The Agency

The IRS is a bureau of the Department of the Treasury and one of the world's most efficient tax administrators. In fiscal year 2019, the IRS collected almost $3.56 trillion in revenue and processed more than 253 million tax returns.

The IRS spent just 33 cents for each $100 it collected in FY 2019.

(Source: Table 31, IRS 2019 Data Book PDF ).

The IRS Mission

Provide America's taxpayers top quality service by helping them understand and meet their tax responsibilities and enforce the law with integrity and fairness to all.

This mission statement describes our role and the public’s expectation about how we should perform that role.

In the United States, the Congress passes tax laws and requires taxpayers to comply.

The taxpayer’s role is to understand and meet his or her tax obligations.

The IRS role is to help the large majority of compliant taxpayers with the tax law, while ensuring that the minority who are unwilling to comply pay their fair share.

Statutory Authority

The IRS is organized to carry out the responsibilities of the secretary of the Treasury under section 7801 of the Internal Revenue Code. The secretary has full authority to administer and enforce the internal revenue laws and has the power to create an agency to enforce these laws. The IRS was created based on this legislative grant.

Section 7803 of the Internal Revenue Code provides for the appointment of a commissioner of Internal Revenue to administer and supervise the execution and application of the internal revenue laws.

Address, Main Office

Internal Revenue Service

1111 Constitution Ave., NW

Washington, DC 20224