Ethics: IRS Behavioral Insights for Accountants

Ethics: IRS Behavioral Insights for Accountants

CPE Credit:
2

Overview

Description:
This course provides a concise overview of how the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) thinks. The session reviews how the agency uses behavioral insights — the study of how people reflect and behave — to drive compliance, positively impact taxpayer engagement, and reduce taxpayer burden. While the IRS is governed by federal tax law, it’s also shaped by social norms. As part of their mission to collect taxes and administer the Internal Revenue Code, the agency utilizes human psychology to achieve their goals. These activities include public identity (using the IRS logo, seal, and symbol), voluntary compliance (using public shaming and the “Wesley Snipes” effect), trust building (using a Taxpayer Bill of Rights), and error reductions (using alerts and reminders to nudge behaviors). The session reveals how to “get into the head” of the agency and better understand the key psychological factors (individual, environmental, social) that drive leading IRS operations and decisions. The course also spotlights the leading issues and pain-points that are currently “top of mind” for the agency and how practitioners can be more mindful in their interactions with the IRS to improve outcomes. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.
Field of Study:
Behavioral Ethics (2 CPE)

Instructor

Instructor:
Garrett Wasny, MA, CMC, CITP/FIBP

Additional Details

Who should attend:
Practitioners who want to better understand how behavioral insights impact IRS operations and how this cognitive concept can be used by accountants to improve their interactions with the agency.
Program Level:
Overview
Program Content:
  • Behavioral insights (BI) Primer
  • How and why BI are used by the IRS
  • IRS and individual decision-making
  • IRS and environmental and design considerations
  • IRS and social norms
  • IRS “top of mind” issues
  • BI and Implementation of tax reform legislation
  • BI and private debt collection
  • BI and online taxpayer accounts
  • BI and taxpayer rights in “real” vs. “unreal” audits
  • BI and the tax-exempt approval process
  • BI and passport renewal and revocation
  • How to use BI to more mindfully interact with the IRS to improve outcomes
Learning Objectives:
Highlight the corporate cognitive-culture and psychological foundations of IRS processes, policies, information products and rulings
Explore IRS communication dynamics with taxpayers and tax professionals
Use an “IRS lens” to more rationally and pragmatically interact with the agency
Prerequisites:
None
Advanced Preparation:
None
Developed By:
Garrett Wasny
Format:
Group-Internet-Based
Course Code:
GWIBIAW2

Registration:

$89.00

Attendee Information

Please select one of the following options to register for this webinar:

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Ethics: IRS Behavioral Insights for Accountants

Course Code:
GWIBIAW2
Program Level:
Overview
Description:
This course provides a concise overview of how the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) thinks. The session reviews how the agency uses behavioral insights — the study of how people reflect and behave — to drive compliance, positively impact taxpayer engagement, and reduce taxpayer burden. While the IRS is governed by federal tax law, it’s also shaped by social norms. As part of their mission to collect taxes and administer the Internal Revenue Code, the agency utilizes human psychology to achieve their goals. These activities include public identity (using the IRS logo, seal, and symbol), voluntary compliance (using public shaming and the “Wesley Snipes” effect), trust building (using a Taxpayer Bill of Rights), and error reductions (using alerts and reminders to nudge behaviors). The session reveals how to “get into the head” of the agency and better understand the key psychological factors (individual, environmental, social) that drive leading IRS operations and decisions. The course also spotlights the leading issues and pain-points that are currently “top of mind” for the agency and how practitioners can be more mindful in their interactions with the IRS to improve outcomes. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.
Program Content:
  • Behavioral insights (BI) Primer
  • How and why BI are used by the IRS
  • IRS and individual decision-making
  • IRS and environmental and design considerations
  • IRS and social norms
  • IRS “top of mind” issues
  • BI and Implementation of tax reform legislation
  • BI and private debt collection
  • BI and online taxpayer accounts
  • BI and taxpayer rights in “real” vs. “unreal” audits
  • BI and the tax-exempt approval process
  • BI and passport renewal and revocation
  • How to use BI to more mindfully interact with the IRS to improve outcomes
Learning Objectives:
Highlight the corporate cognitive-culture and psychological foundations of IRS processes, policies, information products and rulings
Explore IRS communication dynamics with taxpayers and tax professionals
Use an “IRS lens” to more rationally and pragmatically interact with the agency
Who should attend:
Practitioners who want to better understand how behavioral insights impact IRS operations and how this cognitive concept can be used by accountants to improve their interactions with the agency.
Developed By:
Garrett Wasny
Instructor:
Garrett Wasny, MA, CMC, CITP/FIBP
CPE Credit:
2
Field of Study:
Behavioral Ethics (2 CPE)
Prerequisites:
None
Advanced Preparation:
None
Format:
Group-Internet-Based

Registration:

$89.00

Attendee Information

Please select one of the following options to register for this webinar:

OR

Register By Phone: Call 877.370.2220 and press “1” for the webinar hotline to register

Price

Single Registration
$89.00

Upcoming Dates

  • 5/21/2025 @ 3:00 PM
  • 6/11/2025 @ 11:30 AM
  • 6/27/2025 @ 3:30 PM
  • 7/15/2025 @ 3:30 PM
  • 7/25/2025 @ 11:00 AM
  • 8/4/2025 @ 4:00 PM
  • 8/26/2025 @ 11:00 AM
  • 9/8/2025 @ 10:00 AM
  • 9/19/2025 @ 3:30 PM
  • 10/6/2025 @ 3:30 PM
  • 10/17/2025 @ 3:30 PM
  • 11/6/2025 @ 2:30 PM
  • 11/18/2025 @ 4:00 PM
  • 12/2/2025 @ 4:00 PM
  • 12/12/2025 @ 3:00 PM
  • 1/13/2026 @ 4:00 PM
  • 1/29/2026 @ 10:00 AM
  • 2/10/2026 @ 11:00 AM
  • 2/26/2026 @ 12:30 PM
  • 3/14/2026 @ 11:00 AM
  • 3/26/2026 @ 10:00 AM
  • 4/7/2026 @ 10:00 AM
  • 4/23/2026 @ 9:30 AM

All times are Eastern Time Zone

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