r/IRS_Source

I’m a revenue agent with several years of experience, and I’m honestly at a loss.
Over the last few months, my relationship with my manager has gone downhill. We’ve been having biweekly case reviews, and he’s told me that if my documentation and activity records don’t improve, a PIP is a possibility.
The frustrating part is that the criticism isn’t because my activity records are incomplete or inaccurate. My activity records are completed, they accurately reflect the work I performed, and they document the actions I took. The issue seems to be that my manager wants a much higher level of detail than what I’ve been providing, and that expectation has become a major point of contention during reviews. I have completed my activity records the same way for my entire career here. Yet suddenly now they are an issue.
For example, I recently rescheduled a taxpayer interview to the following week because I was dealing with a serious family emergency and wasn’t in the right mindset to conduct it professionally. During my review, I was criticized because my activity record didn’t explain the personal circumstances behind the reschedule. Looking back, maybe I could have documented it differently, but at the time I was focused on keeping the case moving rather than explaining what was happening in my personal life.
Outside of work, I’ve been dealing with a family member who had been critically ill and recently passed away. Between hospital visits, hospice, and everything leading up to that, it’s been one of the hardest periods of my life. I haven’t shared many of those details at work because I’ve always tried to keep my personal life separate from my job. My manager is aware of the situation I just haven’t gone into too many details about it with him.
Ironically, I don’t even feel like I can take bereavement leave right now. My inventory isn’t going anywhere, the cases will still be waiting for me when I get back, and we’re doing biweekly reviews. Instead of taking time off, I’ve spent the holiday weekend trying to get every case in order because I’m afraid that any issue I miss could end up being another negative review.
I also have a reasonable accommodation for a medical condition, and I can’t shake the feeling that every mistake is being magnified. Maybe that’s just anxiety talking, but it’s hard not to feel like I’m under a microscope. I say this because it was after I got an RA that suddenly my manager became hyper critical of every single thing I did.
I’m trying to be objective here. If my manager’s expectations for activity records are the standard, then I’ll adapt. I have no problem improving my documentation. What I’m struggling with is feeling like the expectations keep moving and that no matter how much I improve, there’s always another criticism waiting.
Has anyone else gone through something similar? If you were facing the possibility of a PIP, what did you do? Did you involve the union (I know many of us were converted to non-bargaining status and the union is currently involved in litigation over that, so I’m not even sure what help is realistically available), request a reassignment, stick it out, or eventually move on?
I’m genuinely looking for advice from people who have been through this. I like the work itself, and I want to succeed, but between everything happening in my personal life and the constant fear that my work isn’t meeting my manager’s expectations, I’m having a hard time seeing the path forward with the agency.

I would like to add that my manager hinted at a push from upper management about PIPs so I’m unsure if my efforts are even worth it or are they just going to keep throwing stuff at the wall to see what sticks? Should I revoke my RA request and just go into the office 100% of the time to make them happy? I’m genuinely at a loss and I’m tired and exhausted. FMLA is also not an option.

My loved one took DRP 2.0 from the IRS end of 9/25. She fell and broke her hip in January 2026, leading to a series of notable medical costs. Due to a failure of OPM’s systems to reflect her actual employment status in early 2026, they incorrectly considered her still an employee in certain respects, causing OPM to misinform her and her healthcare providers that FEHB (BCBS in this case) was the primary insurance. Months later they reversed the instruction, backdating it, to reflect Medicare as primary. And now, of course, both providers have refused to pay, indicating that the other is primary. The Medicare protest deadline is in October—we’ll protest. And if necessary we’ll sue both at once.

Anyone in a similar position had any success?

Our office just got a letter from a person with a statement that they are revoking their election to be treated as a US person subject to tax. It was addressed to Sec. of the Treasury, Scott Bessent in DC. We are not in DC, nor a service center, we're just the office closest to the person. This person does not have an open exam, collection, or any logged tax issues, but oh boy do they now.

I had to explain it to my manager, but the letter included all the hallmarks of the sovereign citizen delusion: there is no "law" assessing income tax, taxes are only levied on US "persons" and owned property, but "I" am "revoking" my "election" to be treated as a "person" and claim no residence or ownership of the assets or income associated with my "identity". All with a notarized document for the election.

So I handed it to our collections team, who looked the person up, logged their account, and sent a referral for investigation. This person just went from flying under the radar to proclaiming their intent to commit tax fraud from the rooftops, complete with a notarized statement that is admissible in court.

I'm new to the service so I'm not sure how common this is, but it was one of the funniest mail runs we've had in a while.

anyone know about administrative two fifty for 7/2 I’m waiting on my email from frank

So at my POD, we got an email about the how to properly wear our IDs, I wear mine in my hip cause it’s easier to pull on the lanyard for the entrance kiosk, and turns out that is not allowed. My particular POD is shared between different agencies and open to the public. As soon as I leave the IRS area I take off my badge but they are now saying that is not allowed until I’m outside the building.

Are yall’s POD suddenly becoming more strict on this?

Why is the environment so toxic?

Is it true that employees are being told they must complete their mandatory briefings on their own time? Not to do them at work.

Why is Taxpayer Services Leadership allowing employees to be treated this way.

Does this disrespectful behavior from management start at the top or does it start with FLMs.

How have you been degraded in the workplace while working in Taxpayer Services?

A lot of posting opened this week for GS13 revenue agents at the iRS for different programs. The new position openings have set hours of 8-4:30 and talks about probationary periods. I scanned that part. AWS goes away 7/26 but I think 8-4:30 might be coming soon. I guess all alternative type work schedules are a thing of the past.

I am a csr that is being forced to learn bmf paper. I just wanna know if anyone else has done this in the past and if bmf is harder than imf.

I am trying to wrap my head around the Jira directive to log all work and “justify your 8 hours”.

Jira is not a time management system and it’s not meant to be used that way. I use and rely on Jira but now I am seeing tons of stupid stories and tasks clogging shit up and turning it into a fucking mess.

This bullshit is now blowing up time estimates and inflating actual:

- Answered emails (30 min)
- Team meeting (1 hr)
- Helped coworker (15 min)
- Read documentation (20 min)
- Waited on hold with Help Desk (3 hr)

This is not being leaner and more efficient. This is not working more efficiently with less or whatever other bullshit you want sell.

This is generating tons of useless data, that is wasting limited resources because you don’t know what you are doing directive.

FINALLY a win against this loser regime.

Copied from NTEU:

Two weeks ago, NTEU sued the IRS because it is unconstitutionally removing NTEU fliers, flags, and other materials from workplace common spaces and employees’ personal workstations.

Then, last week, NTEU filed a motion asking for an emergency order stopping the IRS’s actions. The IRS has been on its heels ever since. After reviewing NTEU’s motion, the IRS’s lawyers reached out to NTEU to propose a pause of its unlawful directive. And after the federal district judge overseeing this case conducted a conference with the parties this morning, the IRS agreed to an NTEU proposal that does what NTEU will always do for its members: it protects them.

As a court filing from today memorializes, the IRS has agreed to pause implementation of its directive ordering the removal of NTEU materials; agreed that employees may resume putting NTEU materials on their individual workstations and in common areas where they were allowed before the IRS directive; and agreed the IRS will return to employees any NTEU materials that have been confiscated (unless such materials are lost or destroyed). The IRS also agreed to notify NTEU and the Court if it ever tries this again.

This is a sweeping victory: it achieves what NTEU would have gotten through its motion for emergency relief and more.

This case, though, is not over. The parties will now turn to briefing the legality of the IRS’s directive through motions for summary judgment.

NTEU is not going anywhere. We will keep fighting for our members’ rights, including their First Amendment rights.

Okay so I just want to confirm! I heard we may be getting tomorrow off for long weekend holiday…. Can anyone let me know if you’ve heard something similar??

What are the rules with non government employees in our POD(s)? Such as friends/spouses coming for lunch, kids being in a work area for an hour between drop-offs, and these kinds of occurrences. Now that we are strapped to the office, it has crossed my mind.

Also, we have desks in an area with panic switches, I believe it was a TCO or TAC area at one time and they’re still active. Revenue agents often have taxpayers at their desks. So what is the difference between having taxpayers in our area versus someone we know….

I don’t understand how they think this is completely normal to be doing some sort of construction in a building that results in the smell of burning plastic or an electric electrical fire. Some of the people doing the construction may be wearing respirators or facemasks. What about everybody else.

I mean is this something that should be done with people, the employees actually trying to work answering phones?

Is this something that’s done at other campuses?

I mean, I guess at the end of the day nobody cares and nothing will be done about it. It just seems so outrageous like it breaks some kind of OSHA law.

There’s been an uptick in the number of RA internal postings for the GS13..employment, general, BSA, etc.

Do you think some agents will be able to lateral over if they want to do different work? Or are the announcements more than likely strictly for promotions???

Hey everyone, I wanted to open up a discussion for IRS employees who’ve been through the EEO, anti-harassment, or MSPB complaint process. There’s been a lot of talk about how many complaints get filed, and I’m curious—how many of you have had to go through this process, and what was your experience? Are there patterns, or do you feel like there’s enough transparency in how these complaints go? Let’s share our experiences—anonymously if you prefer—and maybe we can get a clearer picture of what’s going on.

A consistent thing I have seen the past few months is that the SES is genuinely surprised that everyone who is an IR-01 and below does not believe anything that comes out of their mouths. This is despite the SES members who are left personally know peers of theirs who got fucked over last year, or have been specifically fucked over themselves. Y’all have any ideas why? Any of the SES who do come here want to chime in on your burner accounts?

I am fairly new to the Service and come from the private sector. I am surprised to see that, whenever I get an internal email, my manager is copied on it.

I am not familiar with this practice and I don't understand its purpose; it is in the IRM?

I understand copying a manager when the recipient is unresponsive, out of the office, or on something critical or time-sensitive but not every single time.

How should I respond? Reply, reply to all, reply to all and copy the sender's manager as well?

Please don't be rude, this is a legitimate question and I'm just trying to understand protocols.