IRS shakeup: Social Security chief Frank Bisignano named CEO as Bessent keeps commissioner role

The Internal Revenue Service is undergoing another leadership change, with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent appointing Frank Bisignano, head of the Social Security Administration, as the agency’s first chief executive officer.

The move comes as the IRS faces mounting operational challenges and prepares for a pivotal tax season under new federal tax laws.

Bisignano will be pulling double duty across two agencies: on top of leading the Social Security Administration, he will also be overseeing day-to-day operations as CEO at the IRS.

Bessent, who has served as acting IRS commissioner since August, will remain in the top commissioner position and retain formal authority over the agency.

With the dual-leadership structure, the administration’s priorities at the IRS can be accelerated without requiring Senate confirmation, which is required for the commissioner role but not for the new CEO post.

“Under his leadership at the SSA, [Bisignano] has already made important and substantial progress, and we are pleased that he will bring this expertise to the IRS as we sharpen our focus on collections, privacy, and customer service in order to deliver better outcomes for hardworking Americans,” Bessent said in a statement .

The IRS has seen a rapid turnover in its top ranks, with seven individuals serving as commissioner or acting commissioner this year so far. The most recent Senate-confirmed commissioner, Billy Long – who Trump nominated in the wake of his election victory last year – left after less than two months in the role.

The agency has also experienced significant vacancies among senior staff, with nearly two-thirds of top executive positions either vacant or filled on an acting basis as of late August .

Bisignano, who previously led Fiserv and held senior roles at JPMorgan Chase and Citigroup, is tasked with guiding the IRS through the implementation of the Trump administration's sweeping tax changes signed in July. These laws introduce new or expanded deductions for tipped workers, overtime pay, senior citizens, and those with high state and local tax bills.

The changes are expected to result in a surge of tax refunds in early 2026, a development that could have political implications ahead of the midterm elections .

As noted by the Wall Street Journal, the agency’s ability to deliver on these changes is being tested by staffing shortages and ongoing modernization efforts. According to a recent inspector general report, the IRS lost 17% of its accounts-management staff this year, raising concerns about its capacity to process correspondence and assist taxpayers with complex issues.

“They’ve blown things up, fired people, now gone, ‘Oops, my bad, now we need to hire some of these people back,’” Nina Olson, former national taxpayer advocate, told the Journal. Olson noted that the loss of experienced staff could make it harder for taxpayers to get help with identity theft and other complicated problems .

Meanwhile, the IRS is working to modernize its technology and streamline paper processing, but faces uncertainty over future funding as Congress debates appropriations during the ongoing government shutdown.

Read more: Government shutdown looms: What to know about the SEC, IPOs, the IRS, and more

The agency has begun rehiring to address staffing gaps, and the Treasury Department has cited progress on technology upgrades through new contracts with Salesforce, Iron Mountain, and Palantir.

But whether those will ultimately lead to improved efficiencies and service experiences for taxpayers and their advisors remains to be seen.