Are you looking for a job? The IRS has recently updated its IRS Careers website in an effort to attract more talent.
The site now provides a platform for job seekers to find everything they need to pursue a career at the IRS, including:
- Upcoming hiring events.
- Key job descriptions.
- Overview of the IRS and employee benefits.
- Special emphasis hiring paths (veterans, Schedule A Excepted Service Appointing Authority, students and other areas).
According to the IRS, the site showcases the agency’s commitment to service, focusing on potential employees interested in building careers with purpose. The IRS plans to improve the site with features like career mapping and a benefits calculator.
The emphasis on hiring is a stark contrast to previous years when hiring freezes and lack of funding made it difficult for the IRS to add to its workforce. In Fiscal Year 2023, the IRS used 82,990 full-time equivalent (FTE) positions to conduct its work—the highest in a decade. Of those positions, 40.0% were dedicated to enforcement, and 44.8% were dedicated to taxpayer services.
With funding from the Inflation Reduction Act, the IRS has been hiring additional support over the past year. Last year, the IRS offered positions to more than 560 new accountants in November and December—those new hires will focus on work pursuing high-wealth individuals, complex partnerships, and large corporations that do not pay taxes owed. And, at a December 2023 hiring event in Houston, the IRS hired 160 accountants in two days—a process that typically takes three to six months.
A lack of staffing has caused the quality of taxpayer service to decline, a fact that taxpayers and tax professionals (like me) who have sat on hold for hours with the IRS can confirm. That, the IRS says, is changing. In a message delivered in April of this year, IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel said that the IRS call centers were working at peak efficiency helping taxpayers, answering over one million more taxpayer calls than the agency answered a year ago—a 16% increase from 2023—and three million more calls than the IRS answered in 2022. At the same time, Werfel also reported that callers to the IRS experienced faster response times on the main phone lines. Instead of a 27-minute wait in 2022, the IRS answered calls, on average, in just over 3 minutes.
According to the National Taxpayer Advocate, “Many of the IRS’s challenges are traceable to simply not having adequate staffing.” Earlier this year, the Advocate noted in her annual report to Congress that “[a]ttrition compounds cause for concern because about 18 percent of IRS employees are currently retirement eligible and can leave at any time, with 37 percent of IRS employees estimated as retirement eligible in the next five years.”
The Advocate called on the IRS to use funding to make improvements. Werfel claims that they have.
“This is a historic period at the IRS as we work to transform the agency and improve our taxpayer service and compliance work,” said IRS Werfel. “A key part of our effort involves hiring, promoting and developing qualified employees in a wide variety of fields to help the IRS continue improvements and serve the nation. We’re looking for employees that want to serve taxpayers and the nation. To help attract qualified and diverse candidates across the country, the IRS is taking a variety of steps, including providing better tools and more ways for interested applicants to explore career opportunities with us.”
The IRS points to additional recruiting efforts. Notably, for tax professionals interested in a career at the IRS, the IRS is hosting a recruiting event at the Nationwide Tax Forum in Chicago, Orlando, Baltimore, Dallas, and San Diego. Those who register for the Tax Forums will be sent a private registration link approximately two weeks before the start of each forum with instructions on how to set up an appointment, and recruiters will on hand at the events to share more information about job openings, salaries, and benefits.
The IRS has also partnered with colleges and universities nationwide to host students, faculty, and recent graduates at special “IRS Tax Adventure” sessions. The program was created to connect students, faculty, and recent graduates with IRS offices, hiring opportunities, and events. Qualified students attending the Tax Adventure at the 2024 Tax Forums will be able to participate in a recruiting event.
Those interested in the latest job openings and hiring events are encouraged to follow the IRS on LinkedIn and its recruitment handle on X (formerly known as X) at @RecruitmentIRS. A recent post on X touted, “We hire more than #TaxPros. We’re #hiring engineers, economists, attorneys, and IT specialists to name a few,” while linking to the job site. And, this week, on Linked In, the IRS announced it was hiring a new Associate Chief Counsel (Partnerships, S Corporations, Trusts and Estates) in Washington, D.C.
According to the IRS, employee benefits at the agency include up to $5,000 annually for childcare, up to $10,000 per year ($60,000 total) in student loan repayment, and up to $3,600 in mass transit commuting subsidies annually, as well as healthcare and retirement benefits. Federal employees also participate in the Thrift Savings Plan, which includes up to 5% matching employer contributions for retirement.
In addition to annual and sick leave, which accrue based on how long you work for the agency, the IRS offers up to 12 weeks of unpaid family and medical leave and 12 weeks of paid parental leave. Additionally, the IRS offers 11 paid federal holidays and leave-sharing programs.
The IRS plans to post job benefits, job openings, hiring events, and other work details on the new site.
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