The IRS on October 27 announced that it has hired 4,000 new customer service representatives, also known as phone assistors, to help answer phone calls and to provide other customer services. The IRS hopes to add another 1,000 customer service reps by the end of the year. (IR 2022-191, 10/27/2022)

According to the News Release, the IRS used its new funding and direct hire authority to speed up the hiring process and brought on the new employees in just over two months. The IRS announcement states that many of these employees, having finished their training, will be in place for the start of the 2023 tax season.

With these new employees, the IRS anticipates that phones will be answered at a much higher level than during the 2022 filing season. “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,” said IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig.

In addition to phone assistors, the IRS is also working to hire additional people throughout the agency, including in information technology and compliance positions. These positions will be posted on USAjobs.gov.