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How to speak to a person at the IRS

4 min readUS only

Call the IRS on 800-829-1040, Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time, ideally Wednesday to Friday, when the IRS says waits are shorter. Have your Social Security number, last year's return and any IRS letter ready. Or let your simp wait on hold for up to 6 minutes, then let you know so you can take over: the IRS verifies your identity before it discusses your account.

Good to know: the IRS checks your identity with you, not with your simp. Your simp waits on hold for up to 6 minutes, then lets you know so you can take over. It says it's an AI calling for you at the start of every call, and time on hold counts towards your AI minutes.
Maddie

What you can do yourself.

Everything here is from the IRS's own telephone assistance page, read on the date under the steps.

  1. Step 1Call the line for individuals

    800-829-1040, Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time. If you live in Alaska or Hawaii, use Pacific time.

  2. Step 2Pick a quieter day

    The IRS says waits are longer on Mondays and Tuesdays, over Presidents Day weekend and around the April filing deadline, and shorter Wednesday through Friday.

  3. Step 3Know the published wait

    The IRS says waits can average 8 minutes from January to April, and 15 minutes from May to December. If the queue is longer than 6 minutes, your simp lets you know so you can take over, and the call ends if you don't.

  4. Step 4Have your details ready

    Your Social Security number (or ITIN) and date of birth, your filing status, last year's return, the return you're calling about and any letter the IRS sent you.

  5. Step 5Calling for someone else?

    The IRS needs their verbal or written authorization, such as Form 8821 or Form 2848, before it discusses their account with you.

The catch: none of this shortens the queue. You still wait, and the agent will only go ahead once you've answered the identity questions yourself.

How a simp does it.

Alex had a letter from the IRS. Maddie waited through the menu and the hold music, told the agent who it was calling for, and Alex tapped Take over for the identity check.

MaddieMaddie - Hold for the IRSOutgoing - AI number - 4:52
Example call
  1. 00:00 - Phone menuThank you for calling. All of our representatives are busy. Please stay on the line.
  2. 04:26 - AgentThanks for holding. Who am I speaking with?
  3. 04:29 - MaddieHi, this is Maddie, an AI calling from Simp for Alex. This call is transcribed. Alex has a question about a letter and will speak with you directly.
  4. 04:40 - AgentOkay. I'll need to verify the taxpayer's identity before we go on.
  5. 04:44 - MaddiePlease hold - I'm connecting you to Alex. This call will continue to be transcribed for their records.

Alex took over for the identity check. 4 minutes of hold music Alex didn't hear.

Your simp holds. You take over.

Tell your simp who to call and why. It works through the phone menu and waits on hold for up to 6 minutes, then lets you know so you can take over. Follow the call live in the Simp app, and when a person answers, tap Take over: your simp tells them it's connecting you, and the call rings through to your phone.

What it can't doYour simp doesn't pretend to be you, and it doesn't answer identity checks for you. It never gives out your passwords, PINs or security answers. The conversation about your taxes is yours: your simp gets you to the agent, and you take it from there.What your simp is allowed to do
How the hand-over works

Keep the app to hand while it waits.

The IRS verifies your identity before it discusses your personal information, so your simp leaves that to you rather than trying. Follow the call live in the app, and tap Take over when an agent answers.

  1. Step 1Your simp waitsThrough the phone menu, and on hold for up to 6 minutes. If nobody answers by then, it lets you know so you can take over.
  2. Step 2A person answersYour simp says it's an AI calling for you, by your first name.
  3. Step 3You tap Take overYour simp tells them it's connecting you, and the call rings through to your phone.

Questions about calling the IRS.

Can my simp talk to the IRS for me?

It can wait on hold for up to 6 minutes, then let you know so you can take over, and if an agent answers first, you tap Take over. The IRS verifies your identity first, and anyone else needs your verbal or written authorization, so the conversation about your taxes is yours.

See the steps above
How do I take over the call?

Follow the call live in the Simp app and tap Take over. Your simp tells the person it's connecting you, and the call rings through to your phone. Your simp waits on hold for up to 6 minutes, then lets you know so you can take over. Any call your simp is handling ends after 10 minutes. You can also end the call from the app at any time.

What your simp is allowed to do
Will they know they're talking to an AI?

Yes. At the start of every call your simp says it's an AI calling for you, by your first name, and that the call is transcribed.

What your simp is allowed to do
Does it use my AI minutes?

Yes. The whole call counts towards your monthly AI minutes, time on hold included. Your simp waits on hold for up to 6 minutes, then lets you know so you can take over. You can top up in the app if you run low.

Compare the plans
Maddie

Let your simp do the waiting.

Every plan comes with a simp that waits on hold for up to 6 minutes, then lets you know so you can take over.

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