Dealing with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) can be so confusing that you might be tempted to just pick up the phone and call them for help. But although the agency has a variety of numbers you can call, your chances of getting someone on the phone are so low that it’s usually not worth it. According to the IRS Taxpayer Advocate, only 11% of 282 million calls made to the agency in 2021 reached a customer service agent at all. But you may need to be prepared to stay on hold for a while. In a new warning, the IRS just said taxpayers who have nothing should contact the agency immediately. Read on to find out if you should call them.
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Theirs posted a new alert on March 30, warning some taxpayers that they may need to contact the agency immediately regarding a missing payment. “Individuals are encouraged to double-check their bank accounts — particularly in early spring and summer 2021 — to see if they received a third-round payment in advance last year,” advised the IRS.
If you have not received your third payment but your IRS online account shows a payment amount greater than zero or if you have received a notice that a payment has been issued to you, you will need to contact the agency. “They should contact the IRS as soon as possible to see if a payment trail is needed,” the agency warned.
You can call the IRS or mail/fax a completed Form 3811 to the agency to request a payment record. “You will typically receive a response 6 weeks after receiving your payment tracking request, but there may be delays due to limited staffing,” the agency said.
The IRS has issued more than 175 million checks for the third round of Economic Impact Payments (EIPs) through December 31, 2021. According to the agency, those payments totaled more than $400 billion sent to individuals and families across the United States “Most of the third-round payments were issued in the spring and early summer of 2021,” the agency said. “The IRS continued to send additional payments through December if, after processing their 2020 tax return last year, the taxpayer was eligible for additional amounts.”
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The IRS said it was no longer issuing any of the three stimulus payments, “as required by law.” But if you miss a payment or received less than you were entitled to, you may still be able to get the money you are owed. To do this, taxpayers must claim a recovery rebate credit on their 2020 or 2021 federal tax return, depending on the agency.
The agency sent out notices, called a 6475 letter, to help people accurately claim remaining third stimulus payments when they file for 2021. However, “most eligible people have already received the full amount of their credit in advance and do not need to include information about that payment when they file their 2021 tax return,” the IRS said.
However, you should not contact the IRS just to determine if you were eligible for a payment or to confirm the amount you should have received. Instead, you have two ways to verify this: through your online IRS account or through letters the agency has recently sent. According to the IRS, taxpayers were able to view the total amount paid to them for their third stimulus payment since Jan. 15 online.
And on March 30, the IRS said it had just finished sending the 6475 letters to recipients of the third round of EIPs. This letter provided to taxpayers with the total amount issued to them for the third payments, as well as the increased payments they received.
RELATED: The IRS just warned taxpayers about it.
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