Message from the National Board

We hope you are doing well during these unprecedented times we have in dealing with the Coronavirus 2019, better known as COVID 19. We are all facing some sort of change or challenge in our daily lives, whether it is the social distancing and staying in place or have contracted the disease or know of someone who is fighting it.  For those who have been directly affected,  our hearts go out to you and pray for your quick recovery.   As part of the HIRE Family we encourage you to reach out to us with your concerns and we shall try to assist or provide guidance on available resources. You may reach us directly at the emails noted below. You may also reach out to your Area Representative and they will share your concern with us.   

The IRS has been staying on top of COVID 19 by making many changes to help prevent the spread of this pandemic virus.  This includes changes in how we deal with  taxpayers and with IRS personnel to minimize contact while still doing our work.  Please make sure to keep up with the numerous emails sent out by your Business Operating Divisions, including the periodic emails sent by the IRS Commissioner with links to resources available, such as the Employee Assistance Program and the status of business operations.  The IRS Source home page currently has a Climate Pulse Survey open through June 22, 2002, to help ascertain how we are doing. We encourage you to reply since this will help management understand and help address some of our challenges. 

The IRS website also provides much information on current activities affecting our taxpayers.  This includes information on the extended filing due dates, the Economic Impact Payment which provides up to $1,200 as a one-time payment to eligible taxpayers and the Paycheck Protection Program which provides small businesses with funds to pay for up to 8 weeks of payroll costs and benefits for employees. Please continue to review this website for information including new developments. 

Most companies, including many of our sponsors, have also put out a lot of information on what they are doing to help prevent the spread of COVID 19 and to help us navigate during these difficult times. We applaud their efforts and ask that you visit their websites to gain more perspective on what others are doing which may help in our daily lives.

The Internal Revenue Service Centers have been mostly closed for several weeks and unable to process many items such as paper filed returns, including amended returns requesting refunds critical to paying for business operations or personal items, checks that need posting, and other important items.  As we slowly get back to normal it will be a huge task to catch up with all pending items critical to our operations and which affects both internal and external stakeholders.  Other work has been on hold and will also be getting back to normal.  We ask that you keep open lines of communications to understand the new processes and to stay connected with each other and with us so that we know how we can help you.

We would also like to hear from you and learn how you are coping with and overcoming COVID 19 challenges.  We hope things go back to normal sooner rather than later, we wish you well and continued good health, and look forward to hearing from you.  

Warmest Regards,

Sergio Guzman, National President, Sergio.Guzman@irs.gov