Don't Call the IRS This Weekend Unless You Absolutely Have To

If you have a tax question, this weekend is the absolute worst time to take a stab at get someone from the IRS on the phone.According to a press release from Feb. 16, Presidents Day weekend is historically the busiest time of year for the IRS phone system.

Luckily, there are ways to take care of most things without spending hours on hold (but if you do have to call,heres how to quickly reach a real person).

Despite hiring 5,000 customer service representatives to staff its help line during peak demand, the IRS still expects long wait times this weekend and recommends starting your quest for answers at their website.

Most tax questions have definite yes-or-no answers, and you’re free to use one of the many tools on the IRS website to find them.

Doing your own research isnt as simple or definite as an answer from a human being, but in the end, youll probably get the information youre looking for faster than if you were to callespecially this weekend.

TheInteractive Tax Assistant,Tax TopicsandFrequently Asked Questionssections of the IRS website are all searchable, so you should easily be able to track down the sections of the tax code that apply to your question.

The IRS website also has several tools specifically designed to help taxpayers navigate questions about certain credits, refund status, and withholding, which are some of the most common points of confusion.

If your question has to do with any of those topics, these tools should get you started:

TheEarned Income Tax Credit (EITC) Assistantcan help you figure out if you qualify for this credit

TheWheres My Refund?

tooldoes what it says on the tin; if youre still waiting on a refund, start here

TheIRS2Go applets you check the status of your return and/or refund

TheTax Withholding Estimatorcan answer most questions about withholding amounts

Of course, some questions are just too complicated to be answered by an interactive tool or article.

In that case, its probably time to grit your teeth and give the IRS a calljust wait until the holiday weekend is over if you’re free to.