Declining IRS workforce leaves calls unanswered as Tax Day approaches, union says

U.S. Department of the Treasury Internal Revenue Service (IRS) 1040 Individual Income Tax forms for the 2014 tax year Daniel Acker/Bloomberg

By Lisa Rein

April 6, 2015

Taxpayers across the country are lining up for hours outside walk-in centers and getting just four in 10 calls for information answered by the Internal Revenue Service as April 15 approaches, the union representing IRS employees said Monday.

The National Treasury Employees Union released data showing state-by-state declines in the agency’s workforce after five years of budget cuts by Congress.

“These figures should shock the conscience of Congress,” NTEU President Colleen Kelley said at a news conference to draw attention to the budget cuts’ effect on customer service this tax season.

Congress has reduced the IRS budget by a total of $1.2 billion since 2010. The cuts have come as the agency battles a growing epidemic of identity theft and new responsibilities created by the Affordable Care Act. The volume of calls to the toll-free number are on the rise, along with the number of Americans filing tax returns.

The agency has lost 18,138 full-time and seasonal employees during this period; A quarter of the workforce is now eligible to retire and by 2019 the number will hit 40 percent, Commissioner John Koskinen said last week.

Below are some state-by-state statistics that tell the story of an agency going through downsizing imposed by Congress that its union officials and senior leaders say is taking a big toll on the public.

Five states with the biggest percentage declines in their IRS workforces (2011-2015):
Montana: 33 percent
Hawaii: 31.8 percent
Wyoming: 30.8 percent
Nebraska: 30.7 percent
Mississippi: 30.4 percent

Five states with the biggest numerical declines in their IRS workforces (2011-2015):
California: 3,039
Georgia: 1,865
Texas: 1,363
Missouri: 1,274
New York: 1,165

IRS Employee Count by State, 2011-2015
The following chart reflects total IRS employees, both full and part-time, at locations across the United States.

STATE	TOTALS
STATE	2011	2013	2015 (as of Feb. 7)	Numerical decline from 2011 to 2015	Percentage decline from 2011 to 2015
AL	411	340	302	109	26.5%
AK	87	73	62	25	28.7%
AZ	730	637	553	177	24.2%
AR	243	213	176	67	27.6%
CA	14,287	12,696	11,248	3039	21.3%
CO	1,274	1,119	972	302	23.7%
CT	564	488	441	123	21.8%
DE	133	101	94	39	29.3%
DC	3,512	3,197	2,999	513	14.6%
FL	3,517	3,238	2,975	542	15.4%
GA	6,376	4,792	4,511	1865	29.3%
HI	154	121	105	49	31.8%
ID	125	112	90	35	28.0%
IL	2,319	2,003	1,701	618	26.6%
IN	922	858	722	200	21.7%
IA	341	265	253	88	25.8%
KS	213	177	168	45	21.1%
KY	5,437	4,918	4,724	713	13.1%
LA	456	386	355	101	22.1%
ME	123	101	93	30	24.4%
MD	5,064	4,940	4,833	231	4.6%
MA	3,371	3,139	2,900	471	14.0%
MI	1,997	1,751	1,559	438	21.9%
MN	663	593	517	146	22.0%
MS	230	181	160	70	30.4%
MO	7,290	6,717	6,016	1274	17.5%
MT	97	76	65	32	33.0%
NE	205	166	142	63	30.7%
NV	404	352	297	107	26.5%
NH	182	168	161	21	11.5%
NJ	1,248	1,092	980	268	21.5%
NM	164	130	119	45	27.4%
NY	7,934	7,178	6,769	1165	14.7%
NC	851	753	696	155	18.2%
ND	82	68	64	18	22.0%
OH	2,222	1,983	1,824	398	17.9%
OK	483	417	363	120	24.8%
OR	756	716	628	128	16.9%
PA	6,486	6,105	5,637	849	13.1%
RI	132	123	117	15	11.4%
SC	288	237	219	69	24.0%
SD	76	63	55	21	27.6%
TN	3,994	3,888	3,740	254	6.4%
TX	10,966	10,214	9,603	1363	12.4%
UT	6,648	6,023	5,725	923	13.9%
VT	76	67	62	14	18.4%
VA	1,203	1,107	1,033	170	14.1%
WA	1,470	1,323	1,198	272	18.5%
WV	1,342	1,291	1,199	143	10.7%
WI	495	416	371	124	25.1%
WY	52	45	36	16	30.8%
PR	718	709	659	59	8.2%
Other*	47	32	31	16	34.0%
US TOTAL	108,460	97,898	90,322	18138	16.7%

*: IRS offices in U.S. possessions (excluding PR) and foreign countries

(Source: Internal Revenue Service, released by NTEU)