The IRS said in an emergency message to staff that it will furlough more than 34,000 employees starting on Oct. 8 due to the government shutdown.
“Due to the lapse in appropriations, most IRS operations are closed,” the IRS said in an Oct. 8 announcement. “An IRS-wide furlough began on October 8, 2025, for everyone except already-identified excepted and exempt employees.”
The furloughs amount to about 46 percent of the agency’s workforce. Call center employees, IT workers, and most headquarters staff will be sent home, according to the statement. Employees assigned to carry out the tax and spending law that President Donald Trump signed in July will continue working….