Internal Revenue Agent (Excise Tax Specialist)

Clarification from the agency

Open to U.S. Citizens/Nationals

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.

• Assists in the management of a large inventory of various categories and abstracts of Excise Tax Returns, determining on review of the returns or claims whether an audit is required or whether the return should be accepted as filed. The Internal Revenue Agent assists in the preparation of audit plans, prioritizing, and scheduling assigned work.
• Assists with field examinations of large unit manufacturers, businesses of similar size and complexity to determine compliance with Federal excise tax laws. Field examinations include audits of books and records such as ledgers, journals, cash books, vouchers, bank accounts, correspondence, minutes of meetings, trust instruments, exemption certificates, certificates of incorporation, partnership agreements and catalogs of manufactured goods. Pre-audit attention is focused on those accounts that may have a bearing on excise tax liability.
• In cases where the taxpayer's records are inadequate or incomplete, including third party records and other internal documents, reconstructs the cost of taxable merchandise available for sale, the cost of taxable goods sold the gross profit mark-up and the taxable sales as it relates to potential federal excise liability. Assists in the coordination and receipt of tax documentation and information from third parties, such as customs, suppliers, or manufacturers.
• In medium-sized companies, assigned cases involve exemptions and credits, or the characteristics of manufactured items or distributed products that may or may not make the item or product subject to excise taxation. The incumbent contributes to the reconstruction of accounts and/or the development of other phases of the examination. Develops and reconstructs accounts and/or develops other phases of the examination.
• Under modest supervisory review, initiates audits and investigations arising from case assignments or when referred by Revenue Officers, Internal Revenue Agents, Special Agents or others.

Conditions of employment

• Probationary Period - All newly appointed employees to the competitive (or excepted) service are subject to a probationary (or trial) period. During this time, your performance, conduct, and suitability for continued employment will be evaluated. You will not automatically convert to permanent status at the end of the probationary (or trial) period. Your supervisor must affirmatively determine that continued employment is in the best interest of the Federal service. If no certification is made before the probationary (or trial) period ends, your appointment will be terminated. You are encouraged to actively engage with your supervisor, seek feedback, and understand role expectations. Additional guidance and support will be provided during onboarding.
• Government Credit Card - Obtain and use a Government-issued charge card for business-related travel.
• Tax Audit -The employment of any candidate, including a current employee or a new hire, selected for this position may be conditional upon classification and/or audit of federal tax returns. This audit may include up to 2 years of returns.

Key Eligibility Requirements:

• U.S Citizenship - Must be a U.S. Citizen or National and provide proof of U.S. Citizenship.
• Selective Service Registration - Males born after December 31, 1959 are required to be registered with the Selective Service System or prove they are exempt from having to do so.
• Personal Identity Verification (PIV) - Must provide 2 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 documents must be unexpired original or certified copies.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS SHOWN IN QUALIFICATIONS OR ADDTIONAL INFORMATION SECTIONS

Qualifications

Federal experience is not required. Experience may have been gained in the public sector, private sector or through 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/day/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: A Certificate as a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) or a bachelor's or higher degree in accounting that included at least 30 semester hours in accounting or 24 semester hours in accounting and 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 a combination of education and experience equivalent to 4 years that that included courses equivalent to a major in accounting, i.e., at least 30 semester hours in accounting or 24 semester hours in accounting and 6 semester hours in related subjects as described above, in combination with appropriate experience or additional education.

AND

Specialized Experience GS-09:In addition to the basic requirements, you must have 1 year of Specialized Experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-07 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this position includes:

• Experience in or related to accounting or auditing that provided the specific knowledge, skills and abilities needed to successfully perform the duties of the position. Qualifying experience may have been in accounting, auditing, tax, financial, legal, or other work that required the knowledge and skill described above to sufficiently demonstrate: 1) knowledge of and skill in applying the principles, concepts and methodology of professional accounting and related fields and 2) skill in communicating and dealing effectively with others.

Examples of qualifying experience may include: (This list is not all inclusive)

• Professional accounting work that includes the design, development, operation, or inspection of financial/accounting systems; experience that includes the examination, analysis and interpretation of accounting data, records, or reports and provides accounting or financial management advice and assistance to management.
• Experience auditing of various types of tax returns to determine federal tax liability of individual taxpayers, businesses, or corporations. Interpreting and applying the Internal Revenue Code and related regulations and procedures. Making determination and redetermination, or audit, on liability for Federal taxes.
• Experience in a Federal, State, or Local government working in a position that involved auditing various types of tax returns to determine liability of individual taxpayers and/or businesses. This included interpreting and applying pertinent parts of the Internal Revenue Code or State tax laws, related regulations, and procedures to determine compliance and accuracy of tax returns or tax filings.
• Experience in a position that involved working in an accounting, auditing, or legal environment where you have advised others on a full range of complex tax liability issues, conducted an analysis of their financial condition and related operations, provided tax law or accounting assistance and/or utilized investigative/examination techniques.
• Experience in a position that involved auditing files for fiscal accountability and accuracy, implementing general accounting practices for private or corporate clients, completing personal and corporate tax returns for diverse client base, and reviewing and processing loan or financial applications.
• Experience in an accounting environment that involved importing and reviewing payroll, running reports, conducting reconciliations, making adjustments and reclassifications, preparing accounting reports for annual audits, and preparing quarterly tax filings.
• Experience in a position that involved investigating alleged criminal violations, federal tax statutes, and making recommendations for criminal prosecution and assertion of civil penalties.

OR
EDUCATION: A course of study that includes two (2) full years of progressively higher-level graduate education, leading to a master's degree, in accounting or related field of business law, economics, statistical/quantitative methods, computerized accounting or financial systems, financial management, or finance.
OR A Master's Degree in a related field of study, such as accounting, business law, economics, statistical/quantitative methods, computerized accounting or financial systems, financial management, or finance.
OR An equivalent amount of combined education and experience as described in paragraphs above.

You must also meet the following requirements:

MINIMUM AGE REQUIREMENT: Minimum age for federal employment is 18 years old, or at least 16 years old and have:

• • Graduated from high school or been awarded a certificate equivalent to graduating from high school; or
  • Completed a formal vocational training program; or
  • Received a statement from school authorities agreeing with your preference for employment rather than continuing your education.

For more information on qualifications please refer to OPM's Qualifications Standards.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses on the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position. Applicants who disqualify themselves will not be evaluated further.

You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):

• Interpersonal Skills
• Self-Management
• Customer Service
• Auditing
• Planning and Evaluating
• Written Communication

The USA Hire Assessments includes a cut score based on the minimum level of required proficiency in these critical general competencies. You must meet or exceed the cut score to be considered. You will not be considered for the position if you score below the cut score or fail to complete the assessment.

Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on an assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.

Rating: Category rating will be used to rank and select eligible candidates. If qualified, you will be assigned to one of three quality level categories, CAT A, CAT B or CAT C.


Referral: Eligible applicants rated in the highest category group, may be referred to a selecting official for consideration. Candidates, if required to participate in a selection interview (telephonic and/or in person at the discretion of the Selecting Official in accordance with hiring practices), will be interviewed in category group order. We will not reimburse costs related to the interview such as travel to and from the interview site.

Veterans' preference is applied after applicants are assessed. Qualified preference eligibles who have a compensable service-connected disability of 10 percent or more (CPS, CP) are placed at the top of the highest category on the referral list (except for scientific or professional positions at the GS-9 level or higher). Remaining preference eligibles are placed above non-preference eligibles within their assigned category.


If you are a displaced or surplus Federal employee (eligible for the Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP)/Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP), you must receive a rating of category CAT B to be rated as "well qualified" to receive special selection priority.

If you are selected, you will be subject to all requirements listed in the Requirements, Qualifications, and Additional Information sections of this announcement which includes, Prior Employment, Tax Checks, Fingerprint/Criminal History checks.

The following documents are required and must be provided with your application. All application materials, including transcripts, must be in English.
Incomplete or insufficient information may result in not being considered for the position, or not receiving special consideration for which you may be eligible.
Please view Application Preparation or How to write a resume for federal job.

1. Resume
… Your resume should:

• Be limited to two (2) pages. Applicants with resumes exceeding two-pages will be removed from consideration. We recommend utilizing a standard 8.5x11-inch document size, a sans-serif font such as Arial or Calibri with a font size no smaller than 10-point for the main text, and page margins of 0.5 inches. Applicants that attempt to circumvent the 2-page limit page limit, for example by materially reducing readability, will be deemed ineligible. If you update your application, only the most recent resume received (uploaded under the "Resume" document type) will be considered to determine qualifications.
• Include your name and contact information.
• Include relevant work experience - Employer Name, Job Title, Employment dates (start to end date or present), number of hours worked per week, and a brief description of duties that clearly demonstrate your qualifications. To receive full credit for work experience, you must include specific MM/DD/YYYY start and end dates for every position.
• Include pay plan, series, and grade (e.g., GS-0301-09) for all federal service jobs.
• Not include photographs, classified or sensitive information, SSN, encrypted/digitally signed documents, or other inappropriate content. Resumes containing prohibited information will be deemed ineligible.
• Not include embedded links as they will not be opened or considered when determining qualifications.
• Not include personal information such as age, sex, religion, race, or disability.
• Not include specialized experience copied from the announcement or position description, as this is not a demonstration of your experience.

2. Education (if applicable) - Refer to Qualification and Education sections above for requirements

• For positions with an education requirement, or if you are qualifying for this position based on education or training, submit a copy of your transcript(s) or equivalent. An official transcript(s) will be required if you are selected.

3. Registration/License (if applicable) - Current, active registration/license

4. Veterans' Preference (if applicable)

• 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.
• 10-point preference eligible - 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 claiming veterans' preference view here.

5. Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) (if applicable) Selection priority program for displaced or surplus federal employees:

• Review and submit the required documentation as oulined under CTAP/ICTAP

6. Current and Former Federal Employees Documentation (if applicable)

• Submit a copy of your most recent SF-50 (Notification of Personnel Action) or equivalent personnel action form which shows your grade and competitive service status.

Next steps

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