Office address: 1111 Constitution Ave NW, Washington, DC 20224 (official headquarters); 1500 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20222 (Treasury Department location)
Website: irs.gov
Year established: 1862
Company type: government agency
Employees: 90,500+ (2024)
Expertise: tax collection, tax law enforcement, taxpayer assistance, tax return processing, tax compliance, tax fraud investigation, tax-exempt organizations, tax credits, business tax services, identity protection
Parent company: Department of the Treasury
Key people: Scott Bessent (commissioner), Frank Bisignano (CEO), Carolyn Singh (CoS), Kenneth Corbin (chief, taxpayer services), Jarod Koopman (chief tax compliance officer), Dottie Romo (COO), Kaschit Pandya (chief information officer)
The Internal Revenue Service is the main US tax agency and is based in Washington, DC. It collects federal taxes, enforces tax laws, and processes over 267 million tax returns, collecting $5.1 trillion as of 2024. The IRS helps people and businesses file returns, issues refunds, and works to prevent tax fraud.
The story of the IRS stretches back to 1862, when President Lincoln and Congress created the Bureau of Internal Revenue to help fund the Civil War. That first income tax was a response to the country’s urgent need for revenue, and it set the foundation for a permanent tax system. Over time, new laws and amendments gave Congress the power to collect taxes and shaped how Americans would support their government.
The agency’s early years saw challenges like the Whiskey Rebellion and the burning of the Treasury building in 1814. By 1913, the 16th Amendment gave Congress the authority to tax income, and the Bureau introduced Form 1040, which became a household name. The Internal Revenue Service handled prohibition enforcement and brought down notorious figures like Al Capone for tax evasion. It also managed Social Security tax collection as the country expanded.
The IRS embraced technology with punch cards, electric typewriters, and computers by the mid-20th century. It also:
The agency reorganized in 2000 to better serve taxpayers and launched IRS.gov, which now handles millions of visits each year.
In 2023, the IRS announced it would end surprise visits to homes and businesses due to safety concerns and a push for modernization. This move came as the agency invested billions in technology to improve enforcement and customer service. In 2025, the Internal Revenue Service released new inflation adjustments for 2026. These changes reflect the One, Big, Beautiful Bill and offer taxpayers and advisers fresh planning opportunities.
The Internal Revenue Service provides services and tools that simplify tax filing and help keep taxpayer information secure:
The IRS also offers support for businesses, helps prevent tax fraud, and offers guidance for tax-exempt organizations. Its digital services and customer support make it easier for people to stay compliant and informed.
The Internal Revenue Service states that workforce development and employee culture are key priorities as it modernizes. According to the agency, building skills and supporting employees helps improve service for taxpayers and business professionals. The IRS lists its core values as:
The Internal Revenue Service says that it provides many career options, from entry-level to management positions. Staff can work in areas like accounting, IT, or design, with room to advance. Employee benefits include:
Regarding their benefits and support programs, the IRS Veterans Program Office offers non-paid internships and special hiring paths for veterans and wounded warriors. Eligible veterans and some family members receive preference points or top category placement in federal hiring.
Scott Bessent became acting commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service in August 2025 after serving as the 79th Secretary of the Treasury. Before these roles, Bessent led Key Square Capital Management and built a long career in global investment management. He is a Yale graduate from South Carolina and is known for his expertise in currency and fixed income.
The IRS is led by Bessent, who works with key leaders to oversee all divisions and support functions:
The leadership team is structured to address the needs of different taxpayer groups. The Internal Revenue Service operates under the authority of the Treasury secretary as outlined in the Internal Revenue Code.
The Internal Revenue Service halted most operations and furloughed nearly half its staff during the October 2025 government shutdown. This pause delayed tax refunds, slowed compliance actions, and complicated the rollout of new tax changes, directly affecting financial professionals and their clients. The agency’s ability to manage future tax reforms and serve taxpayers depends on how quickly it can recover from these disruptions.
Building on these challenges, the IRS announced higher retirement contribution limits for 2026, giving savers and advisers new planning options. The agency raised 401(k) and IRA caps, adjusted catch-up contributions, and updated income thresholds for tax benefits. These updates help Americans save more for retirement and show the Internal Revenue Service’s ongoing role in supporting long-term financial planning.
The IRS issued new rules Tuesday designed to make it easier to refinance some commercial real estate loans in an effort to curb the number of defaults.
Congress is not likely to permit the IRS to lower employee 401(k) contribution limits, even if inflation continues to decline, said a leading House Democrat.
Your client has invested in an LLC or LLP that sustains losses. Since the IRS considers him or her to be a limited partner, the losses are considered passive and the client is unable to offset salary and investment income with the losses.
After the headlines about the IRS' going after secret Swiss bank accounts, investors are learning to their dismay that they could face fines and prosecution for failing to report other foreign assets, such life insurance, to both the IRS and the Treasury Department.
You've probably heard it over and over again: contribute up to the maximum amount in your 401(k) plan to improve your chances of a comfortable retirement.
Many taxpayers believe that they are safe from Internal Revenue Service audits after a certain number of years have passed, but as Stanley Kirk Burrell — better known as Grammy-award-winning rapper MC Hammer — can attest, that isn't always the case.
A former investment adviser who once told the Internal Revenue Service that he had “citizenship in heaven”— and not the United States — was sentenced in a federal court in Dallas yesterday to 40 months in prison for setting up a series of sham offshore investments that worked as tax dodges.
Attorney General Richard Blumenthal says he's investigating whether any Connecticut residents are illegally evading taxes through offshore accounts.
Mortgage interest deductions are the subject of recent examinations conducted by the Internal Revenue Service through the mail.
The U.S. government must continue its efforts to crack Switzerland's bank secrecy walls. Those barriers have helped perhaps hundreds of thousands of wealthy Americans shield at least some of their income from the Internal Revenue Service.
Legitimate offshore banking by wealthy Americans may be the next casualty of the UBS AG tax evasion case.
While Swiss banking giant UBS AG has agreed to release information on 4,450 client accounts to settle a contentious lawsuit with the Internal Revenue Service that centered on alleged offshore tax evasion by the bank's clients, the IRS said that it may eye other banks for similar activities.
History is rife with examples of adverse, unintended consequences resulting from well-intentioned lawmaking acting in the face of a crisis.
The painful process of recovering from investment fraud is being eased by recently issued IRS guidelines that accountants and tax experts say will greatly benefit fraud victims.
The U.S. and Swiss governments have reached an out-of-court settlement in the tax evasion case involving the Internal Revenue Service's request that UBS AG turn over the identities of 52,000 Americans who have accounts with the bank that may have been used to avoid paying U.S. taxes.
