Thursday June 4, 2026
Washington News
IRS Collects $5.1 Trillion in 2024
On May 29, 2025, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) issued the Data Book for fiscal 2024. The Data Book is an annual report on tax revenue and IRS activities for the prior year.
According to the Data Book, the IRS reported it collected $5.1 trillion in tax revenue and issued over 120 million refunds. This was a substantial increase over the $4.7 trillion of tax collected in the prior year. The largest portion of the $5.1 trillion was from individual income taxes, which amounted to $2.8 trillion in 2024.
This is the 30th year that the IRS has published the Data Book. The report also highlights the major changes in IRS leadership. During 2025, there have been four acting commissioners of the IRS.
The IRS had 90,516 full-time equivalent positions in 2024. The largest budget expense was for enforcement funding. The staff level is expected to change. During 2025, over 11,000 IRS employees have retired or selected an early-out option, including 3,623 revenue agents who no longer will be conducting audits.
The IRS conducted 505,514 audits in 2024. This is approximately 13% fewer audits than fiscal 2023. The IRS audits will raise an estimated $36.8 billion in 2024, down from the projected $39.6 billion in the prior fiscal year.
The IRS provided a higher level of taxpayer service this year. Its online services were very popular, especially the "Where’s My Refund?" tool.
In 2024, the IRS launched a "Digital First" initiative. This initiative has resulted in the IRS providing additional features to online accounts for taxpayers, tax professionals and businesses.
The IRS reports that it served over 62 million taxpayers in 2024. This service includes letters of correspondence, phone conversations and visits to taxpayer assistance centers. There were increases in 2024 in all these categories compared to the prior year. The IRS also served 11% more callers and 26% more taxpayers through personal visits.
Editor's Note: This is a time of great change at the IRS. It is helpful for the IRS that the 2025 tax bill is likely to continue many current law provisions. However, there will be substantial changes for tips and overtime and an increased standard exemption for seniors. The Senate is preparing its version of the tax bill. The White House hopes the House and Senate can pass the bill in July.
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