After a hiring spree to the tune of 13% YoY, the IRS now has the most employees in over a decade at close to 90,000, agency Commissioner Danny Werfel told reporters Tuesday, according to the Federal News Network.
Last year, the IRS counted 79,070 full-time workers.
The last time the agency employed more than 90,000 people was 2012, when there were 90,280 full-time equivalent positions. In 2015, the headcount dropped below 80,000, where it's remained until now.
Last year the Inflation Reduction Act allocated $80 billion to hire new employees - a figure which was later reduced to $60 billion amid bipartisan negotiations.
"A year ago, there were suggestions that this funding was going to supply an army of armed IRS agents who were out to shake down average taxpayers. This myth should be laid to rest," Werfel said - days before an IRS employee accidentally killed a coworker at an Arizona shooting range, adding "There is no mythical army of new IRS agents on the streets.