The Blubber

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) recently announced a significant reduction in unannounced visits to homes and businesses, citing safety concerns for its officers and the risk of scammers posing as agency employees. Traditionally, these door visits were conducted to collect unpaid taxes and unfiled tax returns. However, effective immediately, such visits will be limited to rare circumstances, primarily involving asset seizures or carrying out summonses and subpoenas. Out of tens of thousands of unannounced visits conducted annually, only a few hundred will fall under these exceptional circumstances.

The decision to curtail these visits comes as the IRS acknowledges the extra anxiety they create for taxpayers, who are already wary of potential scam artists. Additionally, the uncertainty and stress faced by IRS employees during these home visits played a role in the decision to end the practice.

Instead of unannounced visits, certain taxpayers will receive letters in the mail offering them the option to schedule face-to-face meetings with IRS officers. The agency typically sends several letters prior to conducting door visits, and their officers carry two forms of official identification, including IRS-issued credentials and an HSPD-12 card, which is provided to all federal government employees. These IDs contain serial numbers and photos of the person, which taxpayers may request to see for verification purposes.