“I submitted an ITIN application for my wife with our 2024 tax return in September 2025. The IRS said they received it in February 2026, but I still haven't received the ITIN or any communication, and their phone line is always busy. What could have happened, and what can I do to follow up?”
The silence does not tell you that the application was rejected: the account could show an assigned ITIN, a request for evidence, a rejection, or an unresolved delay. Each branch has a clear next step, and the length of this delay supports escalation if ordinary IRS contact still fails.
Your next action depends on which of the IRS’s four possible status branches appears in your wife’s account.
CP565 means the IRS assigned the and says no further application action is required. Your follow-up is to establish when and where that notice was sent. [3]
CP566 means the IRS needs more information before it can finish. Obtain the notice details and provide the requested material promptly; TAS excludes delays caused by taxpayer unresponsiveness from Criterion 5. [3][8]
CP567 means the application was rejected and must be resubmitted. Identify the stated reason before preparing a replacement package. [3]
If the account shows no notice and the application remains pending, escalate through . The current IRS page, updated September 11, 2026, says it is processing August 2026 W-7s, while your stated receipt date is February 2026. [2][8]
No communication by itself does not prove either approval or rejection; an account review must identify the branch.
These steps create a complete status record, identify the correct notice branch, and escalate the delay without prematurely filing a duplicate application.
Do this now
Gather one complete status packet
This is preparation, not a new filing, so no form or government filing fee applies. Write down these questions: Is the Form W-7 pending? Was CP565, CP566, or CP567 generated? On what date and to what address? What exact action is required? Were any original documents returned? The published processing period has already passed. [1][2][3]
Requisitos
Primary status route
Have your wife call the IRS
From the United States, call 800-829-1040 between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. local time; from abroad, call 267-941-1000, which is not toll-free. Use the questions from step 1 and record the date, representative’s name or ID, status given, and next action. No status-inquiry form is required. [4][11]
Requisitos
Only if a CAA was involved
Contact the CAA, if one filed it
Ask the to obtain the client notice and work with the IRS on the unresolved application; the IRS expressly lists both functions. If you filed directly rather than through a CAA, skip this step. Any private-agent charge is governed by your agreement, not by an IRS filing fee. [6]
Requisitos
If the phone will not connect
Reserve an ITIN-service TAC appointment
Call 844-545-5640 and request an appointment concerning a pending ITIN application. The official TAC page confirms appointment-based ITIN document review; it does not promise that a TAC can make the final status decision, so explain to the scheduler that you need pending-account help and keep the IRS/TAS route active. The IRS warns that an appointment may take several weeks. [7]
Requisitos
You already meet the timing test unless IRS was waiting on you
Open a TAS case if it remains unresolved
Call at 877-777-4778 or submit now. Fax it to 855-828-2723, mail it to Taxpayer Advocate Service, 7940 Kentucky Dr, MS 11 G, Florence, KY 41042, or email tas.form.911.request.for.assistance@irs.gov; email is not encrypted. Describe the pending wife’s W-7, attached 2024 return, February 2026 receipt, lack of notice, and relief requested. Both spouses sign a joint assistance request; if only one spouse requests help, only that spouse signs. TAS is free. If no response arrives within 30 days, email the same address with “No Response” in the subject line. [8][9][10]
Requisitos
You are not the first to go through this. Here is how it went for others who asked the same thing.
u/Standard_Ambition_63r/IRS1 ago 2026
u/EvenHotel631r/IRS16 may 2026
These facts come from the IRS’s Form W-7 instructions and current ITIN pages, the IRS processing-status page, and official IRS and TAS rules and forms.
Instructions for Form W-7 (Rev. December 2024)
The normal W-7 notification window has passed, and the instructions authorize a status call after that window.
Processing times; Telephone help
Processing times. Allow 7 weeks for the IRS to notify you of your ITIN application status (9 to 11 weeks if you submit the application during peak processing periods (January 15 through April 30) or if you’re filing from overseas). If you haven’t received your ITIN or correspondence at the end of that time, you can call the IRS to find out the status of your application (see Telephone help, earlier).
IRS Processing Status for Tax Forms
The IRS’s current queue has moved months beyond the February 2026 receipt date stated here.
Form W-7
Form W-7, Application for IRS Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) August 2026
IRS How to Apply for an ITIN
These are the three official notice outcomes and their required actions.
After you apply
CP565 Notice – We assigned you an ITIN. You don’t need to take further action. CP566 Notice – We need more information to process your ITIN application. CP567 Notice – Your ITIN application was rejected. You must resubmit it.
IRS ITIN Contact Page
This gives the official status-contact numbers and flags moves and missing original documents.
Contact us
Individuals (U.S.) 800-829-1040 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time. Individuals (abroad) 267-941-1000 (not toll-free). If you mailed original supporting documents and haven't received them within 60 days, contact us. If you move before you get your ITIN, contact us.
Instructions for Form W-7 (Rev. December 2024)
The W-7 address controls delivery, original documents have a separate follow-up point, and the attached return waits for W-7 processing.
Change of address; Original documents; Where To Apply
Change of address. It’s important that the IRS is aware of your current mailing address. This address is used to mail notices about your Form W-7, including notification of your assigned ITIN, and return your original supporting documentation. Original documents you submit will be returned to you at the mailing address shown on your Form W-7. If your original documents aren’t returned within 60 days, you can call the IRS (see Telephone help, earlier). After your Forms W-7 have been processed, the IRS will assign an ITIN to the return and process the return.
IRS How to Apply for an ITIN — CAA Route
If a CAA submitted the package, it has an official route to help resolve issues and receive notice copies.
Apply through an acceptance agent
Work with the IRS to resolve any issues with ITIN applications Receive copies of client ITIN notices
IRS Taxpayer Assistance Centers Providing ITIN Review
An ITIN-service TAC appointment is an in-person fallback, particularly when document review is needed.
IRS TACs operate by appointment. To schedule an appointment, call 844-545-5640.
IRM 13.1.7.3.2, TAS Case Criteria 5–7
The stated delay fits TAS’s systemic-burden timing test unless IRS is waiting on the taxpayer.
13.1.7.3.2
Criteria 5 -- Per IRC 7811(a)(2)(B) and Treas. Reg. 301.7811-1(a)(4)(ii)(B) and (iii), the taxpayer has experienced a delay of more than 30 days to resolve a tax account problem. Where there is an established time frame for a specific action based on an IRM, IRS form, or other official document, Criteria 5 is met when the problem or inquiry is delayed more than 30 days beyond the normal response time for the particular action. Delays due to taxpayer unresponsiveness will not meet Criteria 5.
Form 911 (Rev. 6-2026)
This provides nationwide Form 911 submission methods, signature rules, and the 30-day no-response follow-up.
How to Send this Form; What Happens Next
How to Send this Form: • E-Mail: tas.form.911.request.for.assistance@irs.gov • Mail: 7940 Kentucky Dr, MS 11 G, Florence, KY 41042 • Fax: (855) 828-2723. If this is a joint assistance request, both spouses must sign and date the request. If only one spouse is requesting assistance, only that spouse must sign the request. What Happens Next? If you don't receive a response within 30 days of submitting Form 911, send an email to: tas.form.911.request.for.assistance@irs.gov. In the subject line of the email input “No Response”.
Taxpayer Advocate Service Contact Page
TAS offers a free phone route for unresolved IRS problems.
If you are having tax problems and have not been able to resolve them with the IRS, the Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS) may be able to help you. And our service is free. When you call the TAS toll-free number, 1-877-777-4778, you will be connected with an advocate who is your first point of contact with the Taxpayer Advocate Service.
IRS Tax Tip — Before Calling the IRS
Your wife should participate unless you have authority to speak for her.
Phone representatives may need to verify taxpayer identity with information from the return before answering certain questions. A copy of the tax return in question. IRS letters or notices received by the taxpayer. By law, IRS representatives will only speak with the taxpayer or to the taxpayer's legally designated representative.
These are the official IRS and TAS rules as published on the cited dates; processing queues and procedures can change.
This is general information about official processes, not legal advice; SettleKit is not a law firm.
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