The national taxpayer advocate’s Fiscal Year 2027 Objectives Report to Congress says the IRS processed about 139 million returns and handled most refunds smoothly but says the story was different for taxpayers who needed help from a human being.

The Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal of the Third Circuit’s decision in Murrin, in which the court held that taxpayer intent is not required for the unlimited period for assessing tax under Sec. 6501(c)(1) to apply.

The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration estimated that about 1 million callers to two IRS customer service lines did not receive quality service.

More than 11,000 workers left Taxpayer Services, prompting the IRS to assign 1,173 higher-paid employees to lower-grade positions, the report from the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration said.

During the 10th ENGAGE, AICPA Chair Jan Lewis pointed to new hiring as a step toward improving IRS responsiveness.