You can get help with unresolved tax issues, order
free publications and forms, ask tax questions, and get
more information from the IRS in several ways. By
selecting the method that is best for you, you will have
quick and easy access to tax help.
Contacting your Taxpayer
Advocate.
If you have attempted to deal with an IRS
problem unsuccessfully, you should contact your Taxpayer
Advocate.
The Taxpayer Advocate independently
represents your interests and concerns within the IRS by
protecting your rights and resolving problems that have
not been fixed through normal channels. While Taxpayer
Advocates cannot change the tax law or make a technical
tax decision, they can clear up problems that resulted
from previous contacts and ensure that your case is
given a complete and impartial review.
To contact your Taxpayer Advocate:
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Call the Taxpayer Advocate toll free at
1-877-777-4778.
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Call, write, or fax the Taxpayer Advocate office in
your area.
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Call 1-800-829-4059 if you are a
TTY/TDD user.
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For more information, see Publication
1546, The Taxpayer Advocate Service of the IRS, How To
Get Help With Unnresolved Tax Problems.
Free tax services. To
find out what services are available, get Publication
910, IRS Guide to Free Tax Services. It contains a list
of free tax publications and an index of tax topics. It
also describes other free tax information services,
including tax education and assistance programs and a
list of TeleTax topics.
your
return. Find out about commercial tax preparation and
e-file services
available free to eligible taxpayers.
Check the status of your 2004 refund. Click on
Where's My
Refund. Be sure to wait at least 6 weeks
from the date you filed your return (3 weeks if you
filed electronically). Have your 2004 tax return
available because you will need to know your filing
status and the exact whole dollar amount of your
refund.
Download forms, instructions, and publications.
Order IRS products online.
Research your tax questions online.
Search publications online by topic or keyword.
View Internal Revenue Bulletins (IRBs) published in
the last few years.
Figure your withholding allowances using our Form
W-4 calculator.
Sign up to receive local and national tax news by
email.
Get information on starting and operating a small
business.
Fax. You can get over 100 of
the most requested forms and instructions 24 hours a
day, 7 days a week, by fax. Just call 703-368-9694 from
the telephone connected to your fax machine. When you
call, you will hear instructions on how to use the
service. The items you request will be faxed to you.
For help with transmission problems, call
703-487-4608.
Long-distance charges may apply.
Phone. Many services are
available by phone.
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Ordering forms,
instructions, and publications. Call
1-800-829-3676 to order current-year forms,
instructions, and publications and prior-year forms
and instructions. You should receive your order within
10 days.
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Asking tax questions.
Call the IRS with your tax questions at
1-800-829-1040.
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Solving problems.
You can get face-to-face help solving tax
problems every business day in IRS Taxpayer Assistance
Centers. An employee can explain IRS letters, request
adjustments to your account, or help you set up a
payment plan. Call your local Taxpayer Assistance
Center for an appointment. To find the number, go to
or look in the phone book under United States Government, Internal
Revenue Service.
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TTY/TDD equipment.
If you have access to TTY/TDD equipment,
call 1-800-829-4059 to ask tax questions or to order
forms and publications.
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TeleTax topics.
Call 1-800-829-4477 and press 2 to listen
to pre-recorded messages covering various tax topics.
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Refund information.
If you would like to check the status of
your 2004 refund, call 1-800-829-4477 and press 1 for
automated refund information or call 1-800-829-1954.
Be sure to wait at least 6 weeks from the date you
filed your return (3 weeks if you filed
electronically). Have your 2004 tax return available
because you will need to know your filing status and
the exact whole dollar amount of your refund.
Evaluating the quality
of our telephone services. To ensure that IRS
representatives give accurate, courteous, and
professional answers, we use several methods to evaluate
the quality of our telephone services. One method is for
a second IRS representative to sometimes listen in on or
record telephone calls. Another is to ask some callers
to complete a short survey at the end of the call.
Walk-in. Many products and
services are available on a walk-in basis.
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Products. You
can walk in to many post offices, libraries, and IRS
offices to pick up certain forms, instructions, and
publications. Some IRS offices, libraries, grocery
stores, copy centers, city and county government
offices, credit unions, and office supply stores have
a collection of products available to print from a
CD-ROM or photocopy from reproducible proofs. Also,
some IRS offices and libraries have the Internal
Revenue Code, regulations, Internal Revenue Bulletins,
and Cumulative Bulletins available for research
purposes.
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Services. You
can walk in to your local Taxpayer Assistance Center
every business day to ask tax questions or get help
with a tax problem. An employee can explain IRS
letters, request adjustments to your account, or help
you set up a payment plan. You can set up an
appointment by calling your local Center and, at the
prompt, leaving a message requesting Everyday Tax
Solutions help. A representative will call you back
within 2 business days to schedule an in-person
appointment at your convenience. To find the number,
go to
United States Government, Internal
Revenue Service.
Mail. You can send your order
for forms, instructions, and publications to the
Distribution Center nearest to you and receive a
response within 10 business days after your request is
received. Use the address that applies to your part of
the country.
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Western part of U.S.:
Western Area Distribution
Center
Rancho Cordova, CA 95743-0001
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Central part of U.S.:
Central Area Distribution
Center
P.O. Box 8903
Bloomington, IL
61702-8903
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Eastern part of U.S. and foreign addresses:
Eastern Area Distribution Center
P.O. Box
85074
Richmond, VA 23261-5074
CD-ROM for tax products. You
can order Publication 1796, IRS Federal Tax Products
CD-ROM, and obtain:
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Current-year forms, instructions, and
publications.
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Prior-year forms and instructions.
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Frequently requested tax forms that can be filled
in electronically, printed out for submission, or
saved for recordkeeping.
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Internal Revenue Bulletins.
Buy the CD-ROM from National Technical Information
Service (NTIS) at
for $22 (no handling fee) or call 1-877-233-6767 toll
free to buy the CD-ROM for $22 (plus a $5 handling fee).
The first release is available in early January and the
final release is available in late February.
CD-ROM for small businesses.
Publication 3207, The Small Business Resource
Guide, CD-ROM 2004, is a must for every small business
owner or any taxpayer about to start a business. This
handy, interactive CD contains all the business tax
forms, instructions, and publications needed to
successfully manage a business. In addition, the CD
provides other helpful information, such as how to
prepare a business plan, finding financing for your
business, and much more. The design of the CD makes
finding information easy and quick and incorporates file
formats and browsers that can be run on virtually any
desktop or laptop computer.
It is available in early April. You can get a free
copy by calling 1-800-829-3676 or by visiting
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