As part of larger transformation work underway to make improvements, the Internal Revenue Service announced the opening of more than 3,700 positions nationwide to help with expanded enforcement work focusing on complex partnerships and large corporations.
GOP lawmakers have been making the exaggerated claim that Democrats planned to hire 87,000 auditors to target hardworking Americans but the truth is that these compliance jobs will be open in more than 250 locations nationwide.
The employment opportunities are part of a larger effort to add fairness to the tax system and expand tax enforcement involving areas of concern with high-income earners, partnerships, large corporations, and wealthy promoters.
The IRS continues to crack down on the wealthy, focusing on identifying sophisticated schemes to avoid taxes, and make other changes to reduce the burden on average taxpayers.
The hiring will be for higher-graded revenue agents, which are specialized technical positions that generally focus on audits.
This continued hiring effort builds off earlier efforts to add taxpayer service employees at the IRS, part of the landmark Inflation Reduction Act funding approved in August 2022.
“This is another important step for the IRS as we work to transform the agency and make improvements,” said IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel. “Our first wave of hiring focused on taxpayer service positions to help improve our phone and in-person assistance.”
“This next wave of hiring will help the IRS add key talent like tax accountants to help reverse a decade-long decline of audits for the wealthy as well as complex partnerships and corporations,” said Werfel. “These new employees will be focused on higher-income and complex tax areas like partnerships, not average taxpayers making less than $400,000.”
Interested individuals in the financial services industry — such as tax accountants, forensic accountants auditors, controllers, and treasurers — can learn more and apply through the job announcement.
“This is an exciting time to be at the IRS,” said IRS Human Capital Officer Traci DiMartini. “The IRS provides a competitive financial package for people with expertise in this high-demand area. For people with accounting and financial backgrounds, we encourage them to take a close look at the benefits of working for the IRS and serving our nation.”
These jobs disprove wild assertions made by Rep. Tom Kean Jr., crackpot Congresswoman Lauren Boebert and other top Republicans.
“House Republicans are keeping our promises to… help stop the harassment of American citizens by preventing those 87,000 IRS agents from ever being hired,” Boebert said. “That’s conservative governance at its finest: more freedom, less government—and we are just getting started.”
“Unleashing a MetLife Stadium full of new tax collectors on low and middle-income families is just a sneaky form of a tax hike,” said Kean, after he voted legislation called the Family and Small Business Taxpayer Protection Act (H.R. 23), which would have rescinded all new IRS funding and allow higher-income Americans to avoid paying taxes, which would increase the national debt. “This is no way to tackle the affordability crisis we are facing in this country and will only hurt the New Jersey families and small businesses who are already hurting the most.”
“It is good that the Republicans failed because funding cuts do not ‘save’ money but would instead do the opposite by hindering the agency’s effort to restore its capacity to audit the complex returns of wealthy tax cheats and modernize an IRS decimated by years of steep funding cuts,” said New Jersey Democrat Lisa McCormick. “Hard-working Americans deserve an accountable government that works for them, not against them. This job announcement shows that the IRS is moving ahead by hiring the people necessary for protecting honest taxpayers and cracking down on wealthy tax cheats.”
About Revenue Agents
Known officially as Internal Revenue Agents, these specialized positions are for mid-career professionals with specialized experience and education.
These are higher-graded positions at the General Schedule GS-13 level in the federal civil service system, which translates into an annual salary of about $125,000.
GS-13 revenue agents serve as technical experts in examinations of significant and complicated tax compliance issues. Their cases typically concern the most complex income tax returns filed by individuals, organizations and other entities, including those with extensive subsidiaries with operations of national or international scope.
People working in financial services frequently have the relevant education, experience and skills to apply. Keep in mind that an applicant’s specialized experience could translate into being qualified.
No matter what kind of degree an applicant has they could qualify if their coursework included at least 30 semester hours in accounting.
See the job announcement on USAJobs for further details on education and experience requirements.
Why work for the IRS
The IRS provides an opportunity to do work that helps the nation. Careers at the IRS help ensure the tax system is administered with integrity and fairness. IRS employees help collect 96% of the nation’s revenue needed to fund homeland security, national defense and Social Security as well as parklands, roads, bridges, libraries and schools.
The average salary for employees at this level is almost $125,000 and average total compensation – including benefits – is approximately $175,000. These benefits include up to $5,000 annually for childcare and 12 weeks of paid parental leave, up to $60,000 in student loan repayment, up to $3,600 in mass transit commuting subsidies annually as well as generous healthcare and retirement benefits. Federal employees also participate in the Thrift Savings Plan, which includes up to 4% matching employer contributions for retirement.
A job at the IRS also comes with stability, a healthy work-life balance year-round and workplace flexibilities. Employees benefit from flexible work schedules, telework, an employee assistance program, health services and multiple leave options.
The IRS also invests in the growth and development of its staff, providing both classroom and on-the-job training and the experience needed to advance at the IRS.
The IRS’ mission, its focus on work/life balance, commitment to diversity and culture of caring and inclusivity as well as opportunities to grow and excel are among the benefits of a career at the IRS.
Learn more through a virtual information session
Interested applicants are encouraged to apply here or visit the IRS.gov Events page for virtual information sessions to hear an overview of the position and to learn more about the qualifications for the role and the benefits of working at the IRS plus how to apply.
People are not required to attend an information session to apply for a job, but the information will help applicants understand the USAJobs process, which all IRS applicants must use.
The IRS will also host federal resume and application tips sessions to help applicants. The IRS.gov Events page is updated regularly with new sessions so interested applicants should check back often. Anyone can register for these or any of the IRS recruiting events by visiting the IRS Events page.