Budget cuts mean IRS won’t be as helpful this tax season

[unhappycamper]

http://www.thenewstribune.com/2014/02/14/3046830/budget-cuts-mean-irs-wont-be-as.html

Budget cuts mean IRS won’t be as helpful this tax season
February 14, 2014

The Internal Revenue Service kicked off tax season with a few blunt warnings. Don’t expect to get an answer on the phone much more quickly than last year. And seniors and lower-income households need to look elsewhere if they once went to IRS walk-in locations for assistance in preparing their returns.

IRS Commissioner John Koskinen said in a phone conference that he does not want to see millions of phone calls go unanswered or any taxpayers waiting on the phone for up to a half hour. But he noted that budget cuts and staff reductions will continue to make it challenging.

Nearly 40 percent of customer service phone calls to the IRS went unanswered last year, according to the nation’s taxpayer advocate’s annual report released in January.

~snip~

I ran a quick test of the service on Jan. 31, the first day the IRS began accepting returns for this tax season. I called the IRS’ main number, 800-829-1040. During the first call, I had to listen to several prompts and push the appropriate buttons to connect me with someone to answer my question. I did get a live person in two minutes or so. I said I had a question on dependent care and then that person said they’d transfer me to the area handling such calls. After I was transferred, I heard a recording that said the IRS wasn’t answering questions on dependent care and then the call disconnected. The whole process was less than five minutes, but I didn’t get any tax help, either.