How Taxpayers Can Avoid the Rush Ahead of Presidents Day

The IRS reminds taxpayers to avoid the rush. As with previous years, the agency expects taxpayers to submit a surge of tax returns during the upcoming Presidents Day weekend. Here are some tips and resources to get taxpayers the help that they need.

Go online. IRS.gov has several online tools to help taxpayers get fast answers to common tax questions:

• Interactive Tax Assistant
• TaxTopics
• Frequently Asked
• QuestionsTax Trails
• IRS Tax Map

 

 

• Use Where’s My Refund? to track refunds. The IRS issues most refunds in less than 21 days. IRS customer service representatives cannot answer refund questions until after this 21-day period. Taxpayers can track their refund anytime by using “Where’s My Refund?” They’ll find this tool on IRS.gov and the IRS2Go app. As an alternative, taxpayers can also call the automated IRS refund hotline at 800-829-1954.
• Know how to validate identity. Taxpayers who call the IRS with questions about their account should be ready to verify their identity. IRS telephone assistors may ask a series of questions to authenticate the identity of callers. Many of the answers to these questions come from the taxpayer’s prior year tax return.
• Make an appointment. All Taxpayer Assistance Centers operate by appointment. Anyone who needs face-to-face service can search IRS.gov for their nearest office. The IRS website also has details about how to make an appointment.
• Replace a missing W-2. Anyone who didn’t receive a Form W-2, Wage and Tax Statement, from an employer by January 31 should first contact the employer to alert them about the missing form. Those who don’t get a response by the end of February should call the IRS for a substitute Form W-2.