Working for the IRS

[Skate1968]

I have a job interview witht the IRS. They will be giving me a test. Does anyone know what this test is like? or have a past exam?

This is what the IRS told me:

"You will be required to pass an accounting assessment as part of
the application process.

The accounting assessment consists of five simulations that will
measure your knowledge in the five required competencies
(Principles of accounting, Intermediate accounting, Cost
accounting, Auditing, and Advanced accounting). The accounting
portion must be completed in 75 minutes."

It sounds almost like I'll need to retake half of the CPA exam. (I thought once i got my license i wouldn't need to pass such a test.)

In another email they informed me that i will be considered for a grade level 9, "Highly Qualified."

Any insights will be appreciated. Thanks.

[Matt Sova]

75 min?

That does not sound anything near 1/2 the CPA exam. It sounds like it is probably some sort of mult choice exam with fairly simple questions.

[Skate1968]

Thanks for responding, Matt.

That does not sound anything near 1/2 the CPA exam. It sounds like it is probably some sort of mult choice exam with fairly simple questions.

True, 75 minutes does not sound anything near half of two-days (the cpa exam i took).

However the amount of material they will be testing seems to be a lot. These topics include subjects that I have not looked at in years.

"Principles of accounting, Intermediate accounting, Cost accounting, Auditing, and Advanced accounting"

[Taxman]

What was the process like for applying with the IRS. How long did it take? Let us know how the test went.

[Skate1968]

What was the process like for applying with the IRS.

It's really a pain in the ***! The information provided is very misleading. They encourage you to attend a recruiting event. But then the event is in California, or it's only open to students or open it's only open to members of the Society of Black Female CPAs. (BTW, i have absolutely no grudges against black women or students)

They do NOT make it clear that it's possible to apply without attending a 'recruiting event.'

The application contained pages and pages of questions which I feel I had already sufficiently answered.

I missed the deadline for hiring period and i have to wait. No, no, I did not miss the deadline. A recruiter will be evaluating people in upstate New York tommorrow and I may attend.

How long did it take? Let us know how the test went.

People on this board give out a lot of valuable information. I'll be happy to share any information that i'm able to.

[Bees Knees]

Are you applying to become an IRS auditor? If so, can we get on your most favored list and butter you up for some possible future favorable audits you might be doing for our clients?

[imaginary friend]

Bees Knees,
If this skate fellow showed you some favoritism I imagine he would be very discreet about it (use a remote proxy, etc.)

[veritas]

How many years would qualify you for full retirement in federal government?

[Snaggletooth]

Maligned Groups

I tried once to apply with the Civil Service back in the '80s. They wouldn't even let me take the exam. Furthermore, they told me if I wasn't Black or Female, I would be wasting my time because they wouldn't hire anyone for years until their quota was caught up. No bigotry here on my part -- just stating the facts. The OMB told me unless I could claim I was part of a "maligned group" I could just forget it. After taking this information home with me, a young Chattanooga friend of mine recently enlisting in the service, listed his ethnic background as "Native American." He is 1/8th Cherokee but you would never know.

I think if an IRS employee is really sharp, they get sucked into their Fraud and Criminal investigation sections. If they're not, then they're left behind to help customers and preparers like us. In the worst cases, I've always seemed to get relief from "Taxpayer Advocates" but often I have to go that far to find any semblance of competancy.

I found out early in my career not to try to "offset" old unsettled refunds against current liabilities. They just ignore them and penalize current taxes. However, I have had some success with Alabama and other states by showing old unsettled refunds as taxes paid in as estimated taxes. They do reconcile estimated paid-in taxes and when they don't reconcile, you will get someone's attention.

Alabama is a strange state with respect to refunds. Their constitution (as is the case for most states) REQUIRES a balanced budget by June 30 every year. On two different occasions, the state government was not going to meet their balanced budget so they intentionally sat on all individual tax refunds and issued them on August 15th instead of the normal 8-week turnaround. I have a few Alabama customers and have advised every one of them to arrange their withholding such that they are NEVER waiting on the state to issue refunds. This may be an all-time stupid, even for governments.

[Skate1968]

How many years would qualify you for full retirement in federal government?

I have no idea. I'm just looking at it as a steadier work flow which is less contingent on the season. Whereas now I might do 70 hour weeks in the spring & the 0 hour weeks in the fall.

[taxmandan]

I have no idea. I'm just looking at it as a steadier work flow which is less contingent on the season. Whereas now I might do 70 hour weeks in the spring & the 0 hour weeks in the fall.

That's why I left gov't and got into tax work. Work a whole bunch in the winter, and take frequent vacations and long weekends the rest of the year.

[Joe Btfsplk]

My civil service job

When I was in the Air Force, I worked for the Auditor General's dept. When I left the Air Force, I applied for a civilian job with the Auditor General. There was no immediate response, but I had been highly recommended by two resident auditors for whom I had worked. After I took a job with a public accounting firm, the civil service job came through.

I was not required to take any sort of exam for the civil service job, but when I was in the Air Force I was required to take a test to get in the Auditor General and , before being selected, was interviewed by the assistant resident auditor at Kelly AFB--who later became resident auditor and was my boss when I was in Civil Service.

Initially everyone with the Auditor General had to have a degree in accounting. Later they need more auditors and one guy, a second lieutenant with a journalism degree, became an auditor after a crash course. He actually turned to be one of the better auditors in our office.

[Unregistered]

IRS usually reviews the earlier tax returns filed by job applicants. Please make sure that your returns were prepared and filed properly.

[Skate1968]

Thanks Guest

[dyne]

It used to be that 30 years service and age 55 or older would qualify you for full
retirement from the government. Since then the old defined benefit retirement plan has
been replaced by a Section 401(k) plan so who knows what else has changed.