Open Recommendations

Create a method to collect the identifying information of authorized individuals as part of the application for a CAF number. For authorized individuals who already have a CAF number assigned, create a method to collect identifying information during subsequent authorization requests.

The Commissioner, Small Business/Self-Employed Division, should continue to identify new tax accounts with a Social Security tax deferral at least through Calendar Year 2024 to ensure that all unpaid deferrals are identified for collection as appropriate.

Create a detailed plan for how each TXS capability will be implemented and develop benchmarks, performance measures, and milestones.

Coordinate with the Information Technology organization to explore adding Taxpayer Relations inventories into the CII, so that all Accounts Management inventory is located in the same inventory management system.

Complete a usage study and document a decision regarding if the IRS will mandate that participants use the TFA IVES system.

The Chief, Appeals, should establish a process with the appropriate Business Operating Divisions (BOD) to identify, track, and update forms, letters, publications, notices, websites, and social media that still require the new IRS Independent Office of Appeals name.

Establish a documented annual enterprise-wide examination planning process that aligns with the multiyear, comprehensive Examination Strategic Plan.

Develop a tool to consider risk and other relevant variables to inform examination resource allocation decisions, then expand its use to include Examination workstreams from all divisions.

Ensure that the IRS does not burden taxpayers in existing payment agreements when PCA contracts are ending by developing a solution to continue to service taxpayers in active payment arrangements.

On June 15, 2021, we alerted IRS management of our concerns with the systemic calculation of the allowable RRC amount. We recommended that IRS management review the returns we identified and provide us with any corrective actions they intended to take.

The Commissioner, Wage and Investment Division, should ensure that programming is updated to systemically reject electronic submissions of Forms 2848 and 8821 when missing one of the five essential elements (name, address, signature, etc.) without manually mailing a rejection letter.

The Commissioner, Wage and Investment Division, should develop a process to systemically pull all controlled inventory for each Accounts Management site for the Accounts Management Inventory Report (AMIR) to ensure consistency, reduce human error, and increase efficiencies

The Commissioner, Wage and Investment Division, should establish specific performance measures and goals to effectively assess the assistance provided to LEP and visually impaired taxpayers.

The Chief Information Officer should retire older ******************** and migrate to more current ****************** in accordance with the documented migration plan.

*******************************************

*****************************************

The Commissioner, Wage and Investment Division, should develop processes and procedures to retain and provide access to historical ERS data, including actions taken by tax examiners.

The Deputy Commissioner for Services and Enforcement should continue efforts to close the virtual currency information gap by issuing guidance clarifying the proper information reporting associated with virtual currency transactions.

The Commissioner, Wage and Investment Division, should develop processes and procedures to ensure that continuous criminal background checks are conducted on all program participants as part of the FBI RAP Back Program. These processes and procedures should include steps to evaluate continued participation in IRS programs for individuals identified with a criminal history.

The Deputy Commissioner for Services and Enforcement should develop Service-wide processes and procedures to ensure that all operating divisions suppress the issuance of nonstatutory notices to taxpayers that have a UD mail indicator on their account; suppress the issuance of correspondence when a taxpayer's address of record is an IRS campus; and research and update taxpayer addresses for which the USPS returns undeliverable mail with a yellow label that provides a more current address.

The Commissioner, Wage and Investment Division, should install and use hygiene software to perfect taxpayer addresses on the Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) RTS system.

The Commissioner, Small Business/Self-Employed Division, should analyze the current selection criteria used by the WHCS to determine if the taxpayers identified for systemic lock-in letter issuance are the best use of limited resources. This would include potentially identifying taxpayers with multiple years of underwithholding and the percentage of inventory that includes nonfilers.

The Chief, CI, with assistance from the Chief Information Officer, should complete a cost analysis to 1) determine the efficacy of relocating CI assets in each of the field offices to existing IRS computer rooms versus upgrading the CI computer rooms to ensure that assets are protected in accordance with Federal and IRM security requirements and 2) implement the most cost-effective solution.

The Commissioner, Wage and Investment Division, should correct programming to reject EIN applications when an EIN has previously been assigned to the same sole proprietor and to reject applications when IRS data indicate that the sole proprietor is deceased.

The Commissioner, Wage and Investment Division, should develop programming to reject estate applications if the decedent TIN is not that of a deceased individual.