I doubt he’s as helpful this time.

That’s probably what happened. However the job description as written was kind of silly.

Back when I was still on Reddit I remember someone sharing a job posting calling for 10 years of experience in a 5 year old language. I don’t know if it was real or not but it’s typical of the crazy requirements for those jobs.

Once I got in touch with someone they were helpful and professional. They’re just so understaffed you can’t speak to someone. The first three times I tried to call tye system message was basically “There is no more room in the queue. Please try again later. You will be disconnected now.” And I was.

My preparer didn’t e-file and I didn’t find out until 9 months after the due date. I had paid the taxes due electronically and had all the receipts so the IRS agreed I didn’t owe them. They just wanted me to file. Five years since the first notice and I still don’t have a final status. I’m guessing a lot of people simply won’t pay or file if they cut the staffing that much.

Here’s the kicker. The IRS won’t accept mail with a return response. You can send it and track it but you can’t be sure anyone actually received it. That happened on one of my attempts to send it via mail. It was received the second time.

It’s dysfunctional now. I’ve been dealing with a problem with my 2018 return because of mistake by my preparer. I tried multiple times over a two year period to reach someone on the phone with no success. On my last attempt I got to a person after 1 hour 45 minutes on hold. I sent the requested documents in November 2024 and still haven’t received so much as an acknowledgement in the mail.