Calling the IRS? Hold times are way down this tax season

Apr 17, 2023, 10:19 AM | Updated: 12:22 pm

FILE - A sign is displayed outside the Internal Revenue Service building on May 4, 2021, in Washing...

FILE - A sign is displayed outside the Internal Revenue Service building on May 4, 2021, in Washington. Taxpayers who called the IRS had an average wait time of four minutes this tax season compared to 27 minutes a year earlier, the agency said Monday, April 17, 2023. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)
Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS

(AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Taxpayers who called the IRS had an average wait time of four minutes this tax season compared to 27 minutes a year earlier, the agency said Monday.

Ahead of the tax filing deadline on Tuesday, the IRS is promoting its improved customer service and giving credit to a big boost in funding provided by the Inflation Reduction Act that Democrats pushed through Congress last year.

The federal tax collector on Monday reported a dramatic turnaround for the 2023 tax season from a year ago, when the agency scored its worst customer service marks on record.

IRS employees this tax season have answered 2 million more calls, and served 100,000 more taxpayers in-person, it reported. The agency also digitized 80 times more paper forms than in 2022 and cleared the backlog of unprocessed 2022 individual tax returns.

New IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel, sworn in earlier this month, promised that to use the new $80 billion infusion of cash over the next 10 years to help the federal tax collector become faster, more tech-savvy and provide “real-world improvements” to taxpayers.

“We’re trying to improve services dramatically,” said Wally Adeyemo, Treasury’s deputy secretary at an Urban Institute event on Monday.

At the same event, former IRS Commissioner Charles Rossotti was more critical of the IRS spending plan. “There’s an under allocation for technology,” he said. “They need to spend a lot more time on a compliance strategy.”

United States News

Associated Press

3 wounded in shooting in Texas strip club parking lot, gunman killed

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — A man wounded three people when he opened fire the parking lot of a Texas strip club early Sunday before being fatally shot by armed security, authorities said. The man opened fire in the direction of people in the parking lot after being asked to leave following a fight inside […]

15 hours ago

Associated Press

Man in police custody falls to death after breaking California hospital window with oxygen tank

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — A man in police custody died Thursday in Northern California after he broke a hospital’s window with a metal oxygen tank and fell off a ledge following an altercation with an officer and a nurse, authorities said. The man was in custody because he had allegedly violated a court order, […]

15 hours ago

Associated Press

South Carolina group to ask Supreme Court to rename landmark school desegregation case

SUMMERTON, S.C. (AP) — Civil rights leaders in South Carolina plan to petition the U.S. Supreme Court to rename the landmark Brown v. Board of Education decision that outlawed segregation of public schools across the country. Over the next three months, a group representing past plaintiffs and their descendants plans to file paperwork asking the […]

15 hours ago

Associated Press

Debt ceiling agreement gets thumbs up from biz groups, jeers from some on political right

WASHINGTON (AP) — The reviews are starting to come in as details emerge about the debt ceiling agreement reached by President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Already, some lawmakers are criticizing the deal as not doing enough to tackle the nation’s debt, while others worry it’s too austere and will harm many low-income […]

15 hours ago

Associated Press

Police: 3 killed in shootout involving outlaw biker gangs at New Mexico motorcycle rally

RED RIVER, N.M. (AP) — Three men killed in a weekend shootout at a New Mexico motorcycle rally were members of rival outlaw biker gangs, and the violence stemmed from a previous altercation between them in Albuquerque, authorities said Sunday. New Mexico State Police said three other bikers are facing charges and two of them […]

15 hours ago

Associated Press

‘The Little Mermaid’ makes box office splash with $95.5 million opening

LOS ANGELES (AP) — “ The Little Mermaid ” made moviegoers want to be under the sea on Memorial Day weekend. Disney’s live-action remake of its 1989 animated classic easily outswam the competition, bringing in $95.5 million on 4,320 screens in North America, according to studio estimates Sunday. And Disney estimates the film starring Halle […]

15 hours ago

Sponsored Articles

...

re:vitalize

Why drug-free weight loss still matters

Wanting to lose weight is a common goal for many people as they progress throughout life, but choosing between a holistic approach or to take medicine can be a tough decision.

(Desert Institute for Spine Care in Arizona Photo)...

Desert Institute for Spine Care in Arizona

5 common causes for chronic neck pain

Neck pain can debilitate one’s daily routine, yet 80% of people experience it in their lives and 20%-50% deal with it annually.

...

Day & Night Air Conditioning, Heating and Plumbing

Company looking for oldest air conditioner and wants to reward homeowner with new one

Does your air conditioner make weird noises or a burning smell when it starts? If so, you may be due for an AC unit replacement.

Calling the IRS? Hold times are way down this tax season