IRS

IRS Spent Millions to Set Up Virtual Assistance Centers That No One Is Using

Of the millions of taxpayers looking for help last year, only 2,700 used the Virtual Service Delivery stations.

  • By Aaron Boyd

Watchdog: IRS Declined to Patch Known Weakness Ahead of Tax Day Crash

An inspector general report says the agency opted not to go with an untested patch based on a contractor’s recommendation.

  • By Aaron Boyd

FTC Warns Citizens About Government Imposter Scams

No, the IRS doesn't demand gift cards.

  • By Caitlin Fairchild

IRS Has A Plan to Verify Taxpayers’ IDs. Now It Needs to Do It.

The agency has a plan to improve taxpayer authentication but needs to work out details on funding and execution, according to a government watchdog.

  • By Aaron Boyd

The IRS Doesn’t Know How to Get in Touch With American Expats. But It Can Revoke Their Passports

The tax agency reportedly struggles to send mail to foreign addresses.

  • By Aamna Mohdin, Quartz

There’s Even More Bad News About IRS Information Security

A board charged with overseeing the agency’s sprawling active directory networks isn’t fulfilling its basic responsibilities.

  • By Joseph Marks

IRS Wants Artificial Intelligence To Guard Taxpayer Data

The tax agency wants to know if the AI and machine learning are mature enough to secure its systems from cyberattacks.

  • By Aaron Boyd

IRS’ Rush to Secure Exposed Taxpayer Data Left It Vulnerable Again

Personal information about more than 350,000 taxpayers was compromised in 2015. Three years later, it’s still not secure.

  • By Joseph Marks

IRS Plans to Hire 1,700, Upgrade Outdated Technology

In a new strategic plan, the agency projects a 17 percent increase in phone calls as it implements the new tax law.

  • By Charles S. Clark

The IRS Doesn’t Know Who’s Accessing Its Most Sensitive Data

The tax agency also isn’t patching vulnerabilities on those systems in a timely manner, an audit found.

  • By Joseph Marks

Using Artificial Intelligence to Reduce Tax Fraud

Machine-learning technology can serve as a valuable tool for tax auditors, but what is the best technique?

  • By Deborah Pianko

IRS’ 60-Year-Old IT System Failed on Tax Day Due to New Hardware

Congress and watchdogs have been warning the IRS to upgrade its systems for years.

  • By Frank Konkel and Aaron Boyd

IRS Says Online Tax Systems Are Back In Business

Agency teams worked through the night to restore services, the acting administrator said.

  • By Aaron Boyd

Taxpayers Get Extra Day To File After IRS Online Tools Go Down

The IRS extended Tax Day to midnight April 18 after unidentified outages took down key online tools Tuesday.

  • By Aaron Boyd

How the IRS Cut Tax Season Headaches by 19 percent

The agency's early outreach efforts appear to be paying off.

  • By Jack Corrigan

The IRS Is Stopping Fewer Fraudulent Returns. And That’s A Good Thing.

The agency had identified only about $46 million in phony refunds as of late February.

  • By Joseph Marks

If You Traded Crypto on Coinbase, the IRS Might Be Coming For You

Some of the top-earning users traded over $20,000 on the exchange in a single year.

  • By Georgia Frances King, Quartz

The IRS System Processing Your Taxes is Almost 60 Years Old

The IRS’ Individual Master File may be the oldest IT system in government and its failure could disrupt tax processing nationwide.

  • By Frank Konkel

Scammers Are Using Fake IRS Sites To Steal Your Personal Info

They're also spoofing tax preparers' websites, security researchers said.

  • By Aaron Boyd

Beware of W-2-Related Phishing Scams

Don't get scammed this tax season.

  • By Heather Kuldell