If you have a question about your taxes, the Internal Revenue Service has answers. Here are ways to get your tax questions answered by the IRS via the telephone or the Internet.

Live telephone assistance

The Internal Revenue Service can be reached on a toll-free telephone line. Advisers are on hand to answer questions about how to prepare your tax return. If you received a special notice from the IRS, the adviser may answer your question about that notice, too.

The live assistance telephone number is (800)829-1040. The line is open from Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. local time. It is Pacific Time for residents of Alaska and Hawaii. (Please note that once the conversation has ended, you can call back if you need to, but the system is not set up to let you speak to the same adviser.)

Online help

The Internal Revenue Service has a wealth of information for individual and business filers online. Simply go to www.irs.gov and look at the page menu for your topic. You can also type your topic into the search field in the upper right hand corner. Here are some of the more popular sections of the IRS website:

  • Where’s my refund? Many taxpayers want to contact the Internal Revenue Service to find out the status of their tax refund. The refund status page can let them know when to expect it, provided the IRS has received the tax return. The taxpayer will need to input their Social Security number, filing status and the dollar amount of the expected refund in order to access the information.
  • Interactive questions. The IRS “Tax Trails” page features interactive quizzes that help taxpayers answer questions such as, “Is My Home Mortgage Interest Deductible?” and “Am I Eligible to Deduct Moving Expenses?”
  • Frequently asked questions. Do you have a question about paying your tax bill? This page lists FAQs (and answers) that the Internal Revenue Service regularly receives about paying taxes, standard policies and new changes to the tax law.