Have you been wondering where your refund is? So you checked on IRS.gov Where’s My Refund or the IRS2GO app and it said it was sent and still has not arrived. Well, with all the federal government cuts and additional pending layoffs such as in the IRS, this certainly will impact you in a way that you may not appreciate.
The IRS Workforce Shift: Reduction in Force
You could call 800-829-1040 and ask the status of your refund, but you can’t get through? The Internal Revenue Service sent emails from their Directors on March 7 thanking employees for their service and recognized “Employee Appreciation Day” which was the first Friday in March. Actually, I know someone who got two of those emails thanking for their service.
But then another email was received March 7 telling all Treasury employees to prepare for a “Reduction in Force” and they were told to check a Human Resources site to make sure all their documents are correct and they have the latest contact information. They were told that this would happen March 13 and more to follow in regard to IRS layoffs.
The person I know works as a customer service representative in a call center. He’s the person, who would answer your questions on tax law, tell you your refund status, input a trace of a lost check, tell you of any holds due to reviews, help you respond to a notice and so forth. They even trained these call center employees to process amended returns to deal with the backlog of those cases too.
He was working remotely and for him it was better since it was much quieter at home and you didn’t have the background noises of the call center. He told me that taxpayers told him they could hear the other taxpayers’ information since the microphone they issued were so sensitive. But the managers would monitor employee status while on calls. They could see if they were taking to someone on a call or were idle or taking a break. And he told me if he was in the wrong status, like he was two minutes long on a break the manager would be freaking out sending urgent instant messages.
He attended meetings virtually sometimes even when he reported to the office, twice a pay period. The virtual meeting he found more beneficial since he could bookmark things and take notes better while remotely attending. But everything worked, the calls were handled and this should have helped save the government money.
They were recalled to the office recently, most likely to prepare to get fired. Then at the last minute they said he didn’t have to report this week to the office. In the private sector during the pandemic, we saw the “great resignation” where people left jobs they hated. Companies scrambled to replace workers and in some cases hired too many. So rather than fire workers, they chose another route: recall them to the office, and many did what they were hoping for and just quit. The companies find this the least costly option. But some jobs are ideally suited for remote work, like a call center job talking to people.
IRS sent an email saying: “Working together in-person with one’s team fosters meaningful collaboration, mentorship, and comradery.” He told me that they told them in the past to handle their own calls and not to bug their neighbors for help. If their hope was to demoralize their employees, the IRS did a great job of that in preparation of these IRS layoffs.
They already fired around 11,000 probationary employees since they could do that since they were working there under a certain amount of time, maybe a year. Furthermore, the ones who switched to another government department found their clock reset to “probationary” so a lot of people are on edge waiting for the axe to fall in connection with these IRS layoffs.
Impact on Taxpayer Services: Longer Wait Times and Fewer Options
Now if you or someone close to you aren’t employed by the government don’t think you are safe. When you called IRS last year because there was a problem with a refund or had notice and couldn’t great through then, well it’s going to get a whole lot worse. I am sure they will still have some people. Maybe Elon Musk’s AI will be taking the calls and I am sure everyone loves talking to a computer! Amended returns which currently taking 16 weeks to process will rise to maybe 20 weeks or maybe even much longer. It will be like the pandemic all over again. And the mountain of work will skyrocket.
Consequently, this isn’t happening at just the Department of the Treasury but everywhere. Social Security will cut thousands or workers. If you want to call them I wish lots of luck. I have called Social Security and the Office of Personnel Management for a retired family member and it’s like trying to call a call-in radio show to be the 13th caller. All you get are busy signals.
Navigating IRS Notices: Increased Challenges
Besides, some agencies require you to call. For example, IRS will send out letters like 5071C or 4883C letters wanting you verify it was you who filed that return. My person at the IRS told me that many told him they couldn’t through to IRS. Yeah you could call to demand an appointment at a local Taxpayer Assistance Center, if you can get through, but they are going to close a lot of those offices soon as well.
It’s advisable to regularly check your refund status online, gather all necessary documentation, and be patient during this period of transition. Additionally, contacting your federal legislators and let them know how these IRS changes will impact you to express your concerns can have a significant impact. Your voice matters, and by making your concerns known, you can contribute to potential solutions and hold those in power accountable.
