IRS Announces Return of Some Employees to Work Locations

IRS Statement:

The safety and well-being of IRS employees and taxpayers have been, and remain, our top priority. Consistent with OMB and OPM guidelines and to serve the urgent tax administration needs of the American people during these times, the IRS has requested, but not required, several thousand employees to volunteer to return to work along with an offer for incentive pay. To ensure the health and safety of IRS employees returning to individual work locations, the IRS will continue to implement, follow — and where possible exceed — specific federal safety guidelines and measures, including social distancing at all facilities. No employees have been requested to return to work in a manner inconsistent with federal COVID-19 guidelines, and the requirement for employees voluntarily returning to the workplace to wear face coverings is an example of the IRS exceeding the federal safety guidelines and measures. Employees can use any face covering that is consistent with CDC recommendations, including those fashioned from common household materials. The IRS also has been working to obtain PPE for our employees and expect many to be delivered as early as this weekend and upcoming week.

Bringing employees back to work is essential to address mission-critical needs for the nation, and the IRS is an essential component to our country's whole-of-government approach to confronting the COVID-19 pandemic. To provide American taxpayers, including the most vulnerable, with the services they expect, it is essential that the IRS resumes a number of key responsibilities, including opening mail that has been held for a number of weeks, processing of paper tax returns that may offer refunds to taxpayers, working on returns with refundable credits, answering taxpayers' questions on our toll-free lines, and performing Income Verification Express Service and certain lien/levy functions. The IRS will continue to do everything possible to protect employees while also providing important services and assistance to the nation's taxpayers.