A similar report last year said that in unannounced visits to Saturday events in 2023, auditors “encountered extended wait times” and found that while assistors “generally offered accurate assistance, not all assistors referenced available guidance to ensure proper responses or adhered to triage procedures.” Image: Anton27/Shutterstock.com
Inspector general employees who made unannounced visits to IRS taxpayer assistance centers during extended hours or Saturday openings during the 2024 tax filing season in many cases were unable to see assistors—and when they could, they often received incomplete information—a report says.
Of the 28 visits made during extended weekday hours or Saturday “taxpayer experience day” events, auditors were unable to see an assistor for reasons including that a Saturday event had reached capacity or was not open despite the IRS website saying it was.
“We were also turned away at some TACs during the extended weekday hours because we did not schedule an appointment and were not provided an opportunity to wait for an available assistor, even though IRS policy notes that when staffing permits, taxpayers without an appointment should be provided service on a first-come, first-served basis,” it said.
Of the 19 visits where assistance was provided, “eight of our auditors received inaccurate or incomplete answers to their tax law questions because TAC assistors did not always use available resources to assist taxpayers . . . Additionally, we noted issues that if addressed could improve taxpayer interactions at the TACs. For example, taxpayers were not consistently asked to provide feedback on the quality of services provided, employees did not always wear name tags, and some non-English speaking taxpayers had difficulty obtaining service/”
The agency agreed with recommendations to allow taxpayers without appointments to wait for an opportunity to talk with a TAC assistor; issue clearer public guidance for future extended weekday hours; ensure that assistors use all available resources to help taxpayers before turning them away; and ensure that TAC group managers enforce procedures for taxpayer services at the TACs.
A similar report last year said that in unannounced visits to Saturday events in 2023, auditors “encountered extended wait times” and found that while assistors “generally offered accurate assistance, not all assistors referenced available guidance to ensure proper responses or adhered to triage procedures.”
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