The national taxpayer advocate is cautioning that the 2026 tax season is likely to present challenges for taxpayers who encounter problems filing given the exodus of IRS workers since the start of the Trump administration. National Taxpayer Advocate Erin M. Collins released her annual report to Con gress on Wednesday, two days after the start of the 2026 season. She finds that while the IRS was able to process returns in 2025 without major disruptions, “entering 2026, the landscape is markedly different.” “The IRS is simultaneously confronting a reduction of 27% of its workforce, leadership turnover, and the implementation of extensive and complex tax law changes” mandated by Republicans’ tax and spending measure that President Donald Trump signed into law last summer, Collins said in her report. Collins says most taxpayers should be able to file their returns and receive their refunds without delay, but she notes “the success of the filing season will be defined by how well the IRS is able to assist the millions of taxpayers who experience problems.” The tax filing season began on Monday, and agency leaders, including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and IRS CEO Frank Bisignano, have said they expect a smooth season. Bisignano last week announced new priorities and a reorganization of IRS executive leadership in a letter addressed to the agency’s 74,000 employees. Bessent as well as others in Trump’s second administration have also promised American taxpayers “substantial tax refunds,” as part of the Republican administration’s solution to an ongoing affordability crisis. Read the full story.  ...read more read less