How to call the IRS

Not sure brother, but I would say you have a few more problems than just a phone line. But, as to that, get on the internet and look up getting and a (VPN) virtual phone number, they are free and then you can call the anyone in the States and get messgaes. Good luck peace and love

Michael P. Carter wrote:

I would say you have a few more problems than just a phone line.

I sure hope so, if not I would be some sort of superhero.

Michael P. Carter wrote:

look up getting a (VPN) virtual phone number, they are free and then you can call anyone in the States and get messages.

Thanks for the advice, I will look into it.

I was researching Virtual Phone Numbers when I realized I already have one, or the equivalent. I was able to call the IRS from my house using my textnow.com account. I'd never used it to make phone calls, just to send and receive texts. Amazing. Magical technology right in my own house. You'd think I'd know about this since I spend so much time at the computer but phones just ain't my thing.

If you have a reliable internet connection just use Skype, Skype is free for internet video chat but you have to buy some phone credit to make landline phone calls. I do it all the time if I have to call government departments in the UK. You just have to consider the time difference between Phils and your home country. By the way, the call charges are extremely cheap, like around 0.03 pence per minute to the UK.

I use Google Voice works great and is free.  You need to have a US number but only for set up.  I did mine with an online service.  They give you a number.  Just find one that has a free trial or one that you can cancel.
When you call, expect to be on hold for a very long time and wind up speaking to someone who is not very knowledgeable.

You used to be able to call US for free using Google Hangouts but that changed to Google chat (it's rubbish now).
You could download Skype with a cheap package - You can call the US (or most of the rest of the world) very cheaply.

Viber has 'Viber Out' - Not used it but I gather it works.

I suppose there will be a lot more but I don't use them so I can't comment

This may also help but I have never tried any of them

https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/no-us-pho … ng-to-usa/

People living in the US and calling IRS are not getting through 90% of the time.

Well let's hear it for the lucky 10%. I'll start trying more often, starting tomorrow. If I call ten times I might get through once. With text.now I have no trouble getting their machine. The website says if you can't call, you can send mail. I'm ready to do that too, and then wait four more months to find out what their response is? Unless they do what they should, which is to simply deposit the check as soon as they get my letter and documentation.

I.R.S.   .  .  .  .Don't call me, I'll call you.

The only easy way to contact the IRS is to wriet them a letter, otherwise one has to wait on line. Good luck.

I just waited on hold for 56 minutes and after I answered some questions the person at IRS put me on hold again. While I was on hold, the connection broke and I lost the call. I called back and got the "due to extremely high call volume go jump in a lake" message. I'll try again tomorrow.

yep been there...

stumpednomore wrote:

the connection broke and I lost the call. I called back and got the "due to extremely high call volume go jump in a lake" message. I'll try again tomorrow.

Your call is important to us, please hold the line.

Please hold while your call is transferred to the next available agent.

All our agents are currently busy. Please hold and we will answer your call as soon as possible.

All our agents are still busy please visit our website at: WWW. NOT UNDER REVIEW.

For English please press 1, Para Espanol presione el numero 2, For Brandon press 3.

I agree MC but that doesn't always work and it really depends on the person in the states who gets the letter and if they are diligent enough to return it or at least send an email as I always include my email when I write them. I have written them 2 letters and haven't received either a letter or email from them. Maybe after Biden hires the 80K more IRS employees he wants we might get an answer but I won't hold my breath!HaHa!

If he wants 80K more IRS employees, it's not for what he says it's for.

Alas bureaucrats the world over think they are owed a living and are unaccountable to any work ethic as they are difficult to fire - and they know it. 'You dance to my tune.' Without the private sector they would not have a job.
Just a thought - find out when the office you are calling opens. I undestand the US is on 4 time zones. Then speed dial the number.

Lotus eater, you are absolutely correct. Many years ago I read a book that I do not remember the author, but it was about this man that sailed alone on all of the large bodies of water in the world on the small sailing ship. He stated in it, "The only problems I encountered in any country I went through was with petty bureaucrats", I have found since that reading that he was a very wise man. Peace and love

Finally got some hope of seeing this get resolved. I got out of bed in the wee hours when our wireless rural Globe signal is not so overloaded, and after several "sorry" messages finally got put on proper hold with the nice IRS muzak machine at 2:23 a.m. After a 32-minute wait on hold a real live human being literally answered the phone and a few minutes later I was told that the paper check will be re-issued in maybe 4 weeks or so. I asked if it could be direct-deposited like EIP2 & EIP3 but she didn't know because she had to manually enter it and as usual the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing.

Better than nothing, if worst comes to worst they'll send a paper check and I'll mail it back to my US bank. Sounds like another 3 to 6 months wait.

Well that's not the worst that could happen...

Maybe I've missed something but can they not post the letter to a reliable friend or relative in the States and they courier the letter to you? The US postal system is notoriously slow but most mail gets through. At the Philippine end you would be better off using carrier pigeon

The IRS won't even use email, they are the most paranoid, backwater bunch of hillbillies imaginable because it keeps them from having to deal with people as individuals. Same goes for Social Security, they also won't use email. IRS won't even let you have an online account if they know you don't live in the US. These US government agencies consider all activity from a Philippines computer to be fraudulent by default. The solution? Snail mail????????????   

When the quarantine first began, our local post office closed completely for months. The paper check I was mailed was never delivered to me and (also due to paranoia), the IRS isn't going to tell me whether it was lost, returned, stolen, even if they know. But they did, more or less knowingly, mail a paper check when they knew it wasn't going anywhere. By this I mean, someone in the decision-making process knew the checks mailed to the Philippines probably would not be delivered, and if delivered, would probably have to be mailed back to a US bank.

I'm sure they would never allow a relative to represent me, they would not allow me to change address mid-process without a bunch of notarized documents which would have to be snail-mailed, etc etc. Welcome to the 19th century. Welcome to the insecurity state. Only fear-based decisions are considered safe. That's one reason I like the Philippines, the people are considerably more relaxed in many ways than Americans, however when the quarantine hit, they had no choice but to Ape the West, so all day long you see Filipinos driving around on motorcycles alone wearing masks, that sort of thing, they have no idea what they're obeying, but only obedience seems safe. Don't question authority if authority claims to be trying to save your life. Do what they say on the news, right? If in doubt, add more fear to your do list. That's what it means to be a good citizen in these days. We're well into 1984, 1984 was some years ago.

To retain sanity I personally recommend not watching the news at all.

What a complete clusterfuck. Of course if you owed the IRS money you would receive the demand in the next day post by courier " We know where you are when it matters to us"

Whatever fuxk...All i know is before I left my country with the 'knowledge' that death & taxes are inevitable I had instructed my local bank for an auto giro deduction to the credit of our IRA just in case any request/demand of any form of tax/payment should arise (which I hope ...never will)...but then again you just can never be too sure....
Small price to pay for my "ffffrrreeeddddoooommmm"

Well 'freedom' (I think I spelt it correctly) is a relative word. If you are a US Citizen you are subject to legislation that congress passed in 2010 - the Foreign Account Tax Compliant Act or FATCA. All non US financial institutions anywhere in the world are required to notify the IRS of US citizen account holders.
It may surprise many of our non American readers that US citizens are liable for tax on ALL their income earned abroad regardless of where their domicility is.

I've always thought that the Internal Revenue Service is a misnomer. Perhaps International Revenue Service would be more apt.
Our very own Prime Minister Boris Johnson who was born in New York renounced his citizenship for this very reason.

I'm happy to report that EIP1 has been direct deposited to my US bank account.

Thanks to everyone on this forum for your advice.

TextNow.com is the bees knees.