IRS to furlough 46% of staff

The Internal Revenue Service will furlough more than 34,000 employees starting Wednesday as the government shutdown continues, the agency said, a move that will effectively close taxpayer call centers.

The furloughs represent about 46% of the IRS workforce. Call center staff, IT personnel, and most headquarters employees will be sent home, while workers responsible for implementing the tax and spending law signed by President Donald Trump in July will remain on the job.

The action comes after Congress and the president failed to reach a government funding agreement last week, leading to widespread service disruptions across federal agencies.

In a statement dated September 29, the IRS said it would begin furloughs if the shutdown lasted longer than five business days. The closures began on October 1.