wait is over about 15 minutes, the IRS may offer to call you back instead. Take it: you keep your place without staying on the line.
- For refund status, try Where's My Refund on irs.gov first. The phone line can't tell you more unless it's been 21 days since you e-filed.
Best time to call: the IRS says waits are longest on Mondays and Tuesdays, over Presidents Day weekend and around the April filing deadline, and that outside filing season Wednesday to Friday is usually quicker. It doesn't name a best time of day.
Source: www.irs.gov. Checked October 31, 2026.
All IRS phone numbers
“Local time” means your own time zone. Alaska and Hawaii follow Pacific time. Every line is closed on weekends and federal holidays.
| For | Number | Hours (Mon–Fri) |
|---|---|---|
| My personal taxes, refund or a letter I got | 800-829-1040 | 7:00–19:00 local |
| A business tax account or an EIN | 800-829-4933 | 7:00–19:00 local |
| A balance I owe or a payment plan | 800-829-1040 | 7:00–19:00 local |
| A letter asking me to verify my identity | 800-830-5084 | 7:00–19:00 local |
| I'm a tax professional calling about a client | 866-860-4259 | 7:00–19:00 local |
| I'm calling from outside the US | 267-941-1000 | 6:00–23:00 Eastern |
| A tax-exempt organization, retirement plan or government entity | 877-829-5500 | 8:00–17:00 local |
| Excise taxes | 866-699-4096 | 8:00–18:00 Eastern |
| Estate or gift tax (Forms 706 and 709) | 866-699-4083 | 10:00–14:00 Eastern |
| e-file, e-Services or Transcript Delivery System access | 866-255-0654 | 6:30–18:00 Central |
| I've tried the normal channels and I'm stuck | 877-777-4778 | Not published |
Hours use a 24-hour clock. Checked against irs.gov on October 31, 2026.
How to get through faster
Avoid Monday and Tuesday
The IRS's own advice. Waits are also longest over Presidents Day weekend and in the weeks around April 15.
Check online first
Refund status, payment plans, transcripts and new EINs are all faster on irs.gov than by phone.
Have everything ready
Your SSN or EIN, the tax year, last year's return and any letter you received. The menu asks for your number before it routes you.
Take the callback
If the IRS offers to call you back, accept it. You keep your place without staying on the line.
Use the number on your letter
A notice about a specific issue usually lists a direct number. It routes to the team that sent it.
More detail on timing in the best time to call the IRS.
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FAQ
- What is the IRS phone number?
- For personal taxes it's 800-829-1040. Businesses call 800-829-4933, tax professionals with a power of attorney call the Practitioner Priority Service on 866-860-4259, and callers outside the US use 267-941-1000 (not toll-free).
- What are the IRS phone hours?
- The main individual and business lines are open Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. in your local time zone. Alaska and Hawaii follow Pacific time. A few specialty lines keep other hours: estate and gift tax is 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Eastern, excise tax 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern, and the international line 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. Eastern.
- Is the IRS open today?
- The phone lines are open on weekdays and closed on weekends and federal holidays. The finder above checks today's date, your time zone and the federal holiday calendar, and tells you whether the line you need is open right now.
- When is the best time to call the IRS?
- The IRS says waits are longest on Mondays and Tuesdays, over Presidents Day weekend and around the April filing deadline. Outside filing season, Wednesday to Friday is usually quicker. It publishes average waits of about 8 minutes from January to April and about 15 minutes from May to December, though some lines take much longer.
- Can the IRS call me back instead of making me hold?
- Sometimes. When waits run over about 15 minutes, the IRS may offer to call you back on most topics, as long as a representative can reach you within business hours. If you're offered a callback, take it.
- Will the IRS call me unexpectedly?
- Rarely, and usually only after sending you a letter first. The IRS doesn't demand immediate payment by gift card, wire transfer or crypto, and doesn't threaten arrest over the phone. If you're unsure, hang up and call the official number on this page yourself.