Tax Tip: When talking to Uncle Sam, get his “Badge Number”
During tax season, there’s nothing wrong with calling the IRS directly to ask a question. In fact, I just called yesterday on behalf of a client.
However, when you call the toll-free number, have a pen and paper handy: the very first thing that any IRS representative will tell you is their name and their Badge or Identification number. If you don’t get their name and number the first time, ask them to repeat it.
Doing this serves two purposes – first, if you want to complain about a representative who is confrontational or unhelpful, this number is the key for the IRS to identify the problematic employee.
Second, if the IRS ever questions how you treated a tax matter in your return, it is always helpful to be able to say, “I asked Mr. Smith, Badge number 123456, on January 23rd, how to handle this matter, and I did exactly what he told me to do.”
