Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA)

We just issued two new reports that 1) recommended the IRS continue issuing notices to taxpayers that did not file tax returns and 2) found that certain IRS employees largely complied with the restrictions on directly contacting taxpayers that have authorized representatives. Read more: https://lnkd.in/dZE39i6Z

We recently issued a report that analyzed statistical trends for the major functions of the IRS’s Tax Exempt and Government Entities Division. But did you know that every year, we also do a deep dive into IRS enforcement statistics? It's full of data that provide taxpayers and stakeholders with information about how the IRS focuses its compliance resources and the impact of those resources on revenue and compliance over time. Read the full report: https://lnkd.in/eUfathJm

A few weeks ago, we reported that nearly 14,000 IRS employees who accepted the Deferred Resignation Program retained access to sensitive systems. In our newest report, we reviewed if IRS retrieved information technology assets from these employees. We found that although most assets were returned, we identified 1,308 assets (4 percent) that showed as not returned as of November 2025. We shared this with the IRS and recommended they locate these assets. As of April 2026, 594 assets (e.g., laptops and smartphones) valued at more than $270,000 have not yet been located. Read more about what we found: https://lnkd.in/eNx5MrUW

The dog days of summer may be over, but Special Canine in Charge Patty (our Principal Deputy Inspector General's pet pooch) wants you to know this watchdog is still heating up. We're cranking out cases with our law enforcement partners, and some focus on a big line of work for us: stolen IRS Treasury checks 💵. This month, the Department of Justice announced several charges and sentencings. Each case highlights how we help protect our tax system from those that steal — and sometimes even alter — IRS Treasury checks intended for innocent taxpayers. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/eTeqzHta

ICYMI: Pittsburgh Man Sentenced for Deposit of Stolen and Altered U.S. Treasury Check Read the press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office, Western District of Pennsylvania: https://lnkd.in/eT7Eez-H

There's still time to apply! The announcement closes tomorrow.

We crunched some numbers in our latest report, compiling nationwide statistical information and complete trend analyses of activities for the major functions of the IRS’s Tax Exempt and Government Entities (TE/GE) Division from Fiscal Years (FY) 2021 through 2025. Tax-exempt organizations and government entities support societal goals, foster economic security/development, and enrich American lives. These distinct organizations and entities include retirement plans, charities and other exempt organizations, Indian tribes, federal, state and local governments, and entities that issue tax advantaged bonds. The TE/GE Division serves taxpayers by helping these distinct organizations and entities understand and comply with applicable tax laws and reporting obligations. 🔎 What did we find? New legislation and executive orders impacted the TE/GE Division’s operations from FYs 2021 through 2025. The division received additional funding from the Inflation Reduction Act, resulting in a budget that increased by nearly $114 million (50 percent) from FYs 2021 through 2025. Staffing levels also increased by 39 percent, with most of the staffing increases occurring in FYs 2024 and 2025. However, this does not reflect the reduction of employees who participated in separation programs offered beginning in FY 2025. These employees remained in the system during FY 2025, and the impact of their loss will likely affect future goals. The TE/GE Division’s compliance activities declined in several areas. For example, the Exempt Organizations and Employee Plans functions completed fewer examinations in FY 2025 compared to FY 2021, by 15 and 16 percent, respectively. The number of compliance checks (i.e., non-examination reviews) and compliance related revocations of exempt status also decreased. Most of the decreases in these compliance activities were the result of workforce changes and resource allocation. Read the full report: https://lnkd.in/eCgmQN9F

Unauthorized access can lead to the disclosure of taxpayer information, which undermines public trust in the IRS’s ability to protect confidential tax information. In our newest report, we made six recommendations to help ensure that IRS employees without a business need do not retain access to the IRS’s network or sensitive systems. 📝 Why did we do this evaluation? In 2023, an IRS contractor admitted to accessing a database to obtain tax return information for thousands of the nation’s wealthiest individuals. We subsequently reported on the IRS’s controls for granting access to and safeguarding federal tax information stored on its information technology systems. This time, we assessed whether the IRS has taken appropriate steps to ensure that only authorized employees and contractors can access its network and sensitive data systems. 🔎 What did we find? We found that approximately 17,000 of the nearly 21,500 IRS employees on administrative leave retained access to the IRS network (as of June 2025). These employees were on administrative leave because they accepted the deferred resignation offer. Additionally, over 14,000 of the nearly 21,500 employees kept access to one or more sensitive systems. These employees did not have a legitimate business reason to retain this access and posed a potential security risk for unauthorized disclosure of sensitive information. Further, some of these individuals could have accessed IRS facilities or systems because the IRS did not initially have a policy to collect or disable Personal Identity Verification (PIV) cards of employees on administrative leave. PIV cards are federal government-issued identification cards that allow access to secure facilities and are used to access information systems and networks. Read the full report: https://lnkd.in/e2GEfQw7

Brockton Man Sentenced to Nine Months in Prison for Role in Stolen Treasury Check Fraud Read the press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Massachusetts: https://lnkd.in/dzQKRZ9C

Federal agencies are required by law to develop a plan to achieve a drug-free workforce. The IRS Drug-Free Workplace Plan mandates annual random testing of at least 10 percent of the total Testing Designated Positions population (these are employees in sensitive positions). In addition, applicants who are tentatively selected for IRS Criminal Investigation positions must undergo drug testing before their appointment. We assessed the effectiveness of the IRS Drug-Free Workplace Program (DFWP) in identifying and testing IRS employees for illegal drug use. 🔎 What did we find? The IRS did not conduct reasonable suspicion testing for employees suspected of illegal drug use during this period, even though evidence of suspected drug use existed. For example, IRS Human Capital Office management provided a list of five employees where drug use was suspected in Fiscal Year 2024, however testing was not conducted. In addition, from October 2022 through April 2025, our Office of Investigations (OI) received investigation referrals for 78 employees based on allegations of illegal drug issues. OI opened investigations into 22 of these employees for potential drug issues and referred 11 employees to the Department of Justice for prosecution but the Department of Justice declined. The disciplinary actions for these 11 employees ranged from no discipline to suspension. Read the full report: https://lnkd.in/ec6mABkd