# The IRS is hiring...

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-irs-is-hiring/515074>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [October 25, 2009, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-irs-is-hiring/515074 "2009-10-25T18:14:17Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![GESancMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gesancman/32/2923_2.png) [@GESancMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GESancMan)\
**Post date:** [October 25, 2009, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-irs-is-hiring/515074/1 "2009-10-25T18:14:17Z")

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From [this](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=536955) thread:

> [@Overqualified for jobs](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overqualified-for-jobs/514755/27):
>
> Those with degrees- the IRS is doing a massive hire, fyi.

I’ve heard about this, but I’ve been afraid to apply.

The last few years, while finishing my BS in Math, I worked a part-time gig as an independent contractor delivering food from restaurants to customers’ homes, using my own vehicle. At tax time, I’ve always guestimated my expenses when claiming my truck, but I low-ball my estimates - e.g, I’d claim I drove 10000 miles on the job for the year, when I probably drove 15000.

I fear that if I apply to the IRS, I’ll get audited. I think one of the ads I saw even said as much. I probably wouldn’t have much to worry about, but it sounds like it would be a huge hassle.

Am I being paranoid?

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**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\
**Post date:** [October 25, 2009, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-irs-is-hiring/515074/2 "2009-10-25T22:03:33Z")

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Dunno much about working for them but this book might be informative (the author sort of stumbled into it):

> **[Confessions of a Tax Collector: One Man's Tour of Duty Inside the IRS: Yancey,...](https://www.amazon.com/Confessions-Tax-Collector-Mans-Inside/dp/0060555602)**
>
> Confessions of a Tax Collector: One Man's Tour of Duty Inside the IRS \[Yancey, Richard\] on Amazon.com. \*FREE\* shipping on qualifying offers. Confessions of a Tax Collector: One Man's Tour of Duty Inside the IRS

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**Author:** ![Iridescent\_Orb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@Iridescent\_Orb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iridescent_Orb)\
**Post date:** [October 27, 2009, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-irs-is-hiring/515074/3 "2009-10-27T05:46:39Z")

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I would be surprised if you were audited simply for applying. They will certainly do some type of background check, which will probably include verifying you filed your returns and paid your taxes. If they looked hard enough, they could probably find something wrong on anyone’s return (except mine, of course :)).

If the job is of interest to you, I recommend applying. Good luck (and take it easy when you are auditing Dopers…).

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**Author:** ![MOIDALIZE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@MOIDALIZE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MOIDALIZE)\
**Post date:** [October 27, 2009, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-irs-is-hiring/515074/4 "2009-10-27T06:19:32Z")

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I spoke to an IRS hiring fella recenly at a job fair. He told me that they weren’t hiring this year, at least for investigator positions. Apparently, they were told that they were going to hire a bunch of people (which they did), only to have their budget pulled out from under them, leaving them to have to put a bunch of prospective hires on a waiting list.