After President Trump signed an executive order making English the official language of the United States, the IRS is considering canceling multilingual services, according to documents obtained by The Washington Post. People who do not understand English may encounter more difficulties when filing taxes in the future.
Treasury sources said that in order to comply with Trump’s executive order, the IRS may cancel free tax consultation and translation services in non-English languages.
Attorney General Pam Bondi issued a guide to federal agencies on July 14, explaining how to implement Trump’s March 1 executive order that English is the official language of the United States. Bondi asked agency heads to submit plans to “phase out non-essential multilingual services” and “divert funds to expand and strengthen English services.”
The report pointed out that after receiving Bondi’s suggestion, Treasury officials responded by email on the 20th that the IRS will review its policy of “committing to helping non-English taxpayers understand their tax filing obligations.” Under current policy, the IRS must provide services to “people who are not proficient in English.”
The IRS currently offers services and forms in more than 100 languages, free telephone translation and face-to-face translation services. The IRS website also has multilingual versions. The IRS also has a Spanish version of the social media account. Taxpayers can choose which language to use to receive IRS forms and notifications.
Carlos Lopez, a tax expert who runs a multilingual service tax firm in Salinas, California, said that people call to inquire because they have tax filing problems. If the language is not communicated, there will be delays. He said that people call the IRS because they can get free services, and most of them do not have the money to consult with someone.
People familiar with the matter said that the IRS renewed the contract with the telephone interpretation service contractor in March this year. The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has asked the IRS to review all contracts that are about to expire.
Senior IRS officials and Treasury officials said that the interpretation service is indeed necessary. The contract will expire at the end of the year. It is not clear whether IRS Commissioner Billy Long will allow the service to continue.
