The IRS is looking to hire 10,000 workers in an effort to reduce the backlog of 24 million tax returns and correspondence, The Washington Post is reporting.
The newspaper, in a Thursday report, attributed details of the hiring plan to four unnamed sources.
The jobs have been vacant for years and include positions ranging from clerical to advanced engineering to tax attorney.
The posts are targeted to be filled over the next two years. Money to pay for the positions is expected to come from the IRS budget, the Post said. A large share of it will come from coronavirus stimulus funding.
The Post said the IRS does not expect to fully eliminate the backlog until the end of this year. Almost all the backlog dates back to the 2020 filing system.
IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig, in a column posted on Yahoo!, said last month the agency faces "enormous challenges" in dealing with the unprocessed returns.
''Millions are waiting for their returns to be processed, and many won't be able to reach us when they call with questions this filing season," he said.
"This is frustrating for taxpayers and for us. We want to do more, but we face great challenges."
He went on to say that the agency is grossly understaffed, operating at a capacity of 20,000 fewer employees than it had in 2010. Additionally, it is operating at a budget of roughly $11.4 billion — that's 20% less than it was in 2010 when adjusted for inflation.
Jeffrey Rodack ✉
Jeffrey Rodack, who has nearly a half century in news as a senior editor and city editor for national and local publications, has covered politics for Newsmax for nearly seven years.
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