What “Priority Service”? Only 61 percent of practitioner calls get through.
IRS Phone Line |
Level of Service |
|---|---|
Accounts Management |
87% |
Practitioner Priority Service |
61% |
Installment Agreement / Balance Due |
35% |
Identity Theft |
29% |
Critical support lines remain overwhelmed.
By CPA Trendlines Research
The Internal Revenue Service reports significant improvements in its phone service, but the gains mask critical shortfalls in other high-demand lines, frustrating taxpayers and practitioners alike.
MORE IRS | Brace Yourself: IRS 25% Staff Cuts Mean Big Trouble for Tax Pros and Clients | What to Watch in the One Big Beautiful Bill |IRS’s Big Annual Report: Already Out of Date as Agency Grapples with Chaos and Cuts | Busy Season Barometer Stats: Who’s Responding and How They’re Doing | Tax Season Faceplant: Accountants Overrun by Late Chaos
Despite improvements in certain areas, such as the Accounts Management lines achieving an 87 percent Level of Service with average wait times dropping to 3 minutes, other critical lines experienced significantly lower service levels. For instance, the Identity Theft line had an LOS of just 29 percent, and the Installment Agreement/Balance Due line stood at 35 percent.
However, performance plummets for other phone lines. The Level of Service on the Identity Theft line was just 29 percent, and on the Installment Agreement/Balance Due line, it was 35 percent.
The Practitioner Priority Service line, heavily used by professionals, managed just 61 percent, well below the standard for acceptable support.
TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE
