IRS Blocking Resignations for Critical Workers Until May 15th

IRS employees in "critical filing season positions" are excluded from the voluntary resignation program available to federal workers until May 15, according to an email sent Wednesday.

These critical roles include positions in taxpayer services, information technology, and the Taxpayer Advocate Service office, as stated in the email sent to all IRS staff around 1 p.m February 2025.

Under the deferred resignation program, most federal employees can resign immediately while continuing to receive full pay and benefits until September 30. However, IRS employees in "critical" positions are required to continue working at least until May 15, the email from IRS human capital officer Traci DiMartini and deputy human capital officer Max Wyche explains.

The deadline to accept the resignation offer is Thursday.

Additionally, the email notes that employees who have already accepted the deferred resignation offer will be contacted with further instructions on when to return to work.

The president of the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU), which represents IRS workers, criticized the rule change.

"We do welcome the acknowledgment that IRS employees are vital to the agency's mission," said NTEU President Doreen Greenwald in an email. "By requiring IRS employees to stay on the job longer than initially promised, the administration is proving what NTEU has been saying all along: IRS employees are essential, and without them, the work that the American people depend on won’t get done."

Previously, the IRS had canceled all job offers with start dates after February 8 or with unconfirmed start dates due to a hiring freeze imposed by President Donald Trump.

Filing season began on January 27, with acting Commissioner Doug O'Donnell at the helm. Former Commissioner Danny Werfel resigned on January 20, and Trump has nominated Billy Long, a former Missouri congressman, as the next commissioner.