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The IRS Swears that Its Help Line Record is Improving – And It Is, For Now

The IRS’s quality of customer service is finally on the up-and-up. According to John Dalrymple, the IRS Deputy Commissioner for Services and Enforcement, “so far the 2017 season has gone smoothly in terms of tax processing” and the “IRS’s customer service record has improved since 2015.”

But we don’t need to just take his word for it, even though he was testifying at the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing on March 8. The Government Accounting Office (GAO) also issued a report digging into IRS services. In contrast to just 18.2 million calls answered by IRS assisters in 2015 – one of the most godawful tax service years in record – answered call volume for 2016 was around 25.5 million.

While this spike is welcome news, testimony from TIGTA’s Russell Martin confirmed the obvious – IRS staff cuts are still a huge problem in handling taxpayer inquiries. Still, the Assistant Inspector General for Audit went on to note that the $178 million in funding received from Congress in FY2017 really did increase the agency’s customer service responses (hint hint).

There’s always two (or more) sides to every story and Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), chairman of the Subcommittee on Health Care, Benefits, and Administrative Rules, wasn’t as enthusiastic about the IRS’s customer service record. He described it as “terrible” and suggested that misplaced IRS priorities could be the culprit behind such shoddy customer service. Then again, Jordan seemed to be unaware of the continued cuts to IRS funding since 2010.

What seems to be clear is that IRS customer service quality ebbs and flows with the agency’s available budget. While the agency’s telephone support for taxpayers is by no means perfect, everyone should be celebrating the small victory that in 2016, the number of taxpayers able to get through to an IRS representative was the greatest since 2011. The goal should be to keep up the improvement so that all hardworking taxpayers can get the service they need to efficiently and accurately handle their tax matters.

Also, don’t forget that the IRS website offers a slew of resources, with no wait time or phone call to a representative needed. Check out this  recent blog post for some of the highlights from IRS.gov!