Improving the Amended Tax Return Journey: From Frustration to Transparency
Led diagnostic research on the amended tax return journey to identify root causes of taxpayer pain and design a streamlined, transparent process for millions of Americans who amend their returns annually.
Title and Introduction
Improving the Amended Tax Return Journey: From Frustration to Transparency
As part of a broader initiative to modernize high-impact taxpayer experiences, the IRS conducted a diagnostic on the "File and Check Status of Amended Returns" journey. The goal: identify root causes of taxpayer pain and design a more streamlined, transparent, and responsive process for millions of Americans who amend their tax returns each year.
Problem Statement
The current experience for filing and tracking amended returns is lengthy, opaque, and labor-intensive. Taxpayers face delays of 6–16 weeks, inconsistent updates, paper-based communications, and confusion due to IRS-specific jargon. On the IRS side, employees navigate fragmented systems and perform manual processing, which slows down resolution and burdens call centers.
Process and Methodology
The team used a rapid diagnostics approach combining:
- Behavioral and statistical insights provided by the Customer Experience (CX) team and Research, Applied Analytics, and Statistics (RAAS) office
- Journey Mapping of key stages such as filing, checking status, and interpreting IRS notices
- SME Reviews and System Mapping across platforms like Accounts Management, Modernized e-File (MeF), Individual Master File (IMF), AMS, and Online Account
- Root Cause Synthesis integrating qualitative insights and backend systems to uncover systemic breakdowns in the user journey
Solution and Implementation
Proposed solutions were mapped to short-, mid-, and long-term implementation phases:
- By FY24: Clearer refund messages in "Where's My Refund" and integration with online account logins
- By FY25–FY26: Centralized case management for IRS employees, digital correspondence, authenticated bots, and proactive alerts
- By FY28 and beyond: Full automation of amended returns processing, real-time status visibility, and integrated IRS tools offering a 360-degree taxpayer view
Results and Impact
- Strategic Influence – Presented findings to IRS Commissioner and key stakeholders which led to green light of 50+ UX and CX research projects to improve customer and employee experiences.
- Pain Point Identification – Flagged critical taxpayer pain points including lack of real-time status, vague messaging, and need for call-in resolution.
- Future Visioning – Designed a target state where processing times drop from weeks to days and notifications are electronic, timely, and actionable.
- Impact Framework – Created a prioritization framework to assess feasibility and taxpayer impact of each potential improvement.
Visuals and Design
- Journey Maps of current and future states for amended returns
- System diagrams showing IT system touchpoints (MeF, AMS, IDRS, CADE 2)
- Pain Point Tables linking each challenge to root causes and proposed solutions
- Persona Scenario (e.g., Teresa's refund use case) with emotion-tagged journey highlights
Credits and My Role
My Role: UX Research and Journey Mapping Lead
- Mapped taxpayer experiences and backend system processes
- Led diagnostic synthesis and co-developed future state scenarios
- Partnered with CX Analytics, RAAS, SME reviewers, and technical leads
- Informed service blueprinting and prioritization of fixes based on feasibility and impact
Collaborators:
- IRS Customer Experience Office
- Research, Applied Analytics, and Statistics (RAAS)
- Accounts Management, IT systems teams (MeF, AMS, CADE 2)
- External design partners and strategy leads
Call to Action
If you're working to untangle complex service experiences or reimagine public sector processes, let's connect. I bring the insight, empathy, and systems thinking needed to turn institutional complexity into human-centered clarity.