IRS Pushes for More Phone Support, Hires 4,000 Customer Service Reps

IRS Pushes for More Phone Support, Hires 4,000 Customer Service Reps

After the 2022 tax season found the Internal Revenue Service spread thinner than ever before, the agency is taking steps to ensure that the first few months of 2023 go far more smoothly.

How is the IRS working to get ahead of staffing issues in the upcoming tax season?

In addition to creating job openings in Taxpayer Assistance Centers, the IRS has already hired more than 4,000 new customer service representatives. The IRS is pushing to hire 5,000 customer service reps in total—leaving fewer than 1,000 hires left to go.

“Our phone lines have been simply overwhelmed during the pandemic,” says IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig, “and we have been unable to provide the help that IRS employees want to give and that the nation’s taxpayers deserve. But help is on the way for taxpayers.”

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How will these IRS hires affect taxpayers and tax preparers in 2023?

In practical terms, these new customer service hires translate to improved phone communication during the tax season.

In Rettig’s words, “The IRS is fully committed to providing the best service possible, and we are moving quickly to use new funding to help taxpayers during the busy tax season. As the newly hired employees are trained and move online in 2023, we will have more assistors on the phone than any time in recent history.”

How soon will these new hires be ready for tax season?

Onboarding is underway for the new customer service representatives, including service and taxpayer experience various trainings over the course of several weeks. Hiring has been staggered, but many of these reps will be ready for action in early 2023 for tax season. The remainder will join as they complete preliminary training, and most will be actively answering phones by the time the IRS sees the highest call volumes (usually around Presidents’ Day).

How are these new positions and hires being funded?

Expansion of IRS call centers is a benefit of the Inflation Reduction Act, which was approved in August of this year. Improvement efforts do not end there: The IRS is also seeking new employees in information technology and compliance, taking a holistic approach to improving taxpayer services overall.

All that’s left now is to wait and see if these aspirations can be met. Still, the tax-filing landscape for 2023 looks promising; 4,000 new customer service hires certainly call for celebration.

Sources: IR-2022-197; IR-2022-191

Story provided by TaxingSubjects.com

Drake Tax Feature Spotlight: The Backup and Restore Tool

Drake Tax Feature Spotlight: The Backup and Restore Tool

In this series, learn about a few popular Drake Tax features and navigation tools that help you save time and stay productive.   

Loss of taxpayer information during the filing process due to technical difficulties is a sure way to fast-track frustration during tax season. Fortunately for Drake Tax users, today’s highlighted feature is an info life saver.

The Backup and Restore Tool at a glance

The Backup and Restore Tool does exactly what it says on the tin, and not just for tax return files: Any file can be backed up with this handy feature. You can perform manual, one-time backups or establish automatic backups to run in the background as needed.

How do I access the Backup and Restore Tool?

From the Drake Tax Home window:

  1. Click Tools.
  2. Click File Maintenance from the drop list.
  3. Select Backup.

The Backup and Restore window will pop up, and you can work your magic from there.

How do I make a one-time backup?

To make a one-time backup:

  1. Navigate to the Backup and Restore window using the instructions above.
  2. From the Manual One-Time Backup section of the window, choose the location where you want to back up your files.
  3. Click Selective Backup.
  4. Select Backup.

It’s that simple!

How do I make a custom backup?

To make a custom backup:

  1. Navigate to the Backup and Restore.
  2. Select Create Selective Backup.

From there, you can choose to either back up all Drake Tax files or individual ones—and these can be anything from folders to photo albums.

The Customize Backup option is selected on the Create Selective Backup window. Custom Items has been selected in the left-hand menu, displaying options for adding and removing files and folders in the user's customized backup. Another section allows you to choose custom folders to include. The right-hand pane displays a summary of files selected for backup.

See how the Backup and Restore Tool saves time with a Drake Tax free trial

Ready to explore Drake Tax and the Backup and Restore Tool for yourself? Download the free trial today by clicking the button below.

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Story provided by TaxingSubjects.com