As part of the Inflation Reduction Act passed by Congress in August 2022, the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) recently released its plan for the nearly $80 billion in additional agency funding. A portion of the budget aims to improve technology and increase customer service. This includes investments in its online service offerings through ID.me, to provide access to certain IRS services and resolution options more quickly than contacting the IRS via telephone. The Godsey & Gibb team continues to be available to help with your tax preparation needs, regardless of whether you choose to use the online IRS services.
WHAT IRS SERVICES ARE AVAILABLE ONLINE?
- Monitor the processing status of your filed income tax return or amended income tax return
- Track refunds
- Make payments
- Retrieve a new Identity Protection PIN (IP-PIN)
- Access your tax transcripts
- Retrieve certain tax notices. You can “opt-in” to receive email notifications when new notices are available. (Note: not all notices are available online, so we recommend that you also continue to check your mail for IRS notices.)
SETTING UP AN ONLINE ACCOUNT:
HOW DO I ACCESS OR SET UP MY ONLINE ACCOUNT?
Go to https://www.irs.gov/payments/your-online-account, click “Sign into your Online Account,” and follow the prompts to create a new account or sign into an existing account through ID.me.
HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO SET UP AN ACCOUNT TO ACCESS ONLINE IRS SERVICES?
A new account takes approximately 15 minutes to create. During this time, you will be asked to verify your identity through a variety of ways, including your email address, Social Security Number, tax filing status, mailing address, and mobile phone number. Verifying your identity may require taking a photo of an accepted government ID and a selfie or a live call with an ID.me video chat agent.
ONLINE TAX PAYMENTS:
WHAT TYPES OF TAX PAYMENTS CAN I MAKE THROUGH MY ONLINE ACCOUNT?
- Tax balance due from your most recent income tax return
- Tax balance due from filing your income tax return extension
- Tax balance due from your amended income tax return
- Quarterly estimated taxes for the current year
- Proposed tax assessments per IRS notices
WHAT PAYMENT METHODS ARE AVAILABLE ONLINE?
You can make payments through an ACH debit from your checking or savings account or by using your debit/credit card.
CONTACTING THE IRS:
IS THERE CHAT ASSISTANCE AVAILABLE ONLINE?
Unfortunately, there is currently no chat feature available for online IRS services.
CAN I STILL CONTACT THE IRS BY PHONE?
Yes. However, phone assistance is limited, and long wait times are likely. The IRS is available by phone (1-800-829-1040) Monday through Friday from 7 am – 7 pm EST. We often find that the best time to call is early in the morning. If you are able, it may be beneficial to try to use the online IRS services before calling the IRS.
IN CONCLUSION
The IRS is constantly expanding the services it offers both online and through its IRS2Go mobile app (available on Google Play and the Apple App Store) to provide better service and a simpler process to taxpayers. Utilizing the online features may help cut down on wait times and increase taxpayer satisfaction throughout the year.
Author: Erik Shellenhamer, CPA | Tax Associate
Written: June 21, 2023