Improve Responses to Freedom of Information Act Requests

TAS is reviewing how to incorporate this initiative into an existing or new Collaborative Team, a Systemic Advocacy Project, or a potential FY 2025 Annual Report to Congress Most Serious Problem. Progress during this period was affected by the lapse in appropriations and related operational impacts, including reduced staffing capacity, reassignment of work and priorities, and a reevaluation of TAS’s approach to managing systemic advocacy objectives and associated initiatives.

No substantive progress has been made in Q2. TAS will focus in Q3 on engaging with IRS on improvements for FOIA processing times.

TAS continued working with the IRS through the National Taxpayer Advocate’s Most Serious Problem (MSP) recommendation process. Under the 2025 Records Access MSP, TAS issued a recommendation to implement more effective technology and automation tools to improve redaction and document review. The IRS agreed to fully implement this recommendation.

During FY26, the IRS began implementing new technology and automation tools to improve redaction and document review processes. These efforts include leveraging Robotic Process Automation (RPA) technology to assist with case creation and advanced search capabilities to support document redaction. In addition, the IRS launched a collaboration tool within FOIAXpress that enables users to request, share, review, and redact documents while documenting explanations for withheld records. Together, these enhancements improve the FOIA workflow by reducing manual processes, increasing efficiency, strengthening communication, and supporting more timely responses to records requests.

This activity will be closed, and, through the MSP administrative recommendation process, TAS will continue monitoring the IRS’s implementation of the technology improvements it agreed to in the Records Access MSP. This will ensure the enhancement of the efficiency, transparency, and timeliness of the FOIA process while protecting taxpayer rights.

TAS is reviewing how to incorporate this initiative into an existing or new Collaborative Team, a Systemic Advocacy Project, or a potential FY 2025 Annual Report to Congress Most Serious Problem. Progress during this period was affected by the lapse in appropriations and related operational impacts, including reduced staffing capacity, reassignment of work and priorities, and a reevaluation of TAS’s approach to managing systemic advocacy objectives and associated initiatives.

No substantive progress has been made for Q2. TAS will focus in Q3 on engaging with IRS on improvements for FOIA processing times.

During FY 2026, the IRS began implementing new technology and automation tools to improve redaction and document review processes. These efforts include leveraging Robotic Process Automation (RPA) technology to assist with case creation and advanced search capabilities to support document redaction. In addition, the IRS launched a collaboration tool within FOIAXpress that enables users to request, share, review, and redact documents while documenting explanations for withheld records. Together, these enhancements improve the FOIA workflow by reducing manual processes, increasing efficiency, strengthening communication, and supporting more timely responses to records requests.

TAS is closing this activity, and through the MSP administrative recommendation process, will continue monitoring the IRS’s implementation of the recommendations it agreed to implement in the Records Access MSP. These improvements will ensure the enhancement of the efficiency, transparency, and timeliness of the FOIA process while protecting taxpayer rights.

TAS is reviewing how to incorporate this initiative into an existing or new Collaborative Team, a Systemic Advocacy Project, or a potential FY 2025 Annual Report to Congress Most Serious Problem. Progress during this period was affected by the lapse in appropriations and related operational impacts, including reduced staffing capacity, reassignment of work and priorities, and a reevaluation of TAS’s approach to managing systemic advocacy objectives and associated initiatives.

The IRS is implementing new technology and automation tools intended to improve FOIA document review and redaction processes. These efforts include the use of Robotic Process Automation (RPA) for case creation and enhanced search and redaction capabilities. The expected implementation date is by the end of FY26.

The IRS also launched a collaboration tool within FOIAXpress that allows employees to share, review, redact, and document withholding determinations within a single platform. According to the IRS, these enhancements are expected to reduce manual processing, improve workflow efficiency, and support more timely delivery of FOIA responses.

TAS will continue to monitor the status of these efforts to meet the intended objectives.

TAS continued working with the IRS through the National Taxpayer Advocate’s Most Serious Problem (MSP) recommendation process to improve the effectiveness and transparency of the Respond Directly program. In the 2025 Annual Report to Congress Records Access MSP, TAS recommended that the IRS establish and regularly review performance metrics for Respond Directly, including usage rates, turnaround times, and taxpayer satisfaction. These metrics should be used to identify gaps, prioritize improvement, and assess how enhancement to Respond Directly can reduce duplicative FOIA requests for the same information. The IRS partially agreed to implement the recommendation by expanding its use of performance metrics across additional business units while continuing to evaluate turnaround-time data.

Although the IRS currently collects and evaluates Respond Directly metrics in some business units and plans to consider expanding the collection of usage-rate data, it did not agree to implement taxpayer satisfaction metrics, citing cost concerns. TAS continues to emphasize that consistent, outcome-focused performance measures are essential to evaluating whether Respond Directly is meeting taxpayer needs, improving access to records, and reducing unnecessary FOIA requests. Greater consistency in collecting and reporting performance data across business units will also improve transparency and support continuous program improvement.

This activity will be closed, and, through the MSP administrative recommendation process, TAS will continue monitoring the IRS’s implementation of the improvements IRS agreed to make in the Records Access MSP. TAS will advocate for more comprehensive performance metrics, and promote greater transparency to ensure Respond Directly effectively protects taxpayers’ rights to be informed and to receive quality service.

TAS is reviewing how to incorporate this initiative into an existing or new Collaborative Team, a Systemic Advocacy Project, or a potential FY 2025 Annual Report to Congress Most Serious Problem. Progress during this period was affected by the lapse in appropriations and related operational impacts, including reduced staffing capacity, reassignment of work and priorities, and a reevaluation of TAS’s approach to managing systemic advocacy objectives and associated initiatives.

The IRS maintains FOIA policies, IRM guidance, and proactive disclosure procedures intended to support compliance with FOIA disclosure requirements. The IRS also issues internal guidance reminding employees of their responsibilities related to transparency and disclosure obligations. TAS will continune to monitior and advocate for enhanced employee training and clearer guidance to promote more consistent disclosure practices aligned with FOIA’s intent.

TAS continued working with the IRS through the National Taxpayer Advocate’s Most Serious Problem (MSP) administrative recommendation process. Under the 2025 Records Access MSP, TAS issued, and IRS agreed to the majority of, eight recommendations to improve the FOIA process. TAS will close this activity, and through the MSP process, will continue monitoring the IRS’s implementation of these recommended improvements to ensure they enhance the efficiency, transparency, and timeliness of the FOIA process while protecting taxpayer rights.