National Taxpayer Advocate

IRS watchdog wants more money budgeted for taxpayer service, less for enforcement

In today’s Federal Newscast: The IRS Taxpayer Advocate wants more money budgeted for taxpayer service and IT modernization, and less for enforcement. The…

Federal Newscast

How the taxpayer advocate puts together that giant report every year

Agency Oversight

(AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

FILE - This March 22, 2013 file photo, shows the exterior of the Internal Revenue Service building in Washington. The Internal Revenue Service is recalling about 46,000 of its employees furloughed by the government shutdown, nearly 60 percent of its workforce, to handle tax returns and pay out refunds. The employees won't be paid. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)

Still ‘sorry wrong number’ for beleaguered IRS

Tom Temin Commentary

IRS needs to staff up HR office before it can rebuild its workforce, watchdog tells Congress

Hiring/Retention

Getty Images/iStockphoto/Tero Vesalainen

Why customer experience is so challenging for federal agencies

Federal Report

IRS looks to automate how it processes paper tax returns to tackle its backlog

IT Modernization

(AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)

IRS employees brace for another tax season hampered by the pandemic

Management

How can the IRS improve its operations for the next filing season?

Workforce

FILE - In this photo March 22, 2013 file photo, the exterior of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) building in Washington. The IRS website to make payments went down on Tuesday, April 17, 2018. The IRS did not have an immediate explanation for the failure. But it said on its website that its online payment system became unavailable at 2:50 A.M. ET on Tuesday.(AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)

IRS HR office understaffed ahead of agency’s hiring surge, watchdog warns Congress

Agency Oversight

FILE- In this Aug. 19, 2015, file photo the Internal Revenue Service Building in Washington. The prolonged government shutdown couldn’t come at a worse time for the Internal Revenue Service. The tax filing season is opening soon. And for taxpayers, payments for those who owe Uncle Sam likely will still be due April 15, but people due refunds could see a delay if the partial shutdown persists. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)

How the IRS can advance from wreckage of 2021 filing season

Tom Temin Commentary

First Look

IRS digitalization office taking ‘bite-sized’ steps to consolidating legacy systems

IT Modernization

FILE - In this Jan. 27, 2020 file photo, Secretary of Defense Mark Esper speaks during a news conference at the Pentagon in Washington. Esper said Tuesday he is looking to NATO allies for more help countering the Islamic State extremist group in Iraq and in bolstering U.S. defense efforts in the Middle East more broadly. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

Defense employee unions on Trump administration radar

In today’s Federal Newscast, after a delay, the White House publishes a memo allowing the defense secretary to to exclude civilian employees from current…

Federal Newscast

Bridget Roberts, National Taxpayer Advocate, IRS

Acting national taxpayer advocate outlines IRS’ challenges to Congress

Not many federal employees get to speak truth to power. But the taxpayer advocate at the IRS is required to.

Federal Drive

FILE - In this photo March 22, 2013 file photo, the exterior of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) building in Washington. The IRS provided poor customer service during this year's tax filing season as taxpayers struggled with a rise in identity theft and complications related to President Barack Obama’s health law, a government watchdog said Wednesday. A new report by the National Taxpayer Advocate says the IRS has been hampered by budget cuts. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)

Ahead of filing season, decade of IRS budget cuts ‘taking a toll’ on workforce morale

Workforce

With this year’s tax season set to start Monday, NTEU has renewed concerns that the IRS, after a decade of budget cuts, has fewer resources to tackle a growing workload.