The Internal Revenue Service announced that it will stop a majority of unannounced visits by agents to taxpayers' homes.
The IRS announced the news on Monday, saying the change was part of an effort to address “public confusion and enhance overall safety measures for taxpayers and employees.”
According to Fox Business, the change to the decades-long practice is effective immediately except in some rare cases.
“We are taking a fresh look at how the IRS operates to better serve taxpayers and the nation, and making this change is a common-sense step,” IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel said. “Changing this long-standing procedure will increase confidence in our tax administration work and improve overall safety for taxpayers and IRS employees.”
“The growth in scam artists bombarding taxpayers has increased confusion about home visits by IRS revenue officers,” it added. “Sometimes scam artists appear at the door posing as IRS agents, creating confusion for not just the taxpayers living there but local law-enforcement.”
The IRS also said its agents “routinely faced hazards and uncertainty” in making the unannounced visits.
“We have the tools we need to successfully collect revenue without adding stress with unannounced visits,” Werfel said in a statement. “The only losers with this change in policy are scammers posing as the IRS.”
The agency says the “rare instances” in which such visits will continue are for “service of summonses and subpoenas; and also sensitive enforcement activities involving the seizure of assets. The agency estimated it handles less than a few hundred such cases each year.
Instead of the unannounced visits, taxpayers will now receive appointment letters known as 725-Bs and will be able to schedule face-to-face meetings at later dates, according to the IRS.
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