Individual Taxpayer Advisory Specialist

Summary

Position(s) are to be filled in following area(s): Taxpayer Services - Customer Assistance, Relationship and Education - Field Assistance
WHAT IS TAXPAYER SERVICES DIVISION? A description of the business units can be found at: https://www.jobs.irs.gov/about/who/business-divisions
REVIEW THE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION BELOW FOR FURTHER DETAILS

Duties

The following are the duties of this position at the full working level. If this vacancy includes more than one grade and you are selected at a lower grade level, you will have the opportunity to learn to perform these duties and receive training to help you grow in this position.

• Conducts interviews with taxpayers to determine their tax situation, provide advice, and explains probable consequences of various courses of action open to taxpayers for the current and other tax years.
• Discusses tax law impact with tax practitioners and accountants, review books and records to gain understanding of taxpayer's financial status (cash/accrual basis).
• Confers with taxpayers and/or their representatives to explain issues involving the applicability of tax law, regulations, notices and account adjustments.
• Assists taxpayers in preparing tax returns and explains the consequences of courses of action. Explains to taxpayers the collection and examination processes.
• Prepares tax returns that include referring to required documentation, such as information reporting documents and limited schedules.

Requirements

Conditions of employment

• Probationary Period - All newly appointed employees to the competitive (or excepted) service are subject to a probationary (or trial) period. During this time, your performance, conduct, and suitability for continued employment will be evaluated. You will not automatically convert to permanent status at the end of the probationary (or trial) period. Your supervisor must affirmatively determine that continued employment is in the best interest of the Federal service. If no certification is made before the probationary (or trial) period ends, your appointment will be terminated. You are encouraged to actively engage with your supervisor, seek feedback, and understand role expectations. Additional guidance and support will be provided during onboarding.
• Government Credit Card - Obtain and use a Government-issued charge card for business-related travel.

• U.S Citizenship - Must be a U.S. Citizen or National and provide proof of U.S. Citizenship.
• Selective Service Registration - Males born after December 31, 1959 are required to be registered with the Selective Service System or prove they are exempt from having to do so.
• Personal Identity Verification (PIV) - Must provide 2 forms of identification from the Form I-9. Federal law requires verification of the identity and employment eligibility of all new hires in the U.S. These documents must be unexpired original or certified copies.

Qualifications

Federal experience is not required. Experience may have been gained in the public sector, private sector or through Volunteer Service. One year of experience refers to full-time work; part-timework is considered on a prorated basis. To ensure full credit for your work experience, please indicate dates of employment by month/day/year, and indicate number of hours worked per week, on your resume.
QUALIFICATION REQUIRMENTS:
You must meet the following requirements by the closing date of this announcement
GENERAL EXPERIENCE/EDUCATION FOR GS-05: You must have three years of general experience, one year of which was at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-04 in the Federal Service. General experience for this position includes:

• Analyzing problems to identify significant factors;
• Gathering pertinent data and recognizing solutions;
• Planning and organizing work;
• Communicating effectively both orally and in writing. Such experience may have been gained in administrative, professional, technical, investigative, or other responsible work.

• Experience with business practices, basic accounting principles, and Federal tax laws and regulations;
• Analyzing systems and bookkeeping, using fact-finding techniques, and developing interpersonal skills;
• Using web-based computer applications, software, and communications needed to provide tax filing assistance to the taxpayer;
• Utilizing interviewing techniques and conducting interviews to convey information and elicit facts while maintaining a professional demeanor;

• Understanding of the regulations and administrative procedures related to the full range of personal, business, and other tax-related issues
• Interpreting and applying rules and regulations;
• Interviewing others to elicit facts to identify and resolve problems;
• Communicating with others to elicit facts to identify and resolve complex problems;
• Analyzing financial documents, such as financial accounts, tax returns, financial statements, etc., to reconcile factual differences or to reconstruct missing facts, and;
• Deciding whether actions are in compliance with statutory provisions and/or procedural and policy requirements.

OR You may substitute education for specialized experience as follows: a master's or equivalent graduate degree in a field of study such as: accounting, finance, or business administration.
OR Two full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a graduate degree in a field of study such as: accounting, finance, business administration or public administration.
OR LL.B. or J.D., if related.
AND
You must also meet the following requirements:

• MINIMUM AGE REQUIREMENT: Minimum age for federal employment is 18 years old, or at least 16 years old and have:
  • Graduated from high school or been awarded a certificate equivalent to graduating from high school; or
  • Completed a formal vocational training program; or
  • Received a statement from school authorities agreeing with your preference for employment rather than continuing your education.

For more information on qualifications please refer to OPM's Qualifications Standards.

Education

A college or university degree generally must be from an accredited (or pre-accredited) college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools which meet these criteria, please refer to Department of Education Accreditation page.
FOREIGN EDUCATION: Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the requirements. You must show proof the education credentials have been deemed to be at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. education program. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence when applying. Click here (Section 3, Explanation of Terms) or here for Foreign Education Credentialing instructions.
We recommend choosing an evaluator from a member organization of one of the following national associations of credential evaluation services: National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) or Association of International Credentials Evaluators (AICE).

Additional information

Suitability Requirements:

• Prior IRS Employment - Former employees will be subject to a screening of their prior conduct with the Service. The Taxpayer First Act of 2019, 26 U.S. Code 7804, prohibits the IRS from rehiring certain former employees who were removed from service.
• Tax Check - Must undergo a review of income tax verification. To check the status of your tax record go to: (https://www.irs.gov/individuals/get-transcript). If you are not in compliance, you will be determined unsuitable for employment with IRS.
• Fingerprint/Criminal History Check - This position requires that the successful candidate undergo personnel vetting, which includes a background investigation and enrollment upon onboarding into "Continuous Vetting." Enrollment in Continuous Vetting will result in automated record checks being conducted throughout one's employment with Treasury. The successful candidate will also be enrolled into FBI's Rap Back service, which will allow Treasury to receive notification from the FBI of criminal matters (e.g., arrests, charges, convictions) involving enrolled individuals in near real-time. For more information regarding your rights refer to Noncriminal Justice Applicant's Privacy Rights - FBI, FD-258 Privacy Act Statement - FBI, and SEAD-3-Reporting-U.pdf (dni.gov).

• Consider each location carefully when applying. If you are selected for a location, that location will become your official post of duty.
• In the event that a building is closed due to rent management, new hires may be placed in a local commuting location.
• Additional jobs may be filled from this announcement or any other source to fill these vacancies.
• Alternative work schedule, staggered work hours may be available.
• Salary: General Schedule (GS) Locality Pay tables may be found under Salaries & Wages.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

Review our benefits

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.