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 2015, the IRS collected almost $3.3 trillion in revenue and processed almost 240 million tax returns.
- The IRS spent just 35 cents for each $100 it collected in FY 2015.
(Source: Table 29, IRS 2015 Data Book.)
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