The IRS is preparing to close thousands of probation employees following the government-wide trend that began last week.
It is not yet clear whether the IRS plans to fire all or some of its probation employees. However, several emails from IRS leaders to staff, obtained by the federal news network, say the end of this week will occur.
According to the latest data from the Human Resources Administration, the IRS had over 15,000 employees in less than a year of work as of May 2024. In some cases, IRS employees may have probationary periods of more than one year.
The IRS Small Business/Self-Employment Division (SB/SE) leader said in an email Wednesday that he expects employees on the probationary committee of around 3,500 SB/SE “to close by this weekend.” I did.
SB/SE Commissioner Lisa Colbert and deputy commissioner Maha Williams have called on IRS leaders to report to the office for the rest of the week.
“Even if you're not affecting probation employees, you can help employees in the safest and most dignified way possible. Our new recruits are, of course, diverse. We are experiencing feelings. We need to help them as much as possible.
Leadership in the IRS' large corporations and international (LB&I) department said in a separate email that “we are preparing to notify probation employees of their status, so that all managers will support the office tomorrow and Friday. I have instructed you to report to the office. Activities.”
“We may need to support employees who are not part of the team. We understand that getting in in a short period of time can be inconvenient. LB&I Commissioner Holly Paz and Deputy Commissioner Jennifer Best wrote in an email sent on Wednesday.
The email contains several attachments labeled “Separate Checklist,” “Separate Employee Clearance Checklist,” and “Partitionarymgrtalkingpoints.”
The Federal News Network has contacted the IRS for comment.
Sources familiar with the IRS situation said the managers are meeting trainees and practical instructors.
Shannon Ellis, chairman of Kansas City's National Treasury Employees Union Chapter 66, said in a video message Tuesday that the IRS plans to fire employees on probation.
“I don't know what time, I don't know how that will happen. I don't even know if all the probation employees are included,” she said.
Ellis said the IRS has a probation period of one or two years from the employee's start date.
“I don't know if it will affect anyone other than probation employees. Some agencies are affected by that,” she said.
Ellis said the IRS building in Kansas City is providing increased security so if employees receive a notification of fire, they will be escorted from the building.
“They collect your badges and they drive you out. Employees from other agencies are only given an hour to get the necessary information from the system, pack their belongings and leave the building. Not,” Ellis said. “This is unacceptable. I'm furious that this is happening on our campus. We're in the middle of tax season, so yes, the public will be affected. I know.”
Ellis strongly encouraged members of the negotiation unit to print SF-50 personnel records. Because they can pull.
“Print anything you have to show,” she said. “If you're already out of the building when you receive this message, you'll go back to the building and pull out the information because it's only been an hour since you received the email. I'm not going to scare anyone, I don't know who was influenced.”
Ellis also encourages members of the negotiation unit to provide the NTEU with their personal phone number and email address to follow up with employees if they are suddenly fired.
“When this email is received, it will be deleted from the system and requires personal contact information. So don't hesitate. Get this information out today. ”
However, the IRS closed its Kansas City facility on Wednesday due to a snowstorm.
“Please don't go straight to the building in weather conditions, Ellis said in a follow-up video message Tuesday.
Ellis told the federal news network in an email Wednesday that NTEU Chapter 66 had been notified through a private source that “we are expected to issue a notification of fire to employees this week.”
However, Ellis said the union on Wednesday had not received an official notice of the termination.
“We hope that these unnecessary cuts will not affect our already understaffed agencies given the demands of the tax season. In preparation for that possibility, the NTEU is We provided guidance to our employees about documents to be printed and kept if we received such notices,” Ellis said.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
Copyright©2025 Federal News Network. Unauthorized reproduction is prohibited. This website is not intended for users within the European Economic Area.
