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This job is open to

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Internal to an agency

Current federal employees of the hiring agency that posted the job announcement.

Career transition (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL)

Federal employees whose job, agency or department was eliminated and are eligible for priority over other applicants.

Clarification from the agency

Open to IRS Career/Career-Conditional, Treasury/IRS CTAP, & IRS RPP employees

Duties

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WHAT IS THE RETURN PREPARER OFFICE (RPO) DIVISION?
A description of the business units can be found at: https://www.jobs.irs.gov/about/who/business-divisions

Four (4) vacancies will be filled in the following specialty area:
Return Preparer Office (RPO), Return Preparer Suitability, Group 1 or 2.

The following are the duties of this position at the full working level. If this vacancy includes more than one grade and you are selected at a lower grade level, you will have the opportunity to learn to perform these duties and receive training to help you grow in this position.

Reviews Preparer Tax Identification Number (PTIN) Holders for personal tax compliance to ensure they meet program requirements and standards. Checks and verifies self-reported professional designation to ensure accuracy of claims, and verifies personal tax compliance. Determines eligibility of the preparer to hold a PTIN credential if a permanently enjoined or incarcerated status is held.
Verifies current return preparer credentials. Ensures that preparers have met personal tax compliance standards. Takes appropriate action to resolve any instances of inconsistencies of self-reported and actual professional designation.
Researches and evaluates available data to identify problem areas or non-compliance issues. Identifies issues that may develop from assigned case for adherence to program requirements or possible violations. As appropriate, makes initial suitability and disciplinary recommendations (e.g., revoke PTIN).
Provides guidance to return preparers who require assistance in processing their application, in retrieving the status of their application, and appealing program suitability decisions.
Communicates with suitability vendors, on the progress, status, and conclusions of suitability check criteria. Reviews vendor data for coding accuracy to ensure the correct population of preparers are subject to Suitability review.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

STANDARD POSITION DESCRIPTIONS (SPD):
PD98664, PD98663, and PD98662
Visit the IRS SPD Library to access the position descriptions.

If you are in a telework eligible position, you may be directed to temporarily telework on a full-time basis due to COVID 19. Employees must be within a 200-mile radius of their official assigned post-of-duty (POD) while in a telework status. Once normal operations resume, employees may be directed back to the office to perform the duties of their position. Telework eligibility does not guarantee telework; employees must meet and sustain IRS telework eligibility requirements and supervisor's approval to participate in the IRS Telework Program. As a reminder - If you are selected for a position, you are responsible for reporting to your designated POD (location) on the negotiated start date or as directed by management.

Qualifications

Federal experience is not required. The experience may have been gained in the public sector, private sector or Volunteer Service. One year of experience refers to full-time work; part-time work is considered on a prorated basis. To ensure full credit for your work experience, please indicate dates of employment by month/year, and indicate number of hours worked per week, on your resume.

You must meet the following requirements by the closing date of this announcement:

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE/EDUCATION FOR GS-07: You must have 1 year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-05 grade level in the Federal service. Experience for this position includes: experience with IRS policies, goals, objectives, regulations, and guidelines in order to analyze and validate the information on Return Preparer applications; experience using analytical and evaluative methods and techniques for isolating case issues and develop a course of action; experience with basic accounting principles and common business practices to make determinations of submitted Return Preparer applications. You must have one year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-05 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this position includes: Experience assisting with analytical and evaluative methods in order to assess and measure program operations effectiveness; Experience assisting in the use of technical methods and practices such as program analysis, process analysis, management reporting procedures and available system capabilities in order to carry out limited projects and to develop reports; Experience in recognizing issues that impact assigned programs in order to make valid conclusions; Experience with oral and written communications to exchange information, to prepare reports, explaining program differences and recommending improvements and/or corrective action.
OR
You may substitute education for specialized experience as follows:
One (1) academic year of graduate education in a field of study that demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform the duties of this position.
OR
Superior Academic Achievement may be met by having a Bachelor's degree, with one of the following: A GPA of 2.95 or higher on a 4.0 scale for all completed undergraduate courses or those completed in the last 2 years of study, or a GPA of 3.45 or higher on a 4.0 scale for all courses in the major field of study or those courses in the major completed in the last 2 years of study, or rank in the upper one third of the class in the college, university, or major subdivision, or membership in a national honor society recognized by the Association of College Honor Societies.
OR
A combination of specialized experience and graduate education.

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE/EDUCATION FOR GS-09: You must have 1 year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-07 grade level in the Federal service. Experience for this position includes experience with the policies, precedents, goals, objectives, regulations, and guidelines of the Return Preparer Program to analyze and validate information on Return Preparer applications and to recognize potential/actual fraud or non-compliance with established regulations. Experience applying tax law and how it relates to industry ethical practices, regulatory provisions, and emerging trends to locate sources of problems and to identify/expedite the resolution of applications. Experience with basic accounting principles and common business practices to make determinations of submitted Return Preparer applications. Experience with the IRS mission, organization, work processes, functions, and structure to ensure work assignments facilitate achievement of overall agency goals and objectives.
OR
You may substitute education for specialized experience as follows:
A master's or equivalent graduate degree in a related field of study.
OR
Two (2) full academic years of graduate level education leading to a master's or equivalent degree in a related field of study.
OR
LL.B. or J.D., if related.
OR
A combination of specialized experience and graduate education.

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE/EDUCATION FOR GS-11: You must have 1 year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-9 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this position includes experience with policies, precedents, goals, objectives, regulations, and guidelines of the Return Preparer Program to analyze and validate information on Return Preparer applications and to recognize potential/actual fraud or non-compliance with regulations. Experience applying tax law and how it relates the Return Preparer Program, regulatory provisions, and emerging trends to identify/expedite the resolution of applications. Experience with the IRS mission, organization, work processes, functions, and structure to ensure work assignments facilitate achievement of overall agency goals and objectives. Experience applying statutory, regulatory, and policy requirements and guidelines governing the IRS, including applicable portions of the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) and Internal Revenue Manual (IRM), to prepare recommendations affecting program execution. Experience applying analytical and evaluative methods and techniques to isolate and define all legal and factual case issues and develop appropriate courses of action. Experience with basic accounting principles and common business practices relating to the commercial return preparer industry to make determinations relative to submitted applications. Experience applying oral and written communication methods and techniques to present findings; deliver briefings; assist others in understanding and accepting findings and recommendations; negotiate solutions to disputed recommendations; prepare work papers and management information reports; and clearly and effectively communicate with all individuals.
OR
You may substitute education for specialized experience as follows:
A Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree.
OR
Three (3) full academic years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a doctoral degree or equivalent in a related field of study from an accredited college or university.
OR
LL.M., if related.
OR
A combination of specialized experience and graduate education.

AND

MEET TIME IN GRADE (TIG) REQUIREMENT: For positions above the GS-05, applicants must meet applicable time-in-grade requirements to be considered eligible. One year (52 weeks) at the next lower grade level is required to meet the time-in-grade requirements for the grade you are applying for.

AND

TIME AFTER COMPETITIVE APPOINTMENT: By the closing date (or if this is an open continuous announcement, by the cut-off date) specified in this job announcement, current civilian employees must have completed at least 90 days of federal civilian service since their latest non-temporary appointment from a competitive referral certificate, known as time after competitive appointment. For this requirement, a competitive appointment is one where you applied to and were appointed from an announcement open to "All US Citizens".

For more information on qualifications please refer to OPM's Qualifications Standards.

Education

A copy of your transcripts or equivalent documentation is required for positions with an education requirement, or if you are qualifying based on education or a combination of education and experience. An official transcript will be required if you are selected. If the position has specific education requirements and you currently hold, or have previously held, a position in the same job series with the IRS, there is no need to submit a transcript or equivalent at this time. Applicants are encouraged, but are not required, to submit an SF-50 documenting experience in a specific series.

A college or university degree generally must be from an accredited (or pre-accredited) college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools which meet these criteria, please refer to Department of Education Accreditation page.

FOREIGN EDUCATION: Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the requirements. You must show proof the education credentials have been deemed to be at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. education program. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence when applying. Click here for Foreign Education Credentialing instructions.

Additional information

We may select from this announcement or any other source to fill one or more vacancies. Additional jobs may be filled.
The salary range indicated in this announcement reflects the minimum locality pay up to maximum locality pay for all duty locations listed. The range will be adjusted for selected duty location. General Schedule locality pay tables may be found under Salaries & Wages.
This is a bargaining unit position.
Tour of Duty: Day Shift - Start and stop times between 6:00am and 6:00pm.
Relocation expenses - No

This is an open continuous announcement which allows applicants to apply up to the closing date of the announcement, 12/29/2023. The announcement will be used to fill an anticipated 4 vacancies. Selections may be made from certificates issued up to 12 months after the 1st cut-off date listed below. Contingent upon funding and space requirements, one or more vacancies may be filled at the locations listed in this announcement as they become available. Applicants need to apply and/or update their applications by 11:59 pm ET at the close of each of the following cutoff dates to be considered 1/31/2023, 4/28/2023, 7/31/2023,10/31/2023. This announcement may be amended to include additional cut-off dates within the 12-month period if needed, not later than 10 days prior to the additional cut-off date or the final selection date.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Your application includes your resume, responses to the online questions, and required supporting documents. Please be sure that your resume includes detailed information to support your qualifications for this position; failure to provide sufficient evidence in your resume may result in a "not qualified" determination.

Rating: Your application will be evaluated on the Critical Job Elements (CJE) of the position to be filled, in accordance with Article 13 of the IRS/NTEU National Agreement. Your application will also be rated and ranked among others, based on your responses to the online questions/assessment. Your experience, education, training, prior performance, and awards, relevant to the position being filled, will be considered throughout the hiring process. IRS employees may obtain most recent awards listing at https://persinfo.web.irs.gov/.

Referral: If you are among the top qualified candidates, your application may be referred to a selecting official for consideration. You may be required to participate in a selection interview (telephonic and/or in person at the discretion of the Selecting Official in accordance with hiring polices). We will not reimburse costs related to the interview such as travel to and from the interview site.

If you are a displaced or surplus Federal employee eligible for Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP), you must receive a score of 80 or better to be rated as well qualified to receive special selection priority.

Required Documents

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The following documents are required and must be provided with your application. All application materials, including transcripts, must be in English.

Resume - Your resume MUST contain dates of employment (i.e., month/year to month/year or to present). To ensure you receive full credit for relevant experience, include the hours worked per week. If including Federal service experience, provide pay plan, series and grade, i.e. GS-0301-09. Your resume must NOT include photographs, inappropriate content, or personal information such as age, gender, religion, social security number. If your resume does not contain the required information specified, or contains prohibited information as listed above, your application will be determined incomplete, and you will not receive consideration for this position. (Cover letters are optional.) Please view Resume Tips.
Online Application - Questionnaire responses
Education - See Education Section above
Performance Appraisal/Awards - Submit a copy of your most recent completed performance appraisal. If a revalidated appraisal is used for merit promotion, the supervisor must prepare a narrative for each critical job element that does not have a narrative describing the performance in the appraisal period covered by the rating. Note: If you are a manager or management official, your most recent annual performance appraisal must be used for the overall rating identified.
Registration/License (if applicable) - active, current registration/license
IRS Reassignment Preference Program (RPP)(if applicable) - You MUST meet the requirements in your RPP notice. Submit a copy of your RPP Notice along with a copy of your most recent annual performance appraisal. Your performance appraisal must have a fully successful or higher overall rating.
Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP)(if applicable) - You MUST submit the required documentation as outlined at: Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP). If you are an IRS CTAP eligible, you can apply for jobs within and outside the commuting area. If you are a Treasury CTAP eligible can apply for jobs within the commuting area.

Please note that if you do not provide all required information, as specified in this announcement, your application will be determined incomplete, and you will not be considered for this position (or may not receive the special consideration for which you may be eligible).

Help

The following instructions outline our application process. You must complete this application process and submit any required documents by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on 12/29/2023 and/or cut-off dates in this announcement. We are available to assist you during business hours (normally 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. ET, Monday - Friday). If applying online poses a hardship, please contact us by noon ET on 12/29/2023.

To preview the Application Questionnaire, please click the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/11776623

To begin the application process, click the "Apply Online" button.
You will be re-directed to USASTAFFING to complete your application process; answer the online questions and submit all required documents. (To submit supporting documents, import documents from USAJOBS to the appropriate document types. If the document you need was not imported from USAJOBS, you may upload it directly into this application. To protect your privacy, we suggest you first remove your SSN).
To complete, you must click the "Submit Application" button prior to 11:59 PM (ET) on 12/29/2023.

To update your application, including supporting documentation, at any time during the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account (https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login). There you will find a record of your application, the application status, and an option to Update Application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed.

To verify the status of your application both during and after the announcement open period, log into your USAJOBS account: https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login . All of your applications will appear on the Welcome page. The application record in your USAJOBS account provides an Additional Application Information page that provides information regarding the documentation you submitted and any correspondence we have sent related to this application. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/.

Agency contact information

(ERC) Employee Resource Center

Phone: 866-743-5748
Email: KCJobs@irs.gov
Website: https://irssource.web.irs.gov/Lists/General%20News/DispItemForm.aspx?ID=624

Address: Return Preparer Office
1111 Constitution Ave NW
Washington, DC 20224
US

Next steps

Treasury believes in a working environment that supports inclusion; please view our reasonable accommodation policies and procedures at https://www.jobs.irs.gov/midcareer/reasonable-accommodation.html. We will provide reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities on a case-by-case basis; please contact us if you require this for any part of the application and hiring process.

Once your application package and online questionnaire is received you will receive an acknowledgement email. You are responsible for checking status updates and notifications in USAJOBS. Hard copy notifications will not be sent to you. You may check the status of your application for this position at any time by logging onto the USAJOBS "My Account" tab and clicking on "Application Status." For a more detailed update of your application status, you may click on "more information." Please notify us if your contact information changes after the closing date of the announcement. If your email mailbox is full or blocked (SPAM) you may not receive important communication that could affect your consideration for this position.

As a current employee, you know the great benefits we offer. Should you have any questions about benefits, please contact the Employee Resource Center (ERC) at 1-866-743-5748 option #1 for ERC.

Required Documents

Help

The following documents are required and must be provided with your application. All application materials, including transcripts, must be in English.

Resume - Your resume MUST contain dates of employment (i.e., month/year to month/year or to present). To ensure you receive full credit for relevant experience, include the hours worked per week. If including Federal service experience, provide pay plan, series and grade, i.e. GS-0301-09. Your resume must NOT include photographs, inappropriate content, or personal information such as age, gender, religion, social security number. If your resume does not contain the required information specified, or contains prohibited information as listed above, your application will be determined incomplete, and you will not receive consideration for this position. (Cover letters are optional.) Please view Resume Tips.
Online Application - Questionnaire responses
Education - See Education Section above
Performance Appraisal/Awards - Submit a copy of your most recent completed performance appraisal. If a revalidated appraisal is used for merit promotion, the supervisor must prepare a narrative for each critical job element that does not have a narrative describing the performance in the appraisal period covered by the rating. Note: If you are a manager or management official, your most recent annual performance appraisal must be used for the overall rating identified.
Registration/License (if applicable) - active, current registration/license
IRS Reassignment Preference Program (RPP)(if applicable) - You MUST meet the requirements in your RPP notice. Submit a copy of your RPP Notice along with a copy of your most recent annual performance appraisal. Your performance appraisal must have a fully successful or higher overall rating.
Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP)(if applicable) - You MUST submit the required documentation as outlined at: Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP). If you are an IRS CTAP eligible, you can apply for jobs within and outside the commuting area. If you are a Treasury CTAP eligible can apply for jobs within the commuting area.

Please note that if you do not provide all required information, as specified in this announcement, your application will be determined incomplete, and you will not be considered for this position (or may not receive the special consideration for which you may be eligible).

How to Apply

Help

The following instructions outline our application process. You must complete this application process and submit any required documents by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on 12/29/2023 and/or cut-off dates in this announcement. We are available to assist you during business hours (normally 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. ET, Monday - Friday). If applying online poses a hardship, please contact us by noon ET on 12/29/2023.

To preview the Application Questionnaire, please click the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/11776623

To begin the application process, click the "Apply Online" button.
You will be re-directed to USASTAFFING to complete your application process; answer the online questions and submit all required documents. (To submit supporting documents, import documents from USAJOBS to the appropriate document types. If the document you need was not imported from USAJOBS, you may upload it directly into this application. To protect your privacy, we suggest you first remove your SSN).
To complete, you must click the "Submit Application" button prior to 11:59 PM (ET) on 12/29/2023.

To update your application, including supporting documentation, at any time during the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account (https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login). There you will find a record of your application, the application status, and an option to Update Application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed.

To verify the status of your application both during and after the announcement open period, log into your USAJOBS account: https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login . All of your applications will appear on the Welcome page. The application record in your USAJOBS account provides an Additional Application Information page that provides information regarding the documentation you submitted and any correspondence we have sent related to this application. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/.

Agency contact information

(ERC) Employee Resource Center

Phone: 866-743-5748
Email: KCJobs@irs.gov
Website: https://irssource.web.irs.gov/Lists/General%20News/DispItemForm.aspx?ID=624

Address: Return Preparer Office
1111 Constitution Ave NW
Washington, DC 20224
US

Next steps

Treasury believes in a working environment that supports inclusion; please view our reasonable accommodation policies and procedures at https://www.jobs.irs.gov/midcareer/reasonable-accommodation.html. We will provide reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities on a case-by-case basis; please contact us if you require this for any part of the application and hiring process.

Once your application package and online questionnaire is received you will receive an acknowledgement email. You are responsible for checking status updates and notifications in USAJOBS. Hard copy notifications will not be sent to you. You may check the status of your application for this position at any time by logging onto the USAJOBS "My Account" tab and clicking on "Application Status." For a more detailed update of your application status, you may click on "more information." Please notify us if your contact information changes after the closing date of the announcement. If your email mailbox is full or blocked (SPAM) you may not receive important communication that could affect your consideration for this position.

As a current employee, you know the great benefits we offer. Should you have any questions about benefits, please contact the Employee Resource Center (ERC) at 1-866-743-5748 option #1 for ERC.