Stay Curious. Stay Connected.
MailNewsletters♡Donate Now
Sign up
*Password must be at least 8 characters and contain one uppercase letter, one lowercase letter, one number and one symbol.
Already have an account?
By submitting, you consent that you are at least 18 years of age and to receive information about MPR's or APMG entities' programs and offerings. The personally identifying information you provide will not be sold, shared, or used for purposes other than to communicate with you about MPR, APMG entities, and its sponsors. You may opt-out at any time clicking the unsubscribe link at the bottom of any email communication. View our Privacy Policy.
Sign in to your profile
Forgot Password?
New to MPR News?
Welcome back
to news
for you
Reset Password

Enter the username on file and we'll send you a code to reset your password.

Still require assistance or not sure what your User Name is?
Welcome back
to news
for you
Email Verification

A verification code has been emailed to

Still awaiting the code?
Politics and Government News
Ayana Archie, NPR

The IRS will stop making most unannounced visits to taxpayers' homes and businesses

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

A sign outside the Internal Revenue Service building in Washington, on May 4, 2021. Effective immediately, the Internal Revenue Service will end its decades-old policy of making unannounced home and business visits — in a nod to worker safety and combatting scammers who pose as IRS agents.
A sign outside the Internal Revenue Service building in Washington, on May 4, 2021. Effective immediately, the Internal Revenue Service will end its decades-old policy of making unannounced home and business visits — in a nod to worker safety and combatting scammers who pose as IRS agents.
Patrick Semansky/AP

The Internal Revenue Service will largely diminish the amount of unannounced visits it makes to homes and businesses, citing safety concerns for its officers and the risk of scammers posing as agency employees, it announced Monday.

Typically, IRS officers had done these door visits to collect unpaid taxes and unfiled tax returns. But effective immediately, they will only do these visits in rare circumstances, such as seizing assets or carrying out summonses and subpoenas. Of the tens of thousands of unannounced visits conducted annually, only a few hundred fall under those circumstances, the agency said.

"These visits created extra anxiety for taxpayers already wary of potential scam artists," IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel said. "At the same time, the uncertainty around what IRS employees faced when visiting these homes created stress for them as well. This is the right thing to do and the right time to end it.

Instead, certain taxpayers will receive letters in the mail giving them the option to schedule a face-to-face meeting with an officer.

The IRS typically sends several letters before doing door visits, and typically carry two forms of official identification, including their IRS-issued credentials and a HSPD-12 card, which is given to all federal government employees. Both IDs have serial numbers and photos of the person, which you may ask to see.

"We are taking a fresh look at how the IRS operates to better serve taxpayers and the nation, and making this change is a common-sense step," Werfel said.

Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.