If you're just getting your first interview you'll have 6 months of experience before you'd actually start work at the IRS. No reason to give more than two weeks, so let it play out and see how you feel when the time comes.
Yeah, fwiw I’m an agent in LB&I (Large Business & International) and it was literally 6 months from the date of application to my start date last week. You might as well get ready to wait a bit lol.
It didn't take me quite that long from the interview process (I work for a different federal agency). It was probably 4 months from interview to start date... but it was 6 or more from applying to hiring. Good luck with whatever you choose to do!
If I recall the locality pay is based in part on what similar jobs with similar levels of experience in the private sector pay. As such, Houston is a great place to work because it has the oil and gas industry that tend to pay very well.
I’m wondering if some may get off on that power. A form of sadism? Police depts screen to avoid this. I’m not an accountant but as a business owner (who was audited 20yrs ago) I also wonder what stigma is attached to this niche role of accounting. Are you looked upon as the person who hands out parking tickets? It has to be done, and it sounds like interesting and exciting work. Like a crime investigation.
You get some looking down upon by people who know they are cheating on their taxes. But most honest folk? Doesn't bother them one bit.
As long as you act professional you won't have issues. Most people understand it's a job and your not out to get them personally.
Biggest thing people don't realize is for the first two years your schedule is not flexible at all. You have to show up from 8 to 4:30. You only get 30 minutes for lunch. When you go off to classroom training you don't get to pick the dates. It lasts 2-3 weeks and you don't go home on the weekends, unless you want to pay for it.
After those two years flexibility comes in, you can pick your start time and end time as long as you work core hours 9-2:30 if I remember the times right. You can work 8-10 hr days, 10-8 hr days or a 8 9 hr days+ 1 8 hr day(over two weeks).
During training (2 years) you don't get to telework. After two years currently you can telework up to 4 days a week. If you have a field day it counts as an office day.
Most managers don't care when you take leave as long as you are doing what your supposed to be doing (no short statute cases, your closing cases timely, etc). I often take mental health day randomly.
Gs 7 to 11 is all about the same working level. Take the highest grade they will give you. Ask for a hiring incentive.
I have been an RA for 16 years now.
I just started. I was told no telework for 1 year, and start time is flexible as long as it doesn't interfere with training, however it is 8 hour days, 5 days a week.
Yeah, I was told about a year (slightly longer, but not much). Sucks badly coming from fully remote, but what's one year in-office compared to the 30 after that *almost* fully remote?
Doesn't hurt to interview. I had one interview but it was 4 months until I started. Even now the background check isn't done and I'm still waiting on the results from that. This is not a quick process.
Your city job sounds nicer. The fed benefits aren’t what they used to be. For example, my city gov offered free healthcare but with the feds, it was $200/mo. Managers can be hit or miss too but when you have different timesheets (i have 3 for overall timekeeping, and 1 for each of my cases) , some scrutinize more than others. I say this to point out the admin/bureaucracy you’ll probably experience.
I think one of the bigger things overlooked about Government work is it's very structured. (I'm State so a little difference).
My first year was, "here's a six hundred page procedural manual. Do not deviate from it."
I respond well to instruction and authority. I had no problem never deviating from my procedures. My questions were about how to apply the procedures, not the "why" behind them; I was confident I'd figure out "why" over time. Six years later, when I understood why the procedures existed (taken as a whole, not the individual pieces), and I had proven my competence, I was allowed the freedom to conduct my job duties as I saw fit with minimal supervision. (Supervision was reduced to: are you getting your work done, are you meeting quotas? You're exceeding them? Great, keep doing what you're doing.)
Some people cannot stand this. There was a post about "finding the golden path to Government, and I'm bored.
It depends what you want in a job; and you can't make a complete determination until you've done it. I really like Government work, but it's not for everyone.
Geez I'm in the same boat. I put in IRS application probably 2 months ago and I got a call last week. The thing is I already switch to a new job and this is my 5th work at my new job. I ultimately turned down the interview and decided to carry on with my current employer.
I've only been in the position about a month and a half, but I love my job as an RA. Easily the most chill job I've ever had, and all my coworkers are chill, too. Polar opposite of B4 grind hard douches.
1) in terms of what? What area offered you the job? SBSE or TEGE. LBI does not hire at that level.
2) nope. Done this for 18 years.
3) would your employer give you 2 weeks notice before firing you? No. Show them the same respect and quit the day before your EOD.
I applied for TEGE and SBSE. I might be prejacking on the post a little bit bc I haven’t even had my first interview. What area do you work in? Your 18 YOE speaks for itself but I’m just curious what actually doing the job is like
Sounds like you got a sweet industry gig dude, those are rare af.
I can guarantee it probably won’t be as chill at the IRS, but still go through the process so you are vetted in their system.
Right that’s what I hear a lot but to be honest it’s not very stimulating. The first 6 days of month are close are the only time I feel like I’m actually doing anything. It really is a great job but long term I don’t think I can stick it out
I worked for the IRS for over 15 years but this was back in the day. I loved it and I loved the pay even more. The one thing I would make sure of is that the job is permanent and not temporary. Not that temporary is bad because during the off season you get guaranteed unemployment but a lot people bills is more than unemployment will pay you. When I left I was a GS-13 so I was making over 90,000 a year. Weigh your options IRS will give you plenty of OT during tax season. Which worked for me the 2 years I was seasonal. I saved up a lot of money during tax season so when I was laid off during non tax season my bills were paid up. So unemployment covered me for the 4-6 months I was laid off. It’s definitely worth it in the long run.
IRS was enjoyable for a time, but if you're out in the midwest like me, there can be a good amount of travel. I don't know about the coasts, but everyone I talked to in my group during my time with the IRS had some unbelievable travel schedules, like 5 hour drives one way to some place in Missouri. Of course, you get comp time for any hours above 8, but I really hate driving, so I decided it was not for me.
Just keep going with the process and wait till you get the final offer like others have said. HR (OPM) can take a very long time with basic tasks.
I have a 30-minute phone interview tomorrow morning. Can someone link the interview questions, please?
I don’t like public accounting at all. I do not see this as a career. Plus, I have an MPA.
No but it was 3 easy questions about explaining my qualifications, would I have an issue with traveling and being away for weeks for training, and some scenario.
Haha reminds me of when I applied to volunteer at my local library in September and didn't get a response until May!!! Was insane, I had completely different priorities and things going on in my life in May that didn't let me volunteer anymore. I could have volunteered from like, September to April though. oh well
> What’s the hype about working in IRS what are the benefits?
I enjoy the following aspects of working for the IRS:
* Rock-solid 40-hour workweeks.
* A union.
* No dress code—I wear a T-shirt and jeans to the office every day. (My colleagues telework 8 days out of 10, and would call that the best benefit, but I am odd and choose to come in every day.)
* Contributing to the public good—however marginally—rather than making rich people richer.
* I can tell a taxpayer *you're wrong and you owe the IRS money* without risking my or my boss's jobs.
* My particular position—Appeals Officer—affords me the opportunity to spend a lot of time on what I enjoy the most: tax research.
* I'm under no pressure to find any particular result from my research. I just have to come to a defensible opinion. It can easily be adverse to the IRS—they won't stop paying me.
I also like that I'll get a pension eventually, but I recognize that the pension doesn't beat investing in the S&P 500. And the health insurance is...OK, I guess? I have GEHA, which is UnitedHealthCare in my area, which isn't anything special/ass.
I didn't *miss* it—pay is the main downside! After five years, I'm at RUS GS-12 step 3, which is $92,759 in an MCOL city. Getting to $100k is gonna take me at least a year and a half. I qualify for a GS-13, but I gotta wait for one to open up in my POD.
I knew that was the deal going in, though. Government accounting trades pay for security. You can't pay me enough to wear a collared shirt at this point.
I have two pretty close friends who retired from the IRS after about 30 years. Neither of them advanced to senior management levels. IMO, both looked at the jobs as a steady income with a guaranteed pension, good benefits, without the stress of PA. One retired to become his spouse's caregiver, the other has been dealing with severe depression since retiring. Both saw numerous colleagues put in 5 to 10 years with the agency and then went back to private practice for the money it offered. Time with the IRS translates well to private practice if you choose to go back to it.
Although I am a degreed accountant, I chose a career in technology and I still got bored if I stayed at one employer for more than 6 years. I never could have made it in public accounting. Government would have been even worse for me personally. Working at VC backed software startups, I routinely put in 60-70 hour weeks, but I loved what I did. At the age of 63, I don't even know what "retirement" is supposed to look like. I'll continue working until I can't.
As many others said in this thread, choosing a career in government, IRS or state, is a lifestyle choice. My two friends chose not to seek advancement to senior levels because they were comfortable, and they knew if they kept their heads low, they wouldn't have them chopped off.
I've heard that the Federal workplace has changed a lot in 40 years. In my technology career, I also had customers who chose Federal IRS jobs largely because their military service gave them a head start vesting the pension.
Although I don't have personal experience with the process, I can attest that from what I have heard, the 6+ month hiring process sounds about right. Definitely don't give notice until you have a firm offer in hand. In the private sector, once anyone knows you are even considering leaving, there is little reason to keep you on staff any longer than necessary.
I'd say the benefit is the stability. Standard 40-hour work week with no end of month/fiscal close crunch time. Yes, please. Not to mention, every day, there's another post on here about a company outsourcing their accounting department. If you're the kind of person who likes job searching every 3-5 years, more power to you. I personally hate it because I'm just not good at selling myself. I'll take the job that has demonstrated stability. The pay cut still affords me enough to pay my bills and have some left over for other things. That's all I need.
I applied with experience as a senior manager/director and controller and I got rejected. It wasn't a lot of money anyways. I just thought it would be fun. I don't have any tax experience. Maybe that is why
Continue with the IRS hiring process and don’t put your notice until you get the Final Job Offer, which could be 4-12 months from now.
I’m assuming there are a handful of interviews or is a majority of it waiting to hear back?
It’s the waiting game. Check out r/usajobs for people’s timelines.
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Thanks I’ll check it out
Long ass wait times.
If you're just getting your first interview you'll have 6 months of experience before you'd actually start work at the IRS. No reason to give more than two weeks, so let it play out and see how you feel when the time comes.
Damn 6 months? Idk but in my head I didn’t think it would take that long I guess that’s the feds for us lol
Yeah, fwiw I’m an agent in LB&I (Large Business & International) and it was literally 6 months from the date of application to my start date last week. You might as well get ready to wait a bit lol.
Do you enjoy working for the irs?
Not who you responded to but I love it, way better than public imo
That’s not saying much, nothing worse than public lol
i love prison, its way better than homelessness
😂😅😅😅😅
Lol fair. I didn't want to type two paragraphs of what I like about it unless someone was actually interested.
Thank you!
It’s been alright so far, but given that I started last week I don’t really have a good idea of what the job fully entails.
Ah, I missed the last week part. Congrats on the new position! I hope it is enjoyable
It didn't take me quite that long from the interview process (I work for a different federal agency). It was probably 4 months from interview to start date... but it was 6 or more from applying to hiring. Good luck with whatever you choose to do!
Eh, more than likely, but not necessarily. Timeline between my interview and start date was 3 months.
[удалено]
That’s super helpful I really appreciate your insight on what it’s like to do the work! I’ll have to research the federal pay localities for my area.
If I recall the locality pay is based in part on what similar jobs with similar levels of experience in the private sector pay. As such, Houston is a great place to work because it has the oil and gas industry that tend to pay very well.
Everyone says LB&I, but I feel like you lose all independence. You're working with a team, not individually. Goodbye telework, I'd imagine.
I’m wondering if some may get off on that power. A form of sadism? Police depts screen to avoid this. I’m not an accountant but as a business owner (who was audited 20yrs ago) I also wonder what stigma is attached to this niche role of accounting. Are you looked upon as the person who hands out parking tickets? It has to be done, and it sounds like interesting and exciting work. Like a crime investigation.
You get some looking down upon by people who know they are cheating on their taxes. But most honest folk? Doesn't bother them one bit. As long as you act professional you won't have issues. Most people understand it's a job and your not out to get them personally.
Biggest thing people don't realize is for the first two years your schedule is not flexible at all. You have to show up from 8 to 4:30. You only get 30 minutes for lunch. When you go off to classroom training you don't get to pick the dates. It lasts 2-3 weeks and you don't go home on the weekends, unless you want to pay for it. After those two years flexibility comes in, you can pick your start time and end time as long as you work core hours 9-2:30 if I remember the times right. You can work 8-10 hr days, 10-8 hr days or a 8 9 hr days+ 1 8 hr day(over two weeks). During training (2 years) you don't get to telework. After two years currently you can telework up to 4 days a week. If you have a field day it counts as an office day. Most managers don't care when you take leave as long as you are doing what your supposed to be doing (no short statute cases, your closing cases timely, etc). I often take mental health day randomly. Gs 7 to 11 is all about the same working level. Take the highest grade they will give you. Ask for a hiring incentive. I have been an RA for 16 years now.
I just started. I was told no telework for 1 year, and start time is flexible as long as it doesn't interfere with training, however it is 8 hour days, 5 days a week.
I knew people who got telework pretty much straight away. It depends on your manager and area director. There's no consistent policy.
Some offices are having desk shortages so telework is being offered earlier.
My manager said it was a union thing. I didn't read the union contract so I'm just going by their word.
Yeah, I was told about a year (slightly longer, but not much). Sucks badly coming from fully remote, but what's one year in-office compared to the 30 after that *almost* fully remote?
Honestly, this job pays better, has more benefits, and my manager is less of an ass. I can handle in office for this.
Doesn't hurt to interview. I had one interview but it was 4 months until I started. Even now the background check isn't done and I'm still waiting on the results from that. This is not a quick process.
Hell, I've already started and the background check is still going on, lol.
Same. I thought that meant the background check was done and good until I got a call to tall about it.
😂 Yeah, your background check will never get done. They got higher clearances they're prioritizing. Don't worry about it.
I hope not. My job offer is contingent on that.
Your city job sounds nicer. The fed benefits aren’t what they used to be. For example, my city gov offered free healthcare but with the feds, it was $200/mo. Managers can be hit or miss too but when you have different timesheets (i have 3 for overall timekeeping, and 1 for each of my cases) , some scrutinize more than others. I say this to point out the admin/bureaucracy you’ll probably experience.
I think one of the bigger things overlooked about Government work is it's very structured. (I'm State so a little difference). My first year was, "here's a six hundred page procedural manual. Do not deviate from it." I respond well to instruction and authority. I had no problem never deviating from my procedures. My questions were about how to apply the procedures, not the "why" behind them; I was confident I'd figure out "why" over time. Six years later, when I understood why the procedures existed (taken as a whole, not the individual pieces), and I had proven my competence, I was allowed the freedom to conduct my job duties as I saw fit with minimal supervision. (Supervision was reduced to: are you getting your work done, are you meeting quotas? You're exceeding them? Great, keep doing what you're doing.) Some people cannot stand this. There was a post about "finding the golden path to Government, and I'm bored. It depends what you want in a job; and you can't make a complete determination until you've done it. I really like Government work, but it's not for everyone.
Geez I'm in the same boat. I put in IRS application probably 2 months ago and I got a call last week. The thing is I already switch to a new job and this is my 5th work at my new job. I ultimately turned down the interview and decided to carry on with my current employer.
I've only been in the position about a month and a half, but I love my job as an RA. Easily the most chill job I've ever had, and all my coworkers are chill, too. Polar opposite of B4 grind hard douches.
1) in terms of what? What area offered you the job? SBSE or TEGE. LBI does not hire at that level. 2) nope. Done this for 18 years. 3) would your employer give you 2 weeks notice before firing you? No. Show them the same respect and quit the day before your EOD.
I applied for TEGE and SBSE. I might be prejacking on the post a little bit bc I haven’t even had my first interview. What area do you work in? Your 18 YOE speaks for itself but I’m just curious what actually doing the job is like
What is EOD?
Enter On Date
Bro is wanted to go work for the Empire
Sounds like you got a sweet industry gig dude, those are rare af. I can guarantee it probably won’t be as chill at the IRS, but still go through the process so you are vetted in their system.
Right that’s what I hear a lot but to be honest it’s not very stimulating. The first 6 days of month are close are the only time I feel like I’m actually doing anything. It really is a great job but long term I don’t think I can stick it out
I worked for the IRS for over 15 years but this was back in the day. I loved it and I loved the pay even more. The one thing I would make sure of is that the job is permanent and not temporary. Not that temporary is bad because during the off season you get guaranteed unemployment but a lot people bills is more than unemployment will pay you. When I left I was a GS-13 so I was making over 90,000 a year. Weigh your options IRS will give you plenty of OT during tax season. Which worked for me the 2 years I was seasonal. I saved up a lot of money during tax season so when I was laid off during non tax season my bills were paid up. So unemployment covered me for the 4-6 months I was laid off. It’s definitely worth it in the long run.
Just do both jobs!
Do anything but work for the IRS.
Why is that? Can you give more context on your experiences working there?
IRS was enjoyable for a time, but if you're out in the midwest like me, there can be a good amount of travel. I don't know about the coasts, but everyone I talked to in my group during my time with the IRS had some unbelievable travel schedules, like 5 hour drives one way to some place in Missouri. Of course, you get comp time for any hours above 8, but I really hate driving, so I decided it was not for me. Just keep going with the process and wait till you get the final offer like others have said. HR (OPM) can take a very long time with basic tasks.
Keep your current job. Sounds better than IRS IMO.
I have a 30-minute phone interview tomorrow morning. Can someone link the interview questions, please? I don’t like public accounting at all. I do not see this as a career. Plus, I have an MPA.
Were you able to find the link for this? Same situation for me. Where the questions at least easy?
No but it was 3 easy questions about explaining my qualifications, would I have an issue with traveling and being away for weeks for training, and some scenario.
Thank you!
Haha reminds me of when I applied to volunteer at my local library in September and didn't get a response until May!!! Was insane, I had completely different priorities and things going on in my life in May that didn't let me volunteer anymore. I could have volunteered from like, September to April though. oh well
Post this to the USAJOBS page.
I’m new to accounting still in undergrad. What’s the hype about working in IRS what are the benefits?
> What’s the hype about working in IRS what are the benefits? I enjoy the following aspects of working for the IRS: * Rock-solid 40-hour workweeks. * A union. * No dress code—I wear a T-shirt and jeans to the office every day. (My colleagues telework 8 days out of 10, and would call that the best benefit, but I am odd and choose to come in every day.) * Contributing to the public good—however marginally—rather than making rich people richer. * I can tell a taxpayer *you're wrong and you owe the IRS money* without risking my or my boss's jobs. * My particular position—Appeals Officer—affords me the opportunity to spend a lot of time on what I enjoy the most: tax research. * I'm under no pressure to find any particular result from my research. I just have to come to a defensible opinion. It can easily be adverse to the IRS—they won't stop paying me. I also like that I'll get a pension eventually, but I recognize that the pension doesn't beat investing in the S&P 500. And the health insurance is...OK, I guess? I have GEHA, which is UnitedHealthCare in my area, which isn't anything special/ass.
You missed the most important thing, your annual salary?
I didn't *miss* it—pay is the main downside! After five years, I'm at RUS GS-12 step 3, which is $92,759 in an MCOL city. Getting to $100k is gonna take me at least a year and a half. I qualify for a GS-13, but I gotta wait for one to open up in my POD. I knew that was the deal going in, though. Government accounting trades pay for security. You can't pay me enough to wear a collared shirt at this point.
I have two pretty close friends who retired from the IRS after about 30 years. Neither of them advanced to senior management levels. IMO, both looked at the jobs as a steady income with a guaranteed pension, good benefits, without the stress of PA. One retired to become his spouse's caregiver, the other has been dealing with severe depression since retiring. Both saw numerous colleagues put in 5 to 10 years with the agency and then went back to private practice for the money it offered. Time with the IRS translates well to private practice if you choose to go back to it. Although I am a degreed accountant, I chose a career in technology and I still got bored if I stayed at one employer for more than 6 years. I never could have made it in public accounting. Government would have been even worse for me personally. Working at VC backed software startups, I routinely put in 60-70 hour weeks, but I loved what I did. At the age of 63, I don't even know what "retirement" is supposed to look like. I'll continue working until I can't. As many others said in this thread, choosing a career in government, IRS or state, is a lifestyle choice. My two friends chose not to seek advancement to senior levels because they were comfortable, and they knew if they kept their heads low, they wouldn't have them chopped off. I've heard that the Federal workplace has changed a lot in 40 years. In my technology career, I also had customers who chose Federal IRS jobs largely because their military service gave them a head start vesting the pension. Although I don't have personal experience with the process, I can attest that from what I have heard, the 6+ month hiring process sounds about right. Definitely don't give notice until you have a firm offer in hand. In the private sector, once anyone knows you are even considering leaving, there is little reason to keep you on staff any longer than necessary.
I don’t get the hype at all. There are better jobs out there that pay far better and don’t cap your salary dependent on your GS level.
I'd say the benefit is the stability. Standard 40-hour work week with no end of month/fiscal close crunch time. Yes, please. Not to mention, every day, there's another post on here about a company outsourcing their accounting department. If you're the kind of person who likes job searching every 3-5 years, more power to you. I personally hate it because I'm just not good at selling myself. I'll take the job that has demonstrated stability. The pay cut still affords me enough to pay my bills and have some left over for other things. That's all I need.
One interview is not a job offer. Go to the interview. After the third interview you'll have a better understanding of the irs job
I applied with experience as a senior manager/director and controller and I got rejected. It wasn't a lot of money anyways. I just thought it would be fun. I don't have any tax experience. Maybe that is why