Alabama State Bar
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Useful IRS contact numbers, e-mail addresses,
and commonly used links to IRS sites

Dear Alabama Tax Practitioner,

As the IRS Stakeholder Liaison area manager for Alabama, I want to thank you for your past support and ask for your continued partnership with your local stakeholder liaisons and me. SL is proud to be in our sixth year as the practitioners’ gateway to the IRS. We have had a busy year, holding practitioner events, conducting national webinars, and establishing web-based tax centers.

Practitioners provided our local SLs with many suggestions on how to improve IRS systems. We actively worked on these suggestions and were able to implement many of them. This partnership strengthens our mutual commitment to taxpayer compliance.  

SL is committed to getting you the information you need. While we do not answer tax law questions or have access to your clients’ tax accounts, we can steer you in the right direction.   

How SL can help you navigate the IRS
Be assured that IRS.gov has more than just forms and publications. You’ll find the latest news, online tools, research services, guidance and contact information.

The best way to stay up to date with the IRS is to take advantage of our free products and services. Subscribe to e-News for Tax Professionals for weekly news briefs. We also offer tools so visitors to your website can link directly to “tax centers” and other “widgets”, making it easy to find frequently-used web pages.

We make it easy to get up-to-date information from IRS experts. Join our free national webinars, or check out IRS Live where tax professionals discuss tax topics with IRS leaders. Submit questions during the original airing or visit our IRS Video Portal to view archived webinars, video clips of tax topics, and audio archives of national phone forums.

Don’t forget the IRS.gov Spanish counterpart IRS en Español and our new Multilingual Gateway for translated information. If you need a translator when meeting with IRS employees just ask for an interpreter. Over-the-Phone Interpreter Services (OPI) is available when taxpayers have limited English proficiency.

How to keep up-to-date with the new return preparer regulations
David R. Williams leads the new IRS Return Preparer Office implementing the new requirements for tax return preparers. Visit our Web page for New PTIN Requirements for Tax Return Preparers to keep current on implementation. There’s also Frequently Asked Questions and Answers for PTIN. For additional PTIN information, contact the IRS Tax Professional PTIN Information line at 877-813-7846, available Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. CST.

Check out Many Tax Return Preparers Required to Use IRS e-file Beginning in 2011 for information on the new e-file rules and learn how to become an authorized e-file provider.

How you can help your clients and colleagues
Tell us when you see a problem or have a suggestion to improve our processes. We introduced the Issue Management Resolution System (IMRS) four years ago and have received more than a thousand IMRS issues. Check out some of the successes in our IMRS report on IRS.gov. 

There are many ways you can assist us to further our partnership. Help us reach more practitioners by hosting joint events or webinars. Include IRS information in your newsletters or post an IRS tax center or web link on your website. You can even volunteer to teach a Small Business Tax Workshop in your community and share what you learn.

Finally, stay in touch with your local SL. You may also contact me directly at 615-250-5791 or craig.e.crews@irs.gov , or if you need assistance in Alabama, contact an SL below.

Nora J. Huffman

Regina Malisham

Phone: 205-912-5255

Phone: 251-341-5937

Fax: 205-912-5070

Fax: 251-341-5926

Email:
Nora.Huffman@irs.gov

Email:
Regina.P.Malisham@irs.gov

Filing season can be a challenging and stressful time, but together we can make it easier. Use our free tools, products and services; and raise your issues and concerns through your local stakeholder liaison.

Sincerely,

Craig E. Crews
Stakeholder Liaison Area Manager, Mid-South Area
Craig.E.Crews@irs.gov      

IRS Contact List for Practitioners

NOTE:  Local Time – Alaska (AK) and Hawaii (HI) follow Pacific Time (PT)

Title

Telephone Number

Hours of Operation

Practitioner Priority Service

866-860-4259

M-F, 8 a.m. – 8 p.m., local time

IRS Tax Professional PTIN Information Line

877-613-7846

M-F, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m., CT

IRS Tax Help Line for Individuals

800-829-1040

M-F, 7 a.m. – 10 p.m., local time

Business and Specialty Tax Line

800-829-4933

M-F, 7 a.m. – 10 p.m., local time

e-Help Desk (IRS Electronic Products)

866-255-0654

M-F, 6:30 a.m. – 6 p.m. CT (non-peak)
Check out peak hours.

Refund Hotline

800-829-1954

Automated Service available 24/7

Federal Management Service – FMS – Treasury Refund Offset Information

800-304-3107

M-F, 7:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., CT

Forms and Publications

800-829-3676

M-F, 7 a.m. – 10 p.m., local time

National Taxpayer Advocate’s Help Line

877-777-4778

M-F, 7 a.m. – 10 p.m., local time

Local Taxpayer Advocate – Birmingham, AL

205-912-5631

M-F, 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., local time

Centralized Lien Payoff

800-913-6050

M-F, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m., local time

Centralized Bankruptcy

800-973-0424

M-F, 7 a.m. – 10 p.m. ET

Telephone Device for the Deaf (TDD)

800-829-4059

M-F, 7 a.m. – 10 p.m., local time

Electronic Federal Tax Payment System
(EFTPS) – for Businesses

800-555-4477

Automated Service and Live Assistance  available 24/7

Electronic Federal Tax Payment System
(EFTPS) – for Individuals

800-316-6541

Automated Service and Live Assistance  available 24/7

Government Entities (TEGE) Help Line

877-829-5500

M-F, 7 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. CT

Forms 706 and 709 Help Line

866-699-4083

M-F, 7 a.m. – 7 p.m., local time

Automated Collection System (ACS) (Business)

800-829-3903

M-F, 8 a.m. – 8 p.m., local time

Automated Collection System (ACS) (Individual)

800-829-7650

M-F, 8 a.m. – 8 p.m., local time

Tax Fraud Referral Hotline

800-829-0433

Automated Service available 24/7

Employer Identification Number (EIN)

800-829-4933

M-F, 7 a.m. – 10 p.m., local time

Excise Tax and Form 2290 Help Line

866-699-4096

M-F, 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. ET

Identity Protection Specialized Unit

800-908-4490

M-F, 8 a.m. – 8 p.m., local time

Information Return Reporting

866-455-7438

M-F, 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. ET

ITIN Program Office (Form W-7 and Acceptance Agent Program – Form 13551)

404-338-8963

Message Line: 24/7 hour operation

IRS Federally Declared Disaster or Combat Zone Inquiries Hotline

866-562-5227

M-F, 7 a.m. – 10 p.m., local time


Getting Ready for the 2011 Tax Filing Season

Communications
Tax Information for Tax Professionals – Information Center for tax professionals.
Follow us on Twitter!   
Follow the Nationwide Tax Forums on Facebook!
Check out IRS on YouTube
IRS e-News for Tax Professionals: Subscribe to the IRS e-newsletter for tax pros
IRS Video Portal - Find video clips of tax topics, archived versions of live panel discussions and webinars, as well as audio archives of national phone forums.
Outreach Corner – Subscribe to have access to ready-to-use articles, widgets, audio/video materials, and publications/flyers for you to use.
QuickAlerts “More” e-file Benefits for Tax Professionals – Subscribe to receive “up-to-the-minute” information on e-file events.

Contacting Us                       
Your local Stakeholder Liaison office establishes relationships with organizations representing small business and self-employed taxpayers. They provide information about the policies, practices and procedures the IRS uses to ensure compliance with the tax laws. To establish a relationship with us, use this list to find a contact in your state.

Tools for You
Want to find the pages your need on IRS.gov more easily? Basic Tools for Tax Professionals has a comprehensive list of what you need to help prepare your clients’ tax returns and information on representation. Electronic IRS Online Tools will help you and your clients conduct business quickly and safely – electronically.

Help Us Resolve Problems
With your help, we have identified hundreds of large and small issues that were getting in the way of efficient tax administration. Continue to contact us when you or your clients notice something isn’t working. The Issue Management Resolution System  gets to the bottom of the problem. Check out some of the issues practitioners have raised, what we’ve done to resolve them and what we are currently working on. 

Want quick access to more information?  Click on the links below.

Appeals

Affordable Care Act

ARRA Information Center

Disasters

E-file

Electronic Payments     

Enrolled Agents

E-services

Forms and Publications
 
Help

HIRE Act

IMRS Hot Issues
 
IRS.gov in Spanish

Multilingual Gateway

News and Events

Phishing and e-mail Scams

PTIN Requirements

Practitioner - MeF

Quick Alerts

Reporting Fraud

Small Business/Self Employed Tax Center

Standards of Practice

Subscription Services

Tax Centers

Return Preparer Regulations

Taxpayer Advocate

Tax Professionals

IRS Video Portal

The Tax Gap

Where To File

1040 Central

1040 MeF Program