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Usually, the IRS contacts you first by U.S. mail. A later phone call can be genuine in a limited case, while an unexpected text or social-media message should be treated as suspicious. The IRS says it does not initiate contact by email, except for a narrow, temporary process involving an authenticated, ongoing case and your consent. Whatever the channel, do not click, reply, disclose information, or pay because a message tells you to. Verify through an IRS notice, your IRS Online Account, or contact details you find independently on IRS.gov.
This guide reflects IRS guidance available October 17, 2026. The IRS describes its temporary email flexibility as running through October 31, 2026, so check the current policy if you are reading this after that date.
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At a glance: which IRS contacts can be legitimate?
| Contact method | What the IRS says | What you should expect | Safest verification |
|---|---|---|---|
| Letter or notice | Normally the first IRS contact | A notice number, taxpayer details, an explanation of the issue and instructions that vary by notice | Check your IRS Online Account and use the notice instructions or its printed phone number |
| Phone call | Possible after a letter or notice, for an appointment, scheduled audit or certain account matters | No threats, no urgent demand for gift-card payment and no pressure to stay on the call | End the call and use an independently located IRS number or the number on the notice |
| The IRS will not initiate contact by email or require email communication; a narrow temporary exception exists for authenticated ongoing cases | An identified employee first verifies your identity and obtains consent before requesting an email exchange | Confirm the employee and case through an existing IRS notice or independently sourced IRS contact | |
| Text message | The IRS says it sends texts only with your permission | An unexpected refund, credit, stimulus or bill text is suspicious, especially with a link or attachment | Do not interact; report it using IRS instructions |
| Social-media direct message | Not a legitimate IRS contact method | Any request to resolve a tax issue through a direct message is a scam warning | Ignore it and start at IRS.gov yourself |
The IRS explains these distinctions in How to know it’s the IRS and its July 8, 2025 Tax Tip.
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Why mail is usually first
A notice or letter is normally how the IRS begins contact with a taxpayer. It should identify the tax issue, a notice number or other reference, any amount the IRS says is due or refundable, and the action or deadline that applies to that particular notice. Do not assume that every notice requires a reply; follow the instructions on that document.
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How to check whether a letter is real
- Sign in to your secure IRS Online Account and look for a matching notice or account message.
- Read the IRS notice guidance and compare the notice number, tax year, name and requested action.
- If the notice tells you to call, use the phone number printed in its upper-right corner. Otherwise, locate IRS customer-service information independently rather than using a number supplied by an unexpected message.
- Respond, dispute an amount or send documents only as the notice directs. Do not email an original tax return or send documents to an address that appears only in an unsolicited message.
The IRS provides notice-specific next steps in “Got a letter or notice from the IRS? Here are the next steps.” A letter can still be fraudulent, so a professional-looking envelope or accurate personal information is not proof by itself.
Private collection agency letters
The IRS can assign certain inactive tax liabilities to an authorized private collection agency. If you receive such a collection letter, the IRS says to check that the Taxpayer Authentication Number matches the Notice CP40 previously sent by the IRS. A private agency’s involvement does not eliminate your right to verify the account through IRS channels.
IRS phone calls
When a call may be genuine
An IRS employee may call to confirm an appointment or discuss a scheduled audit after an initial letter or notice. The IRS or an authorized private collection agency may also call about account matters. Calls from a private collection agency about certain inactive liabilities follow written notice to you and your representative.
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These possibilities mean that “the IRS never calls” is too broad. They do not mean an unexpected caller is trustworthy. Caller ID can be falsified, and knowing your name, address or partial tax information does not authenticate the caller.
Red flags that end the call
- The caller threatens immediate arrest, a warrant, deportation or police action unless you pay or call back.
- An automated or recorded message says the matter is urgent and demands an immediate response.
- The caller directs you to buy a prepaid card, store gift card or online gift card. The IRS and its authorized collection agencies do not request payment that way.
- You are pressured to remain on the line, keep the call secret, move to a messaging app or use a payment link supplied during the call.
- The caller refuses to let you hang up and verify independently.
The IRS specifically identifies threats, urgent recorded messages and gift-card or prepaid-card demands as scam indicators in its Tax Tip 2025-46.
How to verify a phone call
- Say you will call back through an official number and end the conversation. Do not use a callback number dictated by the caller.
- If the caller referred to a notice, retrieve that notice and use the number in its upper-right corner.
- Otherwise, find IRS customer-service contact information by typing IRS.gov into your browser yourself, not by clicking a text or email link.
- Ask the independently reached representative whether the case, appointment or audit contact exists. Do not volunteer payment-card numbers, bank credentials, passwords or one-time verification codes to the original caller.
IRS email: the narrow exception
The normal rule
The IRS states: “We will never initiate contact with you by email or require you to communicate with us by email.” That means an unsolicited email saying that you owe money, are due a refund or must click a link to avoid enforcement is not made legitimate by an IRS logo or a familiar-looking sender name. Read the full policy in Sending and receiving emails securely.
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When an email exchange can occur
The IRS describes a limited, temporary flexibility for certain ongoing, person-to-person interactions with an identified employee. Examples include an audit or collection matter, an appeal, work with IRS Counsel or a matter handled by the Taxpayer Advocate Service. The employee must be authenticated and authorized to handle your case.
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Before using email under this exception, the employee calls to verify your identity and obtain consent. The employee verbally verifies the email address, and you confirm it by sending a message to the employee’s IRS address. The IRS says this flexibility is effective through October 31, 2026 and may be updated.
What not to send by email
Do not use email to answer a notice or submit an original tax return unless an IRS employee in an ongoing interaction specifically requests a document by email. A notice’s own submission method—such as a secure upload, fax or postal address—controls. If an unexpected email asks for your Social Security number, bank details, login credentials or an immediate payment, do not reply; use the IRS reporting guidance instead.
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IRS text messages
Permission matters
The IRS says it does not send text messages without your permission. An unexpected text about a refund, stimulus payment, tax credit or bill is therefore suspicious, particularly when it urges you to click a link, open an attachment or provide personal or financial information.
Safe response to a suspicious text
- Do not reply, click a link, open an attachment or call a number in the message.
- Send the sender’s phone number and the message, your receiving number, and the date, time and time zone received to [email protected] with the subject line “Text.”
- Forward the text to 7726 (SPAM), then delete it.
- If you already disclosed information or paid, follow the IRS fraud and identity-theft steps on its reporting page and contact the financial institution or payment service immediately.
The IRS lists the text-reporting details and additional reporting options at Report fake IRS, Treasury or tax-related emails and messages.
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An IRS direct message on a social-media platform is not legitimate. The IRS says to reach its services through IRS.gov rather than a link in an unexpected message. Misspelled or unusual domains, including lookalikes such as irs.com, are warning signs; the official IRS website is IRS.gov.
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Type the address yourself or use a bookmark you created previously. Check the browser’s domain before entering information, and do not assume that a padlock icon proves the site belongs to the IRS.
A verification sequence that works for any channel
- Pause. Do not click, open, reply, call back or pay because an unexpected communication tells you to.
- Identify the channel’s normal rule. Mail is the normal first contact; calls require context; email has a narrow exception; texts require permission; social-media direct messages are not legitimate.
- Find independent evidence. Check your IRS Online Account, locate the original notice or type IRS.gov yourself. Never rely solely on a link, phone number or email address in the suspicious communication.
- Use the notice’s instructions. If a genuine notice requires a response, follow its stated deadline, submission method and phone number. Do not send extra information just because someone asks for it.
- Report the attempt. Use the IRS reporting page for fake emails and messages; use the specific text procedure for SMS scams.
- Protect accounts after exposure. Contact your bank, card issuer or payment provider if money was sent, change compromised passwords, and follow IRS fraud or identity-theft guidance.
Information the IRS will not use as a legitimate payment demand
- Prepaid cards, store gift cards or online gift cards.
- Threats of immediate arrest or a warrant solely because you do not pay during the call.
- An urgent recorded message requiring you to call an unfamiliar number.
- A demand that you bypass a written notice, IRS Online Account or normal payment process.
A legitimate tax balance can still exist, but the payment route should be verifiable independently and consistent with an IRS notice or IRS.gov instructions. Treat urgency as a reason to slow down, not a reason to comply.
If you already clicked, replied or paid
You clicked a link or opened an attachment
Stop interacting with the message. If you entered a password, change it from a trusted device and enable multifactor authentication where available. Run your device’s security checks and preserve the message for reporting. Verify any claimed tax issue through your IRS Online Account or a notice you locate independently.
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Contact the relevant bank, card issuer or payment service immediately and ask about blocking or reversing the transaction. Follow the IRS fraud-reporting and identity-theft instructions at IRS.gov. Keep records of the sender, phone number, message, dates, amounts and confirmation numbers.
You paid a scammer
Report the payment to the company that processed it as soon as possible; recovery options depend on the payment method and timing. Then report the IRS impersonation attempt. Do not pay a second “verification,” “release” or “refund” fee to someone who contacts you afterward.
Bottom line
Expect the IRS to start with mail. A call can be legitimate when it follows a notice or concerns a scheduled matter, but threats and gift-card demands expose a scam. Treat unsolicited email as illegitimate unless it follows the IRS’s narrow authenticated-case process, and treat an unexpected text or social-media message as suspicious. Verify every contact through the notice, your IRS Online Account or an IRS.gov address you locate yourself.
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