DATA IN THE SPOTLIGHT
The Internal Revenue Service aims to help taxpayers understand tax laws, accurately calculate their obligations, file their taxes, and address any issues with the filing process. Here you can find data on the accuracy and availability of assistance to taxpayers, such as the availability of volunteer tax preparation services, the accuracy of tax assistance provided, call wait times, and how many callers successfully talk to a customer service representative.
Data highlights:
Related documents and reporting:
Filing season 2026
- 10/15/2025: TIGTA: Major Management Challenges Facing the IRS in Fiscal Year 2026 (TIGTA)
- 9/29/2025: Final Results of the 2025 Filing Season (TIGTA)
- 6/25/2025: National Taxpayer Advocate Objectives Report FY 2026 (TAS)
- 6/2025: IRS 2026 Budget-in-Brief (IRS)
Direct File
- 11/6/2025: I.R.S. Halts Free Online Offering for Filing Taxes Directly (NYT)
Analysis and commentary
- 7/17/2025: The new tax bill burdens an already overburdened IRS (Brookings)
- 4/15/2025: How Will Large Reductions in the Internal Revenue Service’s Funding and Staffing Affect Taxpayers? (TPC)
- 3/6/2025: A hamstrung IRS is a gift to rich tax cheats and a headache for honest taxpayers (Brookings)
- 3/4/2025: The battle over Direct File and the future of free public tax filing
You can also download a spreadsheet with the full list of available data, including the range of years for which data is available.
The IRS Spotlight © 2025 by The Brookings Institution is licensed under CC BY 4.0