The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is establishing its first-ever Taxpayer Experience Office as part of a long-term effort to improve taxpayer service and improve the taxpayer experience.
According to a press release from the agency, the Taxpayer Experience Office will focus on all aspects of taxpayer transactions with the IRS across the service including compliance and other program areas, and will work with all IRS business units. The new office also will coordinate closely with the Taxpayer Advocate Service.
IRS said the Taxpayer Experience Office will “identify changing taxpayer expectations and industry trends, focus on customer service best practices, and promote a consistent voice and experience across all taxpayer segments by developing agency-wide taxpayer experience guidelines and expectations.”
“As the IRS continues taking immediate steps this filing season including adding more employees to address the significant challenges facing a resource-constrained IRS, it’s critical that we work going forward to equip the IRS to be a 21st century resource for Americans,” said IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig. “The formal establishment of this office will help unify and expand efforts across the IRS to improve service to taxpayers.”
The new office stems from the effort put forth by Congress last year with the Taxpayer First Act Report to Congress, which gathered input and feedback from taxpayers, tax professionals, and the tax community that helped develop the Taxpayer Experience Strategy.
The Taxpayer Experience Office has identified key activities for IRS to focus on over the next five years, including commitments outlined in President Biden’s executive order on Transforming Federal Customer Experience and Service Delivery to Rebuild Trust in Government.
“The IRS is committed to customer experiences that meet taxpayers where they are, in the moments that matter most in people’s lives and in a way that delivers the service that the public expects and deserves,” said Chief Taxpayer Experience Officer Ken Corbin. He also serves as commissioner of the IRS Wage and Investment division, which oversees the current filing season and other activities.
