The Internal Revenue Service has hired 4,000 additional customer service representatives this year. The agency said this month it intends to hire another 1,000 to help answer telephones—which have been understaffed in past years—and provide other services in the upcoming filing system.The IRS anticipates phones will be answered at a much higher level than in the last tax season.
The funding for the additional positions came in the Inflation Reduction Act funding approved in August. Most will be in place for the start of the 2023 tax season and the training for most will be completed by President’s Day.
The hiring of all these individuals took about eight months.
Representatives are in various stages of being onboarded and receive weeks of training in a wide range of issues, including technical account management issues and understanding and respecting taxpayer rights.
The IRS said the new direct hire authority, along with other improvements, speeded the hiring process.
