Duties
WHAT IS THE SMALL BUSINESS/SELF-EMPLOYED (SB/SE) DIVISION?
A description of the business units can be found at: https://www.jobs.irs.gov/about/who/business-divisions
Vacancies will be filled in the following specialty areas: SBSE Field Exam
The following are the duties of this position at the full working level. If this vacancy includes more than one grade and you are selected at a lower grade level, you will have the opportunity to learn to perform these duties and receive training to help you grow in this position.
- Conducts independent examinations and related investigations of complex income tax returns filed by individuals or business/organizational entities. Examinations may also contain special audit features or anticipated accounting, tax law, or investigative issues of more than usual difficulty or complexity.
- Conducts examinations of complex individual and business taxpayers involved in activities or transactions designated or structured to hide or conceal income such as offshore activities, multiple related entities and other means using a wide range of financial and other investigative skills.
- Conducts package audits to determine that other required returns such as information, excise, or specialty returns are filed and conduct concurrent examinations of these and other returns when warranted. Recognizes the need for specialists and makes appropriate referrals.
- Identifies issues to be pursued based on large, unusual or questionable items which produce significant tax or compliance effect and utilizes the appropriate tax law and facts needed to resolve them. Recognizes indicators of fraudulent activity and develops appropriate referrals.
- Utilizes standard accounting methods and techniques during the course of examinations in order to develop information regarding the income and financial operations of taxpayers.
- Examines accounting systems and records including computerized accounting and financial information systems which reflect a variety of complex financial operations. Gathers and researches data from a variety of sources, and/or specialized accounting practices unique to a particular trade or industry.
Requirements: Conditions of Employment
- To ensure compliance with an applicable preliminary nationwide injunction, which may be supplemented, modified, or vacated, depending on the course of ongoing litigation, the Federal Government will take no action to implement/enforce the COVID-19 vaccination requirement pursuant to Executive Order 14043 on Requiring Coronavirus Disease 2019 Vaccination for Federal Employees. Federal agencies may request information regarding the vaccination status of selected applicants for the purposes of implementing other workplace safety protocols, such as protocols related to masking, physical distancing, testing, travel, and quarantine.
- If you are in a telework eligible position, you may be directed to temporarily telework on a full-time basis due to COVID 19. Employees must be within a 200-mile radius of their official assigned post-of-duty (POD) while in a telework status. Once normal operations resume, employees may be directed back to the office to perform the duties of their position. Telework eligibility does not guarantee telework; employees must meet and sustain IRS telework eligibility requirements and supervisor’s approval to participate in the IRS Telework Program. As a reminder – If you are selected for a position, you are responsible for reporting to your designated POD (location) on the negotiated start date or as directed by management.
- Must be a U.S. Citizen or National and provide proof of U.S. Citizenship. (Birth certificate showing birth in the U.S; Unexpired S. Passport; Certificate of Citizenship or Naturalization; or Report of Birth Abroad of a U.S. Citizen (Form FS-240))
- Undergo an income tax verification and review of prior performance/conduct.
- Must successfully complete a background investigation, including a FBI criminal history record check (fingerprint check).
- Complete a Declaration for Federal Employment to determine your suitability for Federal employment, at the time requested by the agency.
- Go through a Personal Identity Verification (PIV) process that requires two forms of identification from the Form I-9. Federal law requires verification of the identity and employment eligibility of all new hires in the U.S. These documentsmust be unexpired original or certified copies.
Qualifications
Federal experience is not required. The experience may have been gained in the public sector, private sector or Volunteer Service. One year of experience refers to full-time work; part-timework is considered on a prorated basis. To ensure full credit for your work experience, please indicate dates of employment by month/year, and indicate number of hours worked per week, on your resume.
You must meet the following requirements by the closing date of this announcement:
BASIC REQUIREMENTS ALL GRADES (and GS-05):
- Degree in accounting that included at least 30 semester hours in accounting or 24 semester hours in accounting & an additional 6 semester hours in related subjects such as business law, economics, statistical/quantitative methods, computerized accounting or financial systems, financial management, or finance.
OR
- Combination of education & experience: equivalent to 4 years that included courses equivalent to a major in accounting, i.e., at least 30 semester hours in accounting or 24 semester hours in accounting & 6 semester hours in related subjects as described above, in combination with appropriate experience or additional education. A Certificate as a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) obtained through written examination in a State, territory or the District of Columbia meets the requirements for GS-5. Applicants with CPA certificates may qualify for higher grade levels based on their education &/or experience.
AND SELECTIVE PLACEMENT FACTOR: In addition to the above, coursework must be sufficient to demonstrate all the following: principles of accounting, intermediate accounting, auditing & 2 advanced accounting courses (cost accounting is acceptable as one of the advanced accounting courses).
In addition to the basic requirements, you must have one year of Specialized Experience at a level of difficulty & responsibility equivalent to the next lower grade level in the Federal service or qualifying Education: which can be reviewed at the following link, USAJOBS – Job Announcement.
Required Documents
The following documents are required and must be provided with your application. All application materials, including transcripts, must be in English.
- Resume– Your resume MUST contain dates of employment (i.e., month/year to month/year or to present). To ensure you receive full credit for relevant experience, include the hours worked per week. We recommend that your resume not exceed 5 pages, only the first 5 pages will be reviewed to determine your eligibility/qualifications. If including Federal service experience, provide pay plan, series and grade, i.e. GS-0301-09. Your resume must NOT include photographs, inappropriate content, or personal information such as age, gender, religion, social security number. If your resume does not contain the required information specified, or contains prohibited information as listed above, your application will be determined incomplete, and you will not receive consideration for this position. (Cover letters are optional.) Please view Resume Tips.
- Online Application– Questionnaire
- Education– See Education Section above
- Registration/License (if applicable)– active, current registration/license
- Veterans’ Preference (if applicable)– You MUST submit a copy of your DD-214 (Member 4 copy), or other official documentation from a branch of the Armed Forces or the Department of Veterans Affairs showing dates of service and type of discharge. If you are serving under active duty, provide certification from the Armed Forces that you will be discharged or released within 120 days from the date of certification. The certification must indicate your dates of service, rank and that you will be separated under honorable conditions. Submit an Application for 10-point Veteran Preference, SF-15, along with the required documentation listed on the back of the form if you are a 10-point preference eligible. For more information on veterans’ preference view
- Military Spouses (if applicable) – You MUST submit verification of the marriage to the service member (i.e., a marriage license or other legal documentation verifying marriage) AND:
- a copy of your spouse’s active military orders; OR
- verification of your spouse’s 100% service-connected disability (e.g., VA Letter and/or DD-214); OR
- verification of the service member’s death while on active duty (DD-1300/Death Certificate). You are not eligible if you were not married to the veteran at the time of death or have since remarried.
- Current and Former Federal Employees Documentation (if applicable) – It is recommended that you submit a copy of your most recent SF-50 (Notification of Personnel Action) or equivalent personnel action form which shows your current grade and competitive service status (Position Occupied/Block 34 should reflect “1” and Tenure/Block 24 should reflect “1” or “2”).
- Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) (if applicable) –You MUST submit the required documentation as outlined at: Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP). If you are an IRS CTAP eligible, you can apply for jobs within and outside the commuting area. If you are a Treasury CTAP eligible can apply for jobs within the commuting area.
- Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) (if applicable) – If you are a displaced or surplus Federal employee, click Interchange Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP)for eligibility and a detailed list of required documents.
Please note that if you do not provide all required information, as specified in this announcement, your application will be determined incomplete, and you will not be considered for this position (or may not receive the special consideration for which you may be eligible).
How to Apply
The following instructions outline our application process. You must complete this application process and submit any required documents by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on 09/09/2022 and/or cut-off dates in this announcement. We are available to assist you during business hours (normally 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. ET, Monday – Friday). If applying online poses a hardship, please contact us by noon ET on 09/09/2022.
To preview the Application Questionnaire, please click the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/11565510
- To begin the application process,click the “Apply Online” button.
- You will be re-directed to USA STAFFING to complete your application process; answer the online questions and submit all required documents. (To submit supporting documents, import documents from USAJOBS to the appropriate document types. If the document you need was not imported from USAJOBS, you may upload it directly into this application. To protect your privacy, we suggest you first remove your SSN).
- To complete, you must click the “Submit Application” button prior to 11:59 PM (ET) on 09/09/2022.
- After submitting an online application, you will be notified whether or not you are required to complete additional online assessments through the USA Hire Competency Based Assessment system and will be provided any necessary instructions at that time. This message will be delivered to you via email notification. The email may be routed to your “Spam” or “Junk” folder.
- If you are asked to take the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be presented with a unique URL to access the USA Hire system. Access to USA Hire is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials. Be sure to review all instructions prior to beginning your USA Hire Assessments. Click herefor Computer System Requirements.
- Note, set aside adequate time to take these assessments. If you need to stop the assessments and continue at a later time, you can re-use the URL sent to you via email and also found in your USAJOBS account under Track my applicationlink for the corresponding application.
- To update your application, including supporting documentation, at any time during the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account (https://usajobs.gov). There you will find a record of your application and an option to Edit my application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed.
To verify the status of your application both during and after the announcement open period, log into your USAJOBS account. On the Home page, scroll down and locate your job application. Once the job has been located, click the Track this application link on the right under the application date. The page will refresh to display the Agency’s Application Information page where you can scroll down and review any notifications the agency has sent you. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/.
Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests (USA Hire Competency Based Assessments): If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended and Americans with Disabilities Act 1990 as amended, that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a reasonable accommodation in your online application. Requests for Reasonable Accommodations for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for Reasonable Accommodation must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for Reasonable Accommodations are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a Reasonable Accommodation, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments here: https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=Reasonable_Accommodations_for_USA_Hire
You can review further information concerning this position (including applying) at the following link, USAJOBS – Job Announcement.