When the IRS Slows Down, Experience Matters
Author: Brandon Lynch, EA
Founder & Managing Member, Lynx Tax Advisors
Former IRS Supervisory Revenue Officer
Estimated Reading Time: 4 minutes
The IRS can process millions of tax returns efficiently.
But processing returns and resolving tax problems are two very different things.
Over the last several years, we've watched the pendulum swing dramatically.
In 2022, Congress provided the IRS with nearly $80 billion in additional long-term funding—partly to rebuild a workforce that had been understaffed for years and modernize aging systems.
Then the pendulum swung the other direction.
By the end of 2025, the IRS workforce had been reduced by nearly 30%.
I've seen these cycles before during my nearly 20 years at the IRS.
The agency doesn't simply stop working when staffing gets tight. Returns still process. Notices still generate. Automated collection systems keep moving.
What becomes harder is resolving the exceptions.
And taxpayers with serious IRS problems are almost always dealing with an exception.
Sending Something Isn't the Same as Fixing Something
An amended return may have been received but not processed.
A payment-transfer request may have been accepted but not completed.
A Form 2848 may have been submitted while the representative is still waiting for access.
Collection may continue moving while another part of the IRS is still working correspondence that could change the balance.
The National Taxpayer Advocate reported that the 2026 filing season generally worked well for taxpayers whose returns moved through automated processing. Taxpayers who actually needed assistance had a much different experience.
That's where understanding how the IRS actually works matters.
Representation Is More Than Preparing Forms
Good IRS representation isn't simply preparing a Form 433, requesting an installment agreement, or mailing another letter.
It means understanding:
which IRS function actually controls the issue;
what should happen next;
which deadlines are still running;
how to verify that the requested action actually occurred; and
when—and where—to escalate when it doesn't.
Sometimes the right answer is another submission.
Sometimes it's a phone call.
Sometimes it's Appeals, the Taxpayer Advocate Service, or the assigned Revenue Officer.
And sometimes sending another copy of something the IRS already has only creates another problem.
Knowing the difference matters.
Experience Matters More When the System Is Under Pressure
When IRS staffing is strained, there is less room for an inefficient strategy.
That's when having a representative who understands not only the tax law, but how the IRS operates internally, becomes particularly important.
At Lynx Tax Advisors, we don't bill by the hour for representation. We're invested in resolving the issue as efficiently as possible—not in creating more billable time.
Our job is to understand where the case is, determine what needs to happen next, and keep it moving toward resolution.
Strategy Over Force™
Key Takeaway: When IRS resources are stretched, the best strategy is not simply to send more paperwork or make more calls. It is to understand where the case is, who controls it, what deadlines remain, and what action will actually move it toward resolution.
Because understanding the IRS is more powerful than reacting to it.
Dealing With an IRS Problem That Isn’t Getting Resolved?
If your IRS account isn't moving the way it should, the first step is understanding where the case actually sits and what needs to happen next.
Brandon Lynch, EA
Founder & Managing Member, Lynx Tax Advisors
Former IRS Supervisory Revenue Officer
This article is provided for educational purposes only and does not constitute individualized tax or legal advice. Reading this article does not create a representative-client relationship. Lynx Tax Advisors is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Internal Revenue Service or any other government agency.
© 2026 Lynx Tax Advisors. All rights reserved.
Image credit and caption: Internal Revenue Service campus in Kansas City, Missouri. Photo by Brandon Lynch.
