IRS Austin Tax Processing Center to stay open, will not close in 2024

AUSTIN, Texas - The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has announced that it will halt the planned 2024 closure of the IRS Austin Tax Processing Center. The center is one of three remaining IRS facilities which process paper returns. 

Officials say maintaining the Austin facility will better allow the IRS to support the workforce needed to process 10 million outstanding paper returns from last year, as well as new returns from this season. It will also save jobs in Austin, empower the center to better recruit and keep local talent, and serve taxpayers nationwide by reducing processing delays and more quickly getting taxpayers across the country their rebate checks.

"Great day for Austin workers and for Austin taxpayers—as well as taxpayers nationwide," said Democratic Texas U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett in a news release. "Keeping our IRS Center running means more tax returns will be processed in a timely manner with quicker rebates and Child Tax Credit payments. Austin workers gain job security while the agency gains the ability to recruit more Central Texas talent. I’m pleased that our request was approved to meet both the growing needs for taxpayer service and the need for job security for Austin workers."

Doggett advocated for the facility to remain open and was joined by fellow Democrats, New Jersey U.S. Senator Bob Menendez, Nevada U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto, and New Jersey US Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr.

The previously-planned 2024 closure of the Austin facility was part of a long-standing plan to consolidate paper return processing at the agency. Doggett and the other lawmakers argued that given the extensive paper backlog and hiring challenges that have plagued the agency for the last two filing seasons, this was no longer in the interest of either taxpayers or workers.

___
DOWNLOAD: FOX 7 AUSTIN NEWS APP
SUBSCRIBE: Daily Newsletter | YouTube
FOLLOW: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter