To help meet the high demand to its toll-free call center that typically comes as the tax deadline nears, the Internal Revenue Service is extending its customer service hours.

The first two weeks of April are typically some of the busiest times of the year for IRS telephone assistors, as they field thousands of calls per hour. The IRS reminds taxpayers that most questions can be answered online by using the numerous tools available at IRS.gov.

The IRS toll-free telephone lines will be available Saturday, April 8, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (callers’ local time) and Saturday, April 15, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (callers’ local time). The toll-free line is 800-829-1040.

Please remember that all IRS Taxpayer Assistance Centers now require an appointment for most services. Instead of going directly to a local IRS office with a tax issue, taxpayers should call 844-545-5640 to reach an IRS representative, who is trained to either help them resolve it or schedule an appointment to get them the help they need.

The tax deadline of Tuesday, April 18, is later this year due to several factors. The usual April 15 deadline falls on Saturday this year, which would give taxpayers until the following Monday to file. However, Emancipation Day, a holiday in the District of Columbia, is observed on Monday, April 17, giving taxpayers nationwide an additional day to file. By law, District of Columbia holidays impact tax deadlines for everyone in the same way federal holidays do. Taxpayers requesting an automatic six-month extension will have until Monday, Oct. 16, 2017, to file.