IRS

Budget and tech challenges loom over IRS's direct file pilot

The news of the forthcoming pilot was followed this week by a compromise debt ceiling bill that includes reallocating $20 billion of the funding the IRS got as part of the Inflation Reduction Act.

  • By Natalie Alms

The IRS Answered 2.4M More Taxpayer Phone Calls During 2023 Filing Season

Inflation Reduction Act funding paid dividends for the IRS during the 2023 tax filing season.

  • By Frank Konkel

Stopping Tax Fraud in Its Tracks: 4 Ways OSINT Enhances Investigations

Fraud is often a crime of opportunity.

  • By Johnmichael O’Hare

Taxpayer Data at Risk Due to Cybersecurity Deficiencies at IRS, Report Warns

An annual assessment of the IRS' information technology program alleges critical cybersecurity deficiencies in the agency's handling of taxpayer data privacy.

  • By Chris Riotta

IRS Outlines Tech Modernization, CX Plans as Part of $80 Billion Overhaul

IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel told reporters on Thursday that technology will be key to achieving the agency’s intentions to transform customer service at the agency and shrink the tax gap.

  • By Natalie Alms

IRS System Doesn’t Meet All Cloud Security Requirements, Watchdog Says

Treasury’s Inspector General found the IRS did not meet requirements like malicious code protection and timely risk mitigation.

  • By Kirsten Errick

Planned Login-dot-gov Deployment at IRS is Postponed

The decision comes after concerns about implementing the sign-on service during tax season.

  • By Natalie Alms

IRS Taxpayer Advocate Says Congress Shortchanged IT Modernization Efforts

Lawmakers didn’t allocate the $80 billion provided to the IRS in the right way, claims National Taxpayer Advocate Erin Collins, adding that IT modernization and taxpayer services aren’t getting the money they need.

  • By Natalie Alms

IRS Plans to Approve Use of Login-dot-gov as Tax Day Nears

The tax agency intends to add Login this filing season—and as early as next week—as the integration is in final rounds of testing.

  • By Aaron Boyd and Natalie Alms

Biden’s IRS Pick Says He Wants to Move Agency’s Systems into the 21st Century

Nominee for IRS commissioner Danny Werfel, a self-professed “government geek,” talked customer experience, cybersecurity and IT modernization with senators at a Wednesday hearing.

  • By Natalie Alms

IRS Names Advisors on Possible Government-run Direct Filing System for Taxpayers

The IRS tapped New America to report on the feasibility of a free, public-facing IRS-hosted tax filing infrastructure for ordinary taxpayers.

  • By Natalie Alms

GAO: IRS Not Capturing the True Cost of its Legacy IT Footprint

An oversight report requested by Rep. Gerry Connolly found that the tax agency lacks timelines for decommissioning decades-old legacy systems and isn't tracking how much they are paying for upkeep of out-of-date software.

  • By Adam Mazmanian

5 Things Holding Innovation Back at the IRS

Believe it or not, the IRS has some budget and the will to modernize in the interest of public service.

  • By Hansen Rada

What the Census Bureau Can Learn From the IRS About Detecting Cyberattacks

Inspectors general from Commerce and Treasury present a tale of two testing regimes.

  • By Mariam Baksh
Featured eBooks
The IT Modernization Mission
Read Now

Ransomware Threat

Read Now

What's Next For Government Cloud

Read Now

Federal Agencies Exploring Computing at the Edge

Read Now

Republicans Preview Their Efforts to Block Forthcoming IRS Funding

The strategy could result in a new shutdown threat.

  • By Eric Katz

5 Tips from Practitioners to Improve Government Customer Experience

Good customer experience doesn’t happen by accident.

  • By Frank Konkel

IRS Seeks New Enterprise File Storage System

As part of the agency’s ongoing modernization efforts, it issued a request for information for a new enterprise file storage system

  • By Kirsten Errick

IRS Has the Funding to Hire Tens of Thousands. Can It Actually Do So?

IRS hiring has been thrust into the spotlight, but augmenting the agency's workforce is still far from guaranteed.

  • By Eric Katz

IRS Executes Summons for Financial Records of Crypto Transactions

The federal regulatory agency is asking for details from trading platform sFOX on users who engaged in at least $20,000 worth of transactions. 

  • By Alexandra Kelley

Lawmakers Push IRS on Backlog and Customer Service Problems

The agency says it's aiming to get to a "healthy" backlog level by the end of the year, but in June, the National Taxpayer Advocate said that would be "difficult" for the agency to do.

  • By Natalie Alms

House Sends Package that Includes an IRS Hiring Boost and USPS EV Funding to Biden

The measure aimed at lowering health care costs and fueling the fight against climate change received only Democratic support.

  • By Eric Katz