On July 24, 2023, as part of a larger transformation effort, the Internal Revenue Service announced a major policy change that will end most unannounced visits to taxpayers by agency revenue officers to reduce public confusion and enhance overall safety measures for taxpayers and employees.

The change reverses a decades-long practice by IRS Revenue Officers, the unarmed agency employees whose duties include visiting households and businesses to help taxpayers resolve their account balances by collecting unpaid taxes and unfiled tax returns. Effective immediately, unannounced visits will end except in a few unique circumstances and will be replaced with mailed letters to schedule meetings.

IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel announced the change as part of a larger effort to transform IRS operations following passage of the Inflation Reduction Act last year and the creation of the new IRS Strategic Operating Plan in April. 

IR-2023-133: IRS ends unannounced Revenue Officer visits to taxpayers; major change to end confusion, enhance safety as part of larger agency transformation efforts.

IR-2023-133SP: IRS pone fin a visitas no anunciadas de Oficiales de Ingresos a contribuyentes; importante cambio pretende terminar con confusión y mejorar la seguridad como parte de esfuerzos de transformación de la agencia.

FS-2023-17: RO Visit Fact Sheet