IRS Statement: Update on IRS operations

 

April 29, 2020

As local health advisories around the country are lifted in the coming weeks and months and operations continue to increase, the IRS will continue to implement, follow – and where possible exceed – specific federal and local safety guidelines and measures. As operations expand, IRS employees will continue their dedication to serving the American people. We are grateful for the many IRS employees who have worked during the pandemic and to those who have already voluntarily returned to the workplace.

IRS employees can expect:

  • Fully supplied, sanitized and operational facilities
  • Social distancing and minimal in-person interactions
  • Phased-in reopenings
  • As part of initial operations, employees will begin to process mail, tax returns and paper correspondence; online and phone assistance; processing requests for transcripts and similar information; processing requests for release of liens and levies; correspondence and similar examinations 

The IRS and Treasury have executed an extraordinary task by delivering more than 130 million Economic Impact Payments, totaling more than $207 billion, to Americans in less than 30 days. In an effort to speed payments to taxpayers, the IRS released two on-line tools, one that allow non-filers to enter basic information so that they receive their payment more quickly and another that allows many taxpayers to enter their bank information and check the status of their payment. More than 120 million people have successfully checked the status of their payment and 10.4 million people have successfully provided their banking information in the past two weeks.

We appreciate the patience and understanding of taxpayers and tax professionals as we continue to expand the scope of our operations