IRS says its agents will no longer make unannounced visits at taxpayers' doors

The IRS on Monday said its agents will end most unannounced visits to taxpayers, in what the agency calls a "major policy change" geared toward reducing "public confusion" and improving safety for its employees. 

The announcement comes after some Republican lawmakers warned last year that new funding for the IRS would result in thousands of new agency employees that would boost the number of audits of middle-class Americans, even though the Biden administration has said audit rates won't change for people making less than $400,000. Some on social media also warned, without evidence, that the IRS planned to arm agents, stoking fear among some taxpayers. 

The IRS noted that the new policy reverses a decades-long practice of IRS revenue officers — who are unarmed — visiting households and businesses to collect unpaid taxes and unfiled tax returns. But, effective immediately, unannounced visits will instead be replaced with mailed letters to schedule meetings, the agency said.