Introduction to Tax Operation Report
May 2026 was the first month Tax Operation Report began collecting tax practitioner-reported IRS call data. The point was to better understand what happens when professionals attempt to reach the IRS through the Priority Practitioner Service line.
Practitioners frequently share frustration with courtesy disconnects, unpredictable hold times, and uncertainty about when calling conditions are most favorable. If you read your tax practitioner forum of choice you’ll see anecdotes about those “magic” times the IRS is available:
“Call early in the morning”
“I’ve been calling PPS shortly after 5pm PST and getting through in 15 min or less”
“if you really want to get through, call at 5:30 pm on a Friday.”
While anecdotes are helpful, they don’t necessarily help practitioners get in touch with the IRS in every circumstance. Calling in the morning or in the evening is generally good advice, but what if you’re on central time and can’t call when the lines open on the east coast? Plus, hold time trends change over time. If you’ve been a tax practitioner long enough you’ve seen the short hold times in January/February and the long hold times following the April 15th filing deadline.
That’s where Tax Operation Report comes in, tax practitioners can submit their hold-time data and get a clear picture of best times to call the IRS. This report summarizes the call activity submitted during the month and highlights emerging trends.
As the dataset grows, these reports will become more useful in identifying patterns in IRS Practitioner Priority Service line accessibility.
May 2026 Snapshot
PPS – Individual
Calls logged: 93
Average reported hold time: 30 Minutes
Callback percentage: 80%
Courtesy disconnect rate: 76.34%
Best times to call:
PPS – Business
Calls logged: 94
Average reported hold time: 54 Minutes
Callback percentage: 56.76%
Courtesy disconnect rate: 56.38%
Best times to call:
Interesting Insights
- PPS Business showed lower disconnect rates than PPS Individual.
- Both PPS Business & Individual offered a significant amount of callbacks.
- PPS Individual primarily resulted in courtesy disconnects, but otherwise the hold times were on average lower than PPS Business.
Data Limitations
This dataset is currently an early-stage practitioner sample. A significant portion of records have been submitted by the project creator, with additional submissions from practitioners who have contributed to the database. The data should be viewed as an emerging indicator of practitioner experience rather than a statistically representative measurement of all IRS call volume.
Looking Ahead
Tax Operation Report is continuing to expand it’s practitioner-submitted dataset. If you call the IRS, consider contributing your experience to help improve visibility into IRS phone accessibility. Each call record helps improve the visibility practitioners have into IRS phone accessibility.