People exit the the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) building in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 20, 2025.
Kent Nishimura | Reuters
The IRS on Wednesday said that it was furloughing nearly half of its workforce due to the ongoing government shutdown.
About 34,000 IRS workers are being furloughed, according to the tax agency. Another 39,870 employees, representing 53.6% of the workforce, will remain on the job.
The furloughs came as the shutdown of federal government operations was in its eighth day, and as dueling funding resolutions that would end the crisis for the sixth time failed to pass in votes by the Senate.
“Due to the lapse in appropriations, most IRS operations are closed,” the agency said in a message to employees on Wednesday.
“An IRS-wide furlough began on October 8, 2025, for everyone except already-identified excepted and exempt employees,” the message said.
“Employees who are not exempt or excepted are furloughed and placed in a non-pay and non-duty status until further notice; however, all employees should plan to report to work for their next tour of duty.”
Furloughed IRS workers were told in a letter that they will receive back pay when the shutdown ends. That letter came a day after an internal draft memo suggested that the Trump administration might question its obligation to give back pay to some furloughed employees.
The furloughs come as the tax agency was already dealing with the effects of mass layoffs that reduced its workforce by about 25%, from around 100,000 workers to about 75,000 now. The layoffs were implemented after President Donald Trump returned to the White House in January.
