What is an IRS Revenue Officer?

You were surprised to get a letter from the Internal Revenue Service. Even more surprising was that the IRS wanted to send out a revenue officer to talk to you.

It’s not common for people to deal with these officers directly, but they could if the IRS finds that they cannot collect debts from you through the Automated Collection System. If you owe over $100,000, you’re more likely to have to deal with the IRS Revenue Officer.

What Is an IRS Revenue Officer?

In the Internal Revenue Service, there is a person called a revenue officer. People who have the IRS revenue officer title have a few abilities including:

• Levying accounts receivable
• Filing lawsuits to seize your property
• Checking your credit to see if you can pay any delinquent taxes
• Filing court orders to obtain search warrants
• Subpoenaing documents

These officers are not allowed to arrest you. They can, however, forward your case to the IRS Criminal Investigations Division (CID), which may be able to pursue a criminal case against you in some instances.

The IRS Revenue Officer does have authorities that surprise some people or make them worry, but if you have not been intentionally fraudulent with your activities, then you shouldn’t have much to be concerned about. Their job is to try to get the taxes you owe to the government, not necessarily to forward you on to the CID.

If you’re going to be talking to an IRS Revenue Officer, it’s important to talk to your attorney. Your attorney can help you prepare for that meeting and assist you with any concerns that you have.