More than 100 IRS offices that host taxpayer assistance centers appear to be on the chopping block as the Trump administration continues what it says are efforts to cut waste from the federal government. But any closures likely won’t take place until after tax season.
According to a Bloomberg Tax report on Friday, the IRS will keep all of its taxpayer assistance centers open through filing season.
The Washington Post reported Feb. 26 that it had obtained a letter from the U.S. General Services Administration that outlined the plan. The Washington Post report states:
At least 113 taxpayer assistance centers will have their leases terminated or not renewed when they expire, according to a list included with GSA’s letter. It’s unclear whether the assistance centers—which provide free, in-person help for tax filers, on an appointment basis—will relocate or simply close.
All soft-term leases, which can be ended on short notice, are expected to be terminated except for those deemed “public-facing,” according to the letter, which was signed by Michael Peters, the GSA’s commissioner for public buildings. Those leases will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis, the letter said.
According to the Post, the letter states IRS employees would have “120 days or more to vacate the offices after the lessors are notified.”
However, according to Bloomberg Tax, the in-person tax help centers will have their doors kept open at least through the end of tax season. Bloomberg Tax reported that the Trump administration has initiated the termination of 128 offices—more than the 113 the Washington Post reported—that host taxpayer assistance centers and five that include call sites as part of its efforts to shrink the federal government.
The IRS has opened more taxpayer assistance centers in the past couple of years as part of a push to improve customer service using additional funding made available through the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act. More than 50 assistance centers were opened or reopened between the passage of the act and mid-January 2024, bringing the total to more than 360 nationwide, the Washington Post noted.
According to the IRS, employees at taxpayer assistance centers served 648,000 taxpayers in 2024, up from 474,000 in 2023, a 37% increase.
With Tribune News Services
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