IRS reviews

3.3

54% would recommend to a friend

(3,630 total reviews)

33% positive business outlook

IRS has an employee rating of 3.3 out of 5 stars, based on 3,630 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The IRS employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Government & Public Administration industry (3.6 stars).

Reviews by job title

4K reviews
4.0
Jul 24, 2011
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Work/life balance is the best you can get (but see the flip-side to this coin below). Job security is the best you can get.. The training is good (big $ spent on that) and if you apply yourself you can quickly become an expert in both tax and audit. Interesting work (if you pick a good city, you will get to work with a variety of different industries).

Cons

It's a 40-hour/week job. Period. And you will get paid the same as everyone else at your grade, regardless of individual accomplishment. No opportunity to earn more and promotion within the grade/step system is based on seniority. Performance is graded by ability to follow the IRM, not by results ($), which is frustrating for those who are results-oriented, but admittedly, I can't think of a better alternative. Requires a high-tolerance for mindless paperwork, most of it merely for evaluative purposes (e.g., check sheets to "prove" to the case reviewers that you followed the required steps in the audit).

3.0
Jun 14, 2011
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Great benefits, great co-workers, great building (located right next to metro, nice cafeteria, great fitness center, and decent outdoor space).

Cons

Only interested in boosting completion of task numbers, and once you meet a goal they keep increasing, to the point where you are so beat from working, the stress is not worth the job security.

3.0
Sep 29, 2008
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

When I came out of college and needed a job, the IRS was a good place to get my bearings. You get experience in a professional environment as well as begin to learn skills that can be parlayed into other employment opportunities. Best yet, the workers are generally talented and driven people who are usually working to further their education or to find a place of better employment. Workers go through paid-training and are given fairly long probational periods to get their typing speeds up. Once you achieve a certain typing speed (based on the previous year's performance), transcribers can earn incentive pay. Because it is seasonal employment, managers are much more sympathetic to those who are looking for new jobs. In other words, you do not have to hide your job search as you would at a traditional job.

Cons

The IRS is rules, rules, rules. If you cannot follow rules and direction, this is not the place for you. The biggest downside of working as a transcriber is that it is seasonal work which means you only work for 5-7 months out of the year full time. The IRS tends to operate on a need to know basis. When upper management doesn't assign work properly, many times it is the transcribers who are collectively held accountable. You are not allowed to do most things without permission. Tours of duties are rigidly enforced as are break and lunch times which are disgustingly short. Being late frequently can result in being charged with AWOL even if it was within five minutes of your start time (depending on how vindictive your manager is). Workers are frequently shushed and talking to each other is frowned upon even though most employees can get as much work done as when they are silent and can get it done with more ease and happiness when doing so. In the same vein, anyone who wishes to speak to you from another unit must ask permission of your manager first. And last but not least, it is a highly secure area to work in and requires you to wear a badge at all times above the waist and to go through various checks daily which is not necessarily a bad thing but can be jarring if you are not accustomed to working in a secure environment. If you don't mind being treated like an overgrown and unruly child at times, you might be able to hack it without walking out in a huff.

Viewing 178 - 180 of 3,630 Reviews

Glassdoor has 3,897 IRS reviews submitted anonymously by IRS employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if IRS is right for you.