The IRS began the current tax season with a massive backlog of tax returns, prompting the National Taxpayer Advocate to describe the agency as “in crisis“Now the IRS says it has a plan to work with its current 7.2 million application delay – hire 5,000 workers this month, no tax experience required.
The tax agency said Thursday it will hold job fairs on March 16, 23 and 30 at its processing centers in Austin, Texas; Kansas City, Missouri; and Ogden, Utah. Applicants will be offered jobs on the spot, the agency said.
“Available positions include temporary, temporary and permanent jobs. Many are first-level office jobs and tax examiners in the Wages and Investments Division,” the agency said. “No prior tax experience required.”
The Wages and Investments Division is responsible for the tasks that include processing taxpayers’ submissions and payments, as well as providing taxpayers with updates on the status of their returns.
The IRS is trying to make a major push in hiring at a time when the labor market is historically tight, with not enough workers to fill the country’s current population group. 11.3 million open positions. Workers are also engaged in the so-called “Great Resignation,” and many are quitting their jobs in search of better wages and opportunities.
The IRS could struggle to attract workers on a salary-only basis: Federal workers are guaranteed a minimum wage of at least $ 15 an hour. The annual payment rates that the IRS charges range from about $ 23,000 to about $ 47,000.
The agency may find that competition for talent is fierce at a time when employers are raising wages to attract job candidates.
“Those who want to work with customer service as a goal are encouraged to apply,” said Ken Corbin, an experienced IRS taxpayer and payroll and investment commissioner. press release. “This is a rewarding job, as these newly hired people will process tax returns and deliver refunds to the country’s taxpayers.”
Once an offer is received, applicants should expect to begin work at the IRS within 30 to 45 days, the agency said.
Another 5,000 hires in 2023
The IRS said it also plans to hire 5,000 more workers by 2023.
With about 82,000 employees employed at the IRS in fiscal year 2021, an increase of 10,000 employees in two years would be a significant boost to the agency’s workforce. It could also bring the agency back to its 2010 level of about 94,000 employees.
Separately, the IRS said it has also begun using voice and chat bots on two of its toll-free helplines and IRS.gov, which said it will help taxpayers get answers quickly. This comes after only 1 in 10 phone calls came to an IRS employee last season, it caused frustration among taxpayers trying to get answers about their repayment delays.
The IRS said robots can answer questions about making single payments, provide answers to frequently asked questions, and clarify billing notices.
The agency said voice robots will handle more complicated issues at the end of the year, such as authenticating a user’s identity to create a payment plan, request a transcript, and obtain information about their accounts.
- In:
- internal revenue service
- tax returns
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