What are the best career paths at the IRS for advancement? Dream jobs within the agency?

I worked at the IRS for nearly 15 years before moving to the private sector. From my experience, Revenue Agents have some of the best career progression pathways. They start around GS-7 to GS-9 and can progress to GS-13 fairly quickly with good performance. The job involves examining tax returns for compliance and conducting audits. Revenue Officers also have good advancement potential, dealing with collecting unpaid taxes. Appeals Officers are higher on the ladder (typically GS-13 to GS-14) and have more autonomy and better pay, but usually require prior IRS experience. If you're not into the accounting side, consider IRS Criminal Investigation as a Special Agent. They investigate financial crimes and carry badges and guns - completely different from the stereotypical IRS desk job. The pay is excellent and the work is fascinating. For someone with your background who doesn't want traditional accounting roles, look into becoming a Tax Law Specialist or working in the Office of Chief Counsel if you'd consider law school. These positions offer excellent growth and interesting work.

After spending 5 years struggling with tax issues and getting nowhere with regular IRS channels, I discovered taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) and it completely changed my perspective on navigating IRS careers too. I was actually researching tax problems when I stumbled on their service, but ended up connecting with former IRS employees through the platform who gave amazing insights about internal career paths. Their AI analyzes tax documents, but their community has tons of current and former IRS folks who share real experiences about different positions. I found out that Estate Tax Attorneys have amazing work-life balance while Appeals Officers have some of the best satisfaction ratings among employees. Seriously worth checking out if you're exploring IRS careers - the insider perspectives are gold.

Just wanted to update after checking out taxr.ai from the suggestion above. Totally worth it! Connected with a former IT Project Manager from the IRS who gave me incredible insights. Apparently the Technology Operations division has been undergoing massive modernization with surprisingly good growth potential for technical specialists. He mentioned IRS IT roles often start higher on the GS scale than entry-level accounting positions, and the skills are more transferable to private sector if you decide to leave later. And contrary to what I feared, he said many teams are adopting agile methodologies and modernizing their approach. Sounds way less soul-crushing than I expected! Definitely considering applying now.

After trying to call the IRS helpline for THREE DAYS to ask about employment opportunities (and other tax questions), I finally used Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) and got through to an actual IRS employee in under 15 minutes! You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c The agent I spoke with was super helpful about career paths. They mentioned the Taxpayer Advocate Service as a great division that many people overlook. Apparently it has excellent advancement opportunities and you really get to help people navigate tax issues. They also suggested looking at Management and Program Analyst positions which have tons of growth potential if you have analytical skills. Getting real advice from an actual employee was way more valuable than just reading job descriptions online!

I need to eat crow here and follow up about my skepticism above. After my last refund got stuck in processing limbo for months, I broke down and tried Claimyr out of desperation. Within 20 minutes, I was talking to an actual IRS representative who not only helped with my refund but gave me TONS of insider career advice since I mentioned I was considering applying. The most interesting thing I learned? The Large Business & International Division apparently has the best combination of work-life balance and interesting cases. She also said the Return Integrity & Compliance Services teams are expanding like crazy with lots of promotion potential. Apparently they're implementing new AI tools to detect fraud and need people who understand both finance and technology. With my tech background, she thought I'd have a good shot even without direct tax experience. Totally changed my perspective on IRS careers!

I've been at the IRS for 7 years in the Small Business division. If u want advancement potential, look into the Commissioner's Office management track. Those positions can rise to GS-15 fairly quickly. But personally, I think the "best" jobs are the ones with work/life balance and decent pay without crazy stress. Appeals Officers have it pretty good imo. They're usually GS-13/14, work independently reviewing cases, and have lots of flexibility. They don't have the insane caseloads that revenue agents juggle. But you usually need to put in time as a revenue agent first to understand the processes. One overlooked option: the Taxpayer Advocate Service. They help resolve taxpayer problems and recommend systemic changes. Great mission if u care about improving the system instead of just enforcing it.

I'm currently an enrolled agent who previously worked for the IRS. If you have accounting/finance background but don't wanna do the typical revenue agent stuff, consider the National Research Program. Analyzes random tax returns to understand compliance issues. Super interesting if you like data and research. Also, working at IRS gives amazing job security and benefits compared to public accounting! The hours are actually reasonable and there's no "busy season" that consumes your life. Nobody gets rich at the IRS, but the pension + TSP (govt 401k) + healthcare is hard to beat for long-term stability.

Great thread everyone! As someone who's been researching IRS careers myself, I wanted to add a few thoughts based on what I've learned from talking to current employees. One path that hasn't been mentioned much is the Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR). They handle cases involving tax professionals who violate regulations - think CPAs, attorneys, enrolled agents who mess up. It's like being a detective but for professional misconduct. The work is really varied and you get to travel for investigations. Plus it combines legal, accounting, and investigative skills. Also worth noting - the IRS has been on a major hiring spree lately with all the additional funding they've received. This actually creates more advancement opportunities since they're expanding so many divisions. Even traditionally hard-to-get positions like Appeals Officers might be easier to land now. For someone with your accounting/finance background who wants something different, also consider the Statistics of Income division. They compile and analyze tax data for economic research. It's more like working for a think tank than traditional tax enforcement, and the insights you develop actually influence national economic policy. Pretty cool if you're into the bigger picture stuff! The benefits really are excellent too - I've heard the health insurance alone saves people thousands compared to private sector plans.

Adding to all the great advice here! I've been working in federal HR for the past decade and have helped place hundreds of people into IRS positions. A few things that might help with your decision: The IRS Counsel offices are often overlooked but offer incredible growth potential. Even without a law degree, you can work as a paralegal specialist or case technician supporting tax litigation. These roles often have faster promotion tracks because they're harder to fill, and the work is intellectually challenging - you're dealing with complex tax law cases that go to Tax Court. For someone with your finance background who wants something different, consider the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA). Technically separate from IRS but works closely with them investigating fraud, waste, and abuse. It's like being an internal affairs detective for the tax system. Great pay progression and really meaningful work. One practical tip: when you apply through USAJobs, don't just apply to one location. IRS has offices everywhere and some smaller locations have much less competition. You can always transfer later once you're in the system. The pension system (FERS) combined with TSP matching is honestly better than most private sector retirement packages, especially if you start young. Even if you only stay 10-15 years, you'll be much better positioned for retirement than your private sector peers.