January 25, 2023: On Monday, Tax season kicked off for individual filers with a bigger IRS customer service team and is improving technology as the agency begins to deploy its almost $80 billion funding.

Over the previous several months, the IRS hired 5,000 new customer service staff, aiming to “greatly increase” the number of received calls, Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Wally Adeyemo stated to reporters.

IRS service flagging as one of the agency’s “serious problems” in the National Taxpayer lawyers’ 2022 annual report, with 13% of callers reaching live assistance during the 2022 filing season.

The IRS was bolstering in-person support at Taxpayer Assistance Centers across the country, which puts the agency on track to “triple the items of Americans being served,” Adeyemo stated.

The agency plans to improve customer service through technology, which includes the ability for filers to answer certain IRS notices online and for the IRS to scan paper is coming.

“These improvements showcase how we are modernizing technology and customer service to show the IRS into the 21st century and how the IRS is planning to deploy resources in the future years,” Adeyemo said.

Enacted in August, the Inflation Reduction Act is allocating $79.6 billion to the IRS over the next ten years. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen outlines the priorities soon after clearing the tax return backlog and improving customer service, hauling technology and hiring workers.

According to a Treasury official, the IRS aims to deliver a plan for nearly $80 billion in funding to Yellen in February.

Therefore, House Republicans in January voted to slash the newly enacted IRS funding following months of scrutiny of the agency’s plans. Thus, the measure needs more support to pass in the Democratic-controlled Senate.