Calling the Georgia Department of Revenue about my Identification Verification phone number took a lot longer than it seems it should have. Optimally you would think that I would be able to verify my phone number and continue to file my taxes, but that process didn't really work out as planned. In fact, I reached a detour from the very start when I discovered that the phone number I had didn't actually work. That seems about right for taxes, but with a few adjustments and redirects, I did end up talking to someone who was able to fix my problem.
It took me a long time on hold though, but I guess this isn't unexpected since it is tax season and there are probably a lot of people calling in for help with their taxes. Between tax submissions, audits, and more, the liens are probably flooded this time of year. Plus, they are only open during the weekdays for a limited period, so that probably creates a funnel and results in a lot of people waiting for lengthy periods. It probably would have been to my advantage to file earlier to beat the line, but it is what it is.
When I first called this number, a recording said, "The toll-free number you have dialed has been changed. The new number is 877-423-6711. Please hang up and dial the new number." That was a bit of a disappointment, but I copied the number down after calling again (didn't get it the first time) and the new number worked. This time when I called an automated system picked up and said, "Thank you for calling the Georgia Department of Revenue." After that message, I had to listen to a long tirade that reminded me that there were a lot of tasks that I could take care of by going online to their website.
I found this ironic since I came from the website, but was on the phone because my identification certification phone number wasn't working right. None of the options were great, so I went with the Tax and Income Sales option, number 2 because I was working on my taxes when this verification request came up. The line seemed like it was cutting in and out so I had to listen to it a few times, but this worked in my favor because it offered me an option to talk to an agent when I didn't seem to be getting anywhere. I ended up on hold for at least half an hour, but I did talk to an agent and resolve my issue.