Anyone have any tips on getting through to the IRS?

Have tried about 8 different numbers, web chat, and more.

Most infuriating experience of my life.

If you put a number up on your website, make sure it's updated.  Make sure you don't get conflicting pre recorded messages when your users call up, then hang up on them.  If you put opening times, make sure they're updated.  If you say you're going to email account information over, make sure your system works and the email is sent.  If you say your web chat is online from 8AM EST, make sure it is.

Christ almighty.  It's like they try to make it as difficult as possible.

Here's a thought - just scrap the whole "filing U.S. taxes on worldwide income" thing all together.  How is it even any of their business??  Grrrrr...

Have you tried the IRS Unit at the London Embassy? I have no direct experience of them but have often seen reports that they are helpful.

I haven't as they're closed after 1pm on a Thursday and not open on Fridays (perfect), but it will be my first port of call on Monday if I haven't solved this by then!

Thanks

x

Reminder ... Monday is a bank holiday ....


Sent from my iPod touch using Tapatalk

The IRS website is excellent. Why would you want to 'phone them?

On that very topic, the IRS has released the results of it's IRS Customer Survey for 2012, the 2012 Taxpayer Experience of Individuals Living Abroad.

http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-soi/12rescontaxpayexperience.pdf

On page 33 you'll find Table 8: Agreement with Statements about IRS.gov.

From the table:
Statement: Going to IRS.gov was a more convenient option for me than calling the IRS
Number [Expatriates]who agreed with that statement: 69%

Statement: It was easy to understand the information about international tax topics on IRS.gov
Number [Expatriates] who agreed with that statement: 27%