To reach the IRS from outside the United States, call the International Taxpayer Service line at +1 267-941-1000. It is open Monday to Friday, 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. Eastern Time (US and Canada), and it is not toll-free, so you pay for the call.

That number and those hours come from the IRS page Contact my local office internationally (checked October 2026). Below: the other IRS numbers that work from abroad, the ones that do not, when to call from your time zone, and how to keep the call from costing a fortune.

IRS phone numbers for callers outside the US

Who it is for	Number	Hours	Toll-free?
Individuals and businesses abroad (account questions)	+1 267-941-1000	Mon to Fri, 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. Eastern	No
Taxpayer Advocate Service, taxpayers living abroad	+1 515-564-6827	Not published; calls are routed to Hawaii or Puerto Rico	No
Tax professionals with an e-file issue (not account related)	+1 512-416-7750	Mon to Fri, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Central	No
Fax for international tax account issues	+1 681-247-3101	Any time	No

All checked on irs.gov in October 2026.

The IRS prints the Taxpayer Advocate number in an unusual way, as "+15.15.56.46.827", which is a play on 515-56-GO-TAS. Dial it as +1 515 564 6827. The same page gives a fax number (304-707-9793) and an email address ([email protected]) for the Advocate's international team. If you choose Spanish, your call goes to the Puerto Rico office.

What the international line can help with

According to the IRS, the international line handles account questions: the status of an overpayment, balances owed, and letters you received about international tax forms. The IRS also warns that some questions are too complex for phone assistors and points you to its pages on complex tax topics instead. If you need advice on your own tax position, that is a job for a tax professional, not the phone line.

When to call the Taxpayer Advocate instead

The Taxpayer Advocate Service is an independent office inside the IRS. It is for problems the normal channels have not solved, such as a refund stuck for months or a notice you have already answered without result. If this is your first call about an issue, start with 267-941-1000.

IRS numbers that will not help you abroad

The numbers most Americans know are toll-free 800 numbers, and those are the ones that fail from overseas.

800-829-1040 (individuals) and 800-829-4933 (businesses) are the main domestic lines. The IRS lists 800-829-1040 for callers in Guam, the Bahamas, the US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, but tells other international callers to use 267-941-1000. The domestic lines are also only open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time, Monday to Friday.
877-777-4778 is the Taxpayer Advocate's toll-free number. From abroad, use the 515 number above.

US toll-free numbers often do not connect from foreign networks at all, and when they do, you may pay international rates anyway. Our guide to calling US toll-free numbers from abroad explains why, and what to try if a company only gives you an 800 number.

Best time to call the IRS from your time zone

The line is open 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. Eastern, Monday to Friday. Here is what that means locally. The IRS does not publish a best time to call the international line; the last column is simply a slot inside opening hours that falls at a sensible local time. Times shift by an hour for a few weeks each spring and fall, when the US and other countries change their clocks on different dates.

Where you are	Line is open (local time)	Practical window
UK, Ireland, Portugal	11:00 to 04:00 (next day)	Early afternoon, 13:00 to 16:00
Germany, France, Spain, Italy	12:00 to 05:00 (next day)	Early afternoon, 13:00 to 17:00
UAE	14:00 to 07:00 in northern summer, 15:00 to 08:00 in winter	Late afternoon or evening
India	15:30 to 08:30 in northern summer, 16:30 to 09:30 in winter	Evening, 18:00 to 22:00
Singapore, Hong Kong, Philippines	18:00 to 11:00 in northern summer, 19:00 to 12:00 in winter	Evening, or Saturday morning (see below)
Japan, South Korea	19:00 to 12:00 in northern summer, 20:00 to 13:00 in winter	Evening, or Saturday morning
Sydney, Melbourne	Roughly 20:00 to 13:00 (mid-year) up to 22:00 to 15:00 (southern summer)	Tuesday to Saturday mornings
Mexico City	04:00 to 21:00 in US summer, 05:00 to 22:00 in US winter	Mid-morning

Two tips that help from Asia and Australia. Because the line runs until 11 p.m. Eastern on Friday, it is still open on Saturday morning your time. The catch runs the other way on Mondays: Monday morning in Asia or Australia is still Sunday in the US, so the line is closed.

The IRS also publishes wait-time guidance for its phone lines in general (not the international line specifically). In filing season, January to April, it says waits average about 8 minutes but are longer on Mondays, Tuesdays, Presidents Day weekend and around the April deadline. From May to December, waits average about 15 minutes. Waits are shorter Wednesday to Friday, so aim for those days if you can. Those figures come from the IRS telephone assistance page. Some lines take longer, so plan for a long hold.

What to have ready before you dial

The IRS says its representatives must verify your identity before they discuss your account. For individuals, have:

Social Security numbers and dates of birth (or your ITIN if you do not have an SSN)
Your filing status (single, head of household, married filing jointly, married filing separately or qualifying surviving spouse)
Your prior-year tax return
The tax return you are calling about
Any letter or notice the IRS sent you

If you are calling for someone else, the IRS also needs their name and SSN or ITIN, the return in question, verbal or written authorization (Form 8821 or Form 2848), and your PTIN or personal identification number if you are a preparer. A paper notice has its notice number (for example a "CP" or "LTR" code) printed near the top. Read that out early, because it tells the assistor which team handles your case.

The IRS does not publish the menu for the international line, and menus change, so we will not list option numbers that may be out of date. What works on any IRS line:

Listen to the whole menu once. Pick the option that matches your notice or account question rather than the most general one.
Call from somewhere quiet with a good connection. A dropped call after 40 minutes on hold means starting again.
Use a headset and keep a notepad. Write down the assistor's name or ID number and what they told you.
Ask what happens next. If the assistor says the issue needs a letter or a different team, ask for the address, fax number or timeframe before you hang up.

The IRS says it may offer a callback when waits exceed 15 minutes, but its international contact page does not mention one for 267-941-1000, so do not count on it.

If you cannot get through: chat, fax and mail

You have three alternatives, all listed on the IRS international contact page:

International live chat. Available Monday to Friday, 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. Eastern, in English. For account questions, you need an active IRS Online Account first. Chat is often easier than a long international call.
Fax. International tax account issues can go to 681-247-3101. Include your name, SSN or ITIN and a copy of any notice.
Mail. Individuals abroad write to Internal Revenue Service, International Accounts, Philadelphia, PA 19255-0725. Businesses write to Internal Revenue Service, International Accounts, Ogden, UT 84201-0038.

There is no walk-in option abroad. The IRS says taxpayer service once offered at US embassies and consulates is no longer available.

What the call costs from abroad

An IRS call is long. Add hold time and a 45-minute call is normal. That makes the rate per minute matter far more than usual.

How you call +1 267-941-1000	Cost for 45 minutes	Notes
US mobile using Wi-Fi calling	Often nothing extra	Calls to US numbers over Wi-Fi usually count as domestic on major US plans; check your carrier first
US mobile roaming on a foreign network, no travel pass	Varies, can be high	Check your carrier's international roaming rates before you dial
Calling from the UK on EE pay monthly, no add-on, at £4.64/min	£208.80	EE's standard rate to the US as of September 2026; its International Pass add-on brings it to 3p/min
BoraPhone browser call, from US$0.04/min	From US$1.80	The dialer shows the exact rate for the number before you call

The EE figure is from EE's USA calling rates page. Local SIMs elsewhere vary, so check your own carrier's price for calls to the US before a long call.

The Wi-Fi calling row is the one most expats miss, and our explainer on whether Wi-Fi calling is free internationally covers the fine print. If you no longer have a US line, BoraPhone runs in Chrome, Edge, Safari or Firefox on a laptop or phone, with no app and no SIM. You top up from $5, pay per minute (rounded up to the next full minute), and hold time is billed like any other call time. Your first call is free and failed calls are refunded. If you deal with other US agencies from abroad, see our guides to calling Social Security from abroad and keeping a US phone number when moving abroad.

Frequently asked questions

Can I call the IRS from outside the US?

Yes. Call +1 267-941-1000, Monday to Friday from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. Eastern Time. The number is not toll-free, so international charges apply. Do not use the 800 numbers, which are for callers in the US and a few territories.

Is the IRS international number free?

No. The IRS lists 267-941-1000 as "not toll-free". What you pay depends on how you call: Wi-Fi calling on a US plan is often included, while a foreign mobile without an add-on can charge several pounds or dollars a minute.

What is the IRS phone number for the Taxpayer Advocate abroad?

The Taxpayer Advocate Service line for taxpayers living abroad is +1 515-564-6827 (not toll-free). Calls are routed to the Hawaii or Puerto Rico office depending on your location. You can also email [email protected] or fax 304-707-9793.

Can I email the IRS from abroad?

The IRS international contact page lists no general email address for tax questions. Your options are the international phone line, international live chat (with an IRS Online Account for account questions), fax to 681-247-3101, or mail to the International Accounts address in Philadelphia. The Taxpayer Advocate's international team does list an email address.

IRS International Phone Number: How to Call the IRS From Abroad