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The warning comes as the IRS faces tax reforms enacted by President Donald Trump’s “Big and Beautiful Bill,” following layoffs and other cuts by Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
These cuts did not have a significant impact on the 2025 filing season because many important IRS roles were waived through May 15, 2025 and June 30, 2025, according to a September report from the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, an independent federal agency.
However, the report said the layoffs, which amount to 17% to 19% of “key IRS operations” during the filing season, could impact processing and customer service in 2026.
“The Internal Revenue Service stands ready to help taxpayers meet their tax obligations during the 2026 filing season,” IRS CEO Frank Bisignano said in a news release last week.
He said, “IRS information systems have been updated to incorporate new tax laws and are ready to efficiently and effectively process taxpayer returns during filing season.”
The IRS expects there to be approximately 164 million individual income tax returns in 2026, with most taxpayers filing electronically.
How to access your IRS online account
Your IRS online account has several features that can save you time during the 2026 tax season, experts say.
This portal includes historical tax records, refund status, outstanding balances for each year, IRS notices, audit status updates, and returns for specific information that employers and financial companies report to government agencies, such as Forms W-2 and 1095-A for marketplace health plans and 1099-NEC for contract work.
You can also make payments, set up payment plans, approve account authorizations, and more.
Tom Oseven, director of tax content and government relations for the National Association of Tax Professionals, told reporters on a conference call this week that opening an IRS online account for the first time can be “relatively cumbersome” because it requires an ID.me account, a third-party identity verification company.
To use ID.me, you need a photo of your government-issued ID and a selfie, or a live call with an ID.me video chat agent.
“But once it’s set, that’s it,” Oseven said. He is also a registered agent, which is a license to practice taxation with the IRS. “You need a little pain to get long-term benefits.”
