WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) today on Tax Day reintroduced legislation to improve customer service at the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Specifically, the Improving IRS Customer Service Act would expand information regarding refunds available to taxpayers online. The bill would also require the IRS to inform taxpayers applying for installment agreements about available collection alternatives if they appear to have an economic hardship.
“Taxpayers shouldn’t have to jump through hoops to get basic answers from the IRS – and in the last year, those challenges have only gotten worse,” said Sen. Warner. “I am glad to reintroduce this bipartisan legislation on Tax Day to ease some of this frustration by increasing clear communication and making IRS resources more readily available.”
The Improving IRS Customer Service Act would:
- Establish a dashboard to inform taxpayers of backlogs and wait times;
- Expand electronic access to information and refunds;
- Expand callback technology and online accounts;
- Inform individuals facing economic hardship of collection alternatives;
- Require the Taxpayer Advocate Service to regularly publish performance data for each regional office.
The billis cosponsored by Sen. Bill Cassidy, MD (R-LA).
Sen. Warner has been a tireless advocate for improving IRS customer service and accelerating refund times. Warner first introduced the Improving IRS Customer Service Act in 2024 with Sen. Cassidy. Last year, Warner wrote to the National Taxpayer Advocate at the IRS regarding the underperforming Richmond TAS office and advocated against any harmful personnel decisions that stand to negatively impact taxpayers. Sen. Warner strongly supported the Inflation Reduction Act – legislation that provides funding to modernize IRS systems and improve customer service when paying taxes. Investments from the IRA have ensured the IRS has the resources it needs to process tax returns quickly, get rebates to taxpayers faster, and address challenges Virginians have when filing taxes.
A copy of the bill text can be found here.
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