Getting the IRS on the phone is more difficult this tax filing season, experts say
Source: Minnesota Public Radio/AP
April 14, 2025 8:08 PM
WASHINGTON (AP) — Taxpayers calling the IRS for help processing their taxes this filing season may find it harder than normal to get someone on the phone, experts say, a problem that is only expected to get worse next year with staffing cuts that could slash the workforce considerably.
For this year, data of tax return processing times shows numbers largely in line with those from last year. IRS employees involved in the 2025 tax season were not allowed to accept a buyout offer from the Trump administration until after the taxpayer filing deadline of April 15, though thousands of probationary workers were laid off earlier this year.
Legal experts in tax compliance say the long wait times are going to increase as more buyouts and layoffs take effect. Eric Santos, the executive director of the Georgia Tax Clinic, which provides free tax law services to low-income taxpayers, says wait times for the IRS’ phone line are markedly longer than usual and IRS staff are overwhelmed with the increase in work.
The IRS staff “basically tell us they don’t have time to look at certain cases,” Santos said. “The work is getting spread across fewer and fewer people.”
Read more: https://www.mprnews.org/story/2025/04/14/getting-the-irs-on-the-phone-is-more-difficult-this-tax-filing-season-experts-say
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