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KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Since the beginning of the year, seven different IRS commissioners have been appointed to the role, which typically has a five-year term.
- Additional leadership and workforce turnover have been prevalent in the IRS as the Trump administration prioritizes reducing government spending.
- With the tax administration’s low numbers, experts have warned that the IRS will have delays and may be unable to complete a successful 2026 tax filing season.
High turnover in the IRS’s leadership and workforce could delay tax administrative work during the next filing season, experts said.
Since the beginning of the year, the IRS has had seven different commissioners, a role that typically has a five-year term. Most recently, Billy Long, a former House representative for Missouri, was sworn in as IRS commissioner in June and was replaced last week by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. Bessent is serving in an acting capacity until a more permanent replacement can be named.
“To date, career officials have shown remarkable tenacity in performing their legally mandated responsibilities to protect taxpayer data,” wrote Vanessa Williamson, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. “But with the loss of leadership, the guardrails are weakening—and the likelihood of a competently run tax season dims.”
The broader IRS workforce has also faced a significant reductions as Trump and the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency worked to reduce government spending. As of May, 25% of the IRS workforce has been terminated or resigned, according to the U.S. Treasury Inspector General.
In June, an IRS watchdog warned that the remaining IRS workforce may not be enough to successfully complete the 2026 tax filing season. The tax administration may also have problems updating 2025 forms in time to reflect new tax breaks from the “One Big, Beautiful Bill” that will affect this tax year.
The watchdog requested that more than 11,000 customer service employees be hired before the next tax filing season to help answer the expected higher volume of taxpayer calls. However, it may be hard for the IRS to attract enough workers after the turmoil in the tax administration and new hires will not have enough time to be trained properly, wrote Williamson.