# IRS Faces DRP Return-to-Work Uncertainty

IRS employees who entered the Deferred Resignation Program (DRP) have received conflicting communications about retirement eligibility and paperwork, including reports of an employee being told she did not qualify and later receiving confirmation of retirement. The signal identifies no official process or confirmation for returning affected employees to work. For procurement professionals and contractors supporting IRS operations, this leaves agency staffing continuity uncertain; the reported information does not establish a change to any contract or procurement action.

- IRS workforce planners may need to account for uncertainty about whether affected employees will return, while distinguishing reported employee communications from an official agency process.
- Contractors with IRS support work should avoid treating a return to work as confirmed when developing staffing or transition assumptions; the signal provides no formal process or timeline to plan against.

**Jurisdictions:** federal
**Published:** November 11, 2026

### Government Entities
- Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
- U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM)

### Key Quotes
> The contract I signed was not for resignation but for retirement, and that would have included annuities to help me pay for health care. I lost all of that, with no chance of returning, because I tried and there was absolutely no one to talk to.
> — Original poster

> Just last week, she received a message from her manager congratulating her on her retirement. She's trying to figure out what's going on, especially since she no longer intends to retire and wasn't aware her paperwork would go through, particularly after being told she didn't qualify or hadn't filed the right paperwork.
> — Commenter

### Sources
- [DRP 2.0](https://www.reddit.com/r/FedEmployees/comments/1xtu6fq/drp_20) - reddit-fedemployees