IRS Boosts Hiring for Taxpayer Assistance Centers

The IRS has increased staffing at its taxpayer assistance centers by 31% during fiscal year 2023 thanks to funding from the Inflation Reduction Act, the agency said on Oct. 20.

As of Sept. 23, the IRS has hired 745 employees to staff its taxpayer assistance centers, which have served about 235,000 more taxpayers in FY 2023 than FY 2022—an increase of 18%.

“The IRS is focused on helping taxpayers get it right the first time—claiming the credits and deductions for which they’re eligible and avoiding back-and-forth with the agency when errors arise,” the agency said. “To help taxpayers get it right, the IRS is working toward taxpayers being able to seamlessly interact with the agency in the ways that work best for them on the phone, in-person and online.”

Nearly $80 billion in IRS funding over 10 years was ushered in under the Inflation Reduction Act, the massive climate, energy, tax, and healthcare legislation passed along Democratic party lines last year. IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel sees the influx of money as an opportunity to enhance IRS services, enforcement, and technology over the next decade. 

“The IRS is expanding in-person service and meeting taxpayers where they are, particularly those in underserved and rural communities,” the agency said. “The IRS is continuing to expand taxpayer assistance centers across the country while also starting a special series of events to help taxpayers living in areas far from the agency’s in-person offices.”

The series of events the IRS mentioned are community assistance visits where the IRS sets up temporary taxpayer assistance centers to give taxpayers from hard-to-reach areas a chance to meet face-to-face with IRS customer service representatives.

“The IRS has conducted seven events in Paris, TX; Alpena, MI; Hastings, NE; Twin Falls, ID; Juneau, AK; Lihue, HI; and Baker City, OR. Many of the taxpayers served at these events had exhausted all other options for IRS services. The feedback from IRS employees, taxpayers, and the host sites have all been very positive,” the agency said.

Two additional locations have been identified to host community assistance visits in Ciales, Puerto Rico, and Gallup, NM, according to the IRS.

In addition, the IRS has opened or reopened the following 50 Taxpayer Assistance Centers since the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, including eight additional centers since the first anniversary of the law’s enactment: