IRS employees who work in the Taxpayer Experience Office and the Office of Equity, Diversity & Inclusion within Taxpayer Services received notice Friday afternoon that they are being laid off as part of the agency’s reduction to its workforce.
The Taxpayer Experience Office was labeled a “high” area for layoffs, according to an April 15 internal memo that details the agency’s reduction in force plans, while Taxpayer Services “will need to be trimmed.”
The IRS will conduct the RIF in two phases and will target more severe cuts in specific offices. The memo said that the IRS workforce, which sat at approximately 100,000 when President Donald Trump took office on Jan. 20, could be reduced to as little as 60,000 to 70,000 employees by year end—an estimate that includes workers who took the Trump administration’s first and second deferred resignation program offers.
Between 4,500 and 5,000 IRS workers took the first DRP offer, and an estimated 20,000 employees applied for DRP 2.0. However, about 2,100 of the 20,000 interested applicants had their requests denied because their positions within the tax agency are “deemed critical.”
- Related article: IRS Workers Whose Roles Are ‘Deemed Critical’ Get Rejected For DRP 2.0
- Related article: IRS Updates RIF Plans, Could Lay Off Up to 40% of Workforce
- Related article: Roughly 20,000 IRS Workers Have Requested DRP 2.0 Offer, Reports Say
- Related article: IRS Workers Faced a Resignation Deadline as Americans Rushed to File Their Taxes
- Related article: IRS Probationary Employees Told Not to Come Back to Work on April 14 After All
- Related article: IRS Workers Get Final Chance to Take Deferred Resignation Offer
- Related article: IRS Job Cuts Hit Civil Rights Office
The RIF email that was sent to impacted employees this afternoon, which was seen by CPA Practice Advisor, says:
As was previously shared, Reduction in Force (RIF) activities are underway. Today, the IRS initiated a RIF for the Taxpayer Experience Office and the Office of Equity, Diversity & Inclusion in Taxpayer Services.
As a reminder, the RIF will be implemented in phases, and each office will receive direct communication when their phase begins. Individual notices will be issued to impacted employees at least 60 days prior to the effective date of any personnel action.
If you elected to participate in the Treasury Deferred Resignation Program (TDRP 2.0) and were approved to do so, you should have received an official agreement to be signed. Once you do so, you and your manager will receive an IRWorks case ticket. Please follow the TDRP 2.0 Employee and Manager Step-by-Step instructions for the IRWorks process, including where to add the correct separation and administrative leave dates. The IT Equipment Return and FMSS PIV Card Return Directions provides details on returning equipment prior to going on administrative leave. You should also work with your manager to complete the Separating Employee Checklist fillable form.
More information about RIF and separation programs, including job aids, FAQs and process maps, can be found on the Workforce Updates page. For questions regarding TDRP, VSIP and retirement eligibility please send an email to separation@irs.gov.
Established in 2022, the Taxpayer Experience Office focuses on all aspects of taxpayer transactions with the IRS across the service, compliance, and other program areas, working in conjunction with all agency business units and coordinating closely with the Taxpayer Advocate Service. The office identifies changing taxpayer expectations and industry trends, focuses on customer service best practices, and promotes a consistent voice and experience across all taxpayer segments by developing agency-wide taxpayer experience guidelines and expectations.
“The formal establishment of this office will help unify and expand efforts across the IRS to improve service to taxpayers,” Chuck Rettig, who was IRS commissioner at the time and the agency’s leader during President Trump’s first term in office, said in September 2022.
It’s not yet known exactly how many employees in the Taxpayer Experience and Taxpayer Services’ Equity, Diversity & Inclusion offices are impacted by today’s layoffs.
The IRS began implementing the RIF on April 4 when workers in the agency’s Office of Civil Rights and Compliance were told they were being relieved of their duties.
According to an email sent to employees by the IRS human capital officer, 75% of the office will be reduced by the RIF. About 5% of the office’s employees had already left via taking the Trump administration’s first deferred resignation offer earlier this year and through attrition.
The RIFs, which are also happening at other federal agencies, are part of the Trump administration’s plan to cut wasteful spending and downsize the federal government.
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Tags: IRS, IRS layoffs
Kathleen Strittmatter April 29 2025 at 11:21 am
Excellent!