Reports that Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is seeking access to a guarded Internal Revenue Service (IRS) system has raised alarm bells in Washington and across the nation. Lawmakers and taxpayers say they’re worried about the potential privacy implications of a department run by the world’s richest man having access to extremely sensitive personal and financial information.
While no IRS access has yet been granted or even officially requested, DOGE is already looking into the recesses of several government divisions and expected to broadly widen its scope in the coming weeks. And now a DOGE team member is reportedly close to gaining access to taxpayer data. The Washington Post reports that the IRS is under pressure from the White House to give DOGE officials access to its systems and databases, including one that would allow them to access IRS accounts and bank information.
This comes in the midst of the 2025 tax season, when Americans are in the process of filing their taxes and awaiting refunds.
Why is DOGE looking at the IRS?
The official primary reason being given, per a memorandum obtained by the Post, is for modernization of IRS systems and engineering assistance. The DOGE software engineer who will be working there is reportedly set to spend 120 days at the tax service. One idea the department has floated in the past was launching a mobile app letting people file their taxes.
Few, if any, are disputing that the IRS systems are in need of an overhaul. Many were built in the 1960s. It’s the access to Integrated Data Retrieval System (IDRS) that’s especially unusual. (Even security clearance does not give individuals access to it.)
Will Elon Musk and his team have access to my tax records?
Musk, personally, won’t have access, assuming integration follows the outline in the memorandum. Instead, a single DOGE staffer, software engineer Gavin Kliger, will reportedly work at the IRS and have access to IDRS, which reports say could give him and the Musk-run department access to social security numbers, bank information, and more.
What safeguards are being put into place to protect my privacy?
Kliger would be required to maintain the confidentiality of the tax return information he sees and is required to destroy it when he has finished his work at the IRS. He’s also required to not share any of that information with people who do not have access to IDRS.
Not everyone follows that agreement, of course. An IRS contractor named Charles Littlejohn is currently serving a five-year felony sentence for leaking the tax information of Trump, Musk, and others in 2021.
Could DOGE seeking access to the IRS system affect how long it takes to get my refund?
That’s uncertain. While the IRS has not extended its estimated timeline for refunds (which stands at up to 21 days for e-filed returns and 4 weeks or more for returns sent by mail), any changes to the IRS in the middle of tax season could cause a disruption.
DOGE’s plan to update systems isn’t the only potentially disrupting action the Trump administration has taken with the IRS. Thousands of probationary workers (recent hires or someone who has moved or been promoted into a new position) are expected to be laid off, and it’s unclear if that will slow down the processing of returns. (IRS workers were not given the option to accept a recent buyout offer extended to federal workers.)
At least one Democratic Senator is warning refund delays could happen, though.
NEW: My office is hearing that DOGE is now at the IRS. That means Musk's henchmen are in a position to dig through a trove of data about every taxpayer in America. And if your refund is delayed, they could very well be the reason.
— Ron Wyden (@RonWyden) February 13, 2025
Does this impact my chances of getting audited?
This, too, is unclear. The Biden Administration invested heavily in the IRS, with plans to hire tens of thousands of IRS workers to help with both customer service and enforcement. That investment came with the caveat that the funding, from the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, would not be used to increase audits of people making $400,000 or less per year. The IRS has made “limited progress” with complying with that, however.
It’s unclear if a reduction at the IRS could squeeze resources at the tax agency and reduce its ability to audit corporations and individuals.
Is it legal for DOGE to look through IRS records?
The courts will have to ultimately decide that. Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.), a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, says DOGE’s actions are “illegal and a blatant power grab.” And Attorneys General from 14 states, on Thursday, filed a lawsuit in federal court to challenge DOGE’s plans, saying Musk and the Department’s actions can only be taken by someone who has been approved by the Senate.
