IRS watchdog audits employee reassignments, as agency looks to extend some tours of duty

An IRS watchdog is taking a closer look at the agency’s temporary reassignment of mid-career employees to frontline entry-level jobs many of them had no prior experience doing. 

The audit by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration comes as the IRS is looking for employees currently serving in these temporary details to sign up for a third tour of duty. 

The IRS in February put IT and human resources employees on 120-day details to work in taxpayer services. These employees were assigned entry-level roles answering inquiries from taxpayers and processing tax returns. The National Treasury Employees Union estimates that about 1,500 IRS employees have been placed on these details. 

Most of the employees had no background in the work they were being asked to perform, but received months of training by the time IRS officials extended most of these details for another 120 days. IRS officials suggested in May that details could be extended for a third term, depending on how quickly employees cleared a “huge backlog” of amended tax returns. 

The IRS cut tens of thousands of jobs last year — more than a quarter of its workforce — and fell short of its hiring goals for this year’s filing season. 

IRS Chief Executive Officer Frank Bisignano said the IRS carried out a successful filing season this year, despite losing more than 25,000 employees. He told the House Ways and Means Committee in March that “I feel good about the number of employees I have right now.” 

The IRS did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Employees placed on these involuntary details are doing jobs several pay grades below the work they were hired to perform, but continue to receive their regular paychecks. In practice, the IRS is paying them double or triple what a normal customer service representative or tax examiner would make. 

TIGTA is reaching out to employees about their experience with their temporary reassignments, as part of a broader audit of the IRS workforce. In a “Strategic Staffing Survey” obtained by Government Executive, TIGTA asked impacted IRS employees if they volunteered for these details, or if they were “involuntarily assigned” to this work. 

A TIGTA spokesperson said in a statement that the watchdog office is “conducting an audit on the IRS’s efforts to reshape its workforce,” and that as part of this review, TIGTA is surveying employees who have been “reassigned/detailed to other positions within the IRS.” According to the spokesperson, TIGTA expects to complete its report in May 2027. 

The survey asks how qualified employees felt when they started the detail, what level of training they received for their new roles and whether they currently feel qualified for their new positions.  

TIGTA also asked employees what communication — if any — they received from IRS management about the rationale for the detail, and if these details were “the most efficient way to accomplish the goal(s) or purpose(s) communicated to you.” 

The watchdog office asked employees if they considered leaving the IRS for a new job, or applying for a new job within the IRS in order to get out of the detail.  

Several impacted IRS employees told Government Executive that the initial details were involuntary, they have received insufficient training and support for this work, and they have no clear idea what work is available to them at the IRS if they leave these details. 

According to two IRS employees currently on details, the agency is looking for volunteers to remain in taxpayer services for a third 120-day tour of duty. Employees who complete a third stint would be away from their day jobs for nearly a year. But these employees say the agency is giving them few alternatives. Both previously worked in IT roles at the agency, and have been told they cannot return to their former jobs. 

“I decided to stay because there are no permanent jobs for us displaced IRS IT employees,” one detailed employee said. “They are still paying us at our primary grade, even though the position we have is at a lower grade.”

A second IRS employee confirmed that the agency “asked for volunteers to stay in the current detail for another 120 days.” 

In May, IRS Chief Human Capital Officer Alex Kweskin acknowledged that some employees on temporary details were unhappy with their current arrangements, and encouraged them to apply for other roles within the agency. Employees, however, said they have applied for other 2210-classified IT positions at the IRS, only for those job announcements to be cancelled days later.   

“Although we are displaced employees, we do not get any hiring preference. They just tell us to find a permanent job. Not internal support at all,” the first IRS employee said. 

A third IRS employee placed on this detail said he has experienced “multiple technical issues that have affected my ability to perform my duties.” The employee said that for weeks, he’d been unable to access the Integrated Data Retrieval System (IDRS), a massive clearinghouse of taxpayer data at the IRS. After that issue was resolved, the employees said he was unable to log onto an internal portal needed to access amended tax returns. 

“My inability to access the necessary systems has created challenges beyond my control,” he said. 

The employee said he hasn’t been able to get timely feedback on the quality of his work, because the supervisor assigned to review it clocks in 30 minutes before the employee’s shift ends. 

“This limited overlap makes it difficult to adequately review my cases, receive timely feedback, and understand any errors so that I can improve my performance,” the third employee said. 

A fourth IRS employee on this detail said colleagues have raised concerns about “compressed training schedules and the volume of information required to be learned in a short period of time,” an expectation to “independently work taxpayer cases while still developing proficiency,” and a lack of timely feedback on errors in their work. 

“Of particular concern is that multiple employees independently documented these issues in writing, requesting additional guidance, designated points of contact, feedback on errors, and greater access to technical support resources. These employees were not refusing work assignments. Rather, they were seeking the tools and support necessary to perform taxpayer work accurately and responsibly,” the fourth employee said. 

Several IRS employees told Government Executive that they were involuntarily detailed to taxpayer services, but were later removed from the detail following medical emergencies. These employees remain in limbo. The IRS hasn’t assigned them to new roles, and have been repeatedly told they cannot return to their old jobs. 

“I’ve essentially been isolated and placed on an island by myself,” a fifth IRS employee said. A sixth employee said they’re also waiting for a new assignment. 

“According to leadership, all IT jobs are gone since the 2210 category is overmanned,” the sixth employee said.