We previously discussed the Internal Revenue Service’s (IRS) efforts to adjust to a remote environment by offering video meetings and secure messaging systems in order to maintain an efficient audit process. We also previously shared the IRS Office of Chief Counsel’s plan to hire up to 200 additional lawyers to assist with litigation matters.

On March 16, 2022, the IRS announced it was continuing its hiring and modernization efforts via a plan to hire more than 200 additional technologists to help further modernize its technology. The announcement states, in part:

The IRS has undergone a significant technology transformation over the last several years as part of a large-scale enterprise modernization plan to transform the taxpayer experience, upgrade core service and enforcement systems, build a more sustainable technology infrastructure and enhance cybersecurity.

The agency is seeking to expand its pool of experts in hybrid and multi-cloud environments, no/low-code enterprise platforms and applications, data and analytics, artificial intelligence and machine learning, IT service management leading practices and networks management. Additional career opportunities include joining the integrated technical team modernizing the Individual Master File, the agency’s core tax processing system, and the Enterprise Case Management initiative modernizing IRS case management applications, services and associated processes. These are just some of the modernization efforts that the new hires will be working on.

This latest update comes on the heels of the IRS’s announcement last week that it plans to fill more than 5,000 positions in its processing centers located in Austin, Texas; Kansas City, Missouri and Ogden, Utah.

Practice Point: The IRS’s efforts to increase its workforce and update its technology is a step in the right direction as the agency faces numerous challenges with unprocessed returns, out-of-date computer systems and compliance challenges. As the IRS obtains newer and better equipment, we expect to see it use these new tools in its tax compliance mission.