Former IRS employee awaits promised payout amid federal downsizing led by Elon Musk

Former IRS employee awaits promised payout

A former Internal Revenue Service employee in metro Atlanta says she has yet to receive the early retirement payout she was promised as part of a federal downsizing initiative reportedly led by Elon Musk and his team with DOGE.

ATLANTA - A former Internal Revenue Service employee in metro Atlanta says she has yet to receive the early retirement payout she was promised as part of a federal downsizing initiative reportedly led by Elon Musk and his team with DOGE.

What they're saying:

The woman, who requested anonymity and asked that her face be blurred due to fear of retaliation, said she accepted the offer to leave her federal job under pressure and tight deadlines. But months later, she claims she has not received any compensation.

"There was a deadline for us to make a decision to leave," she said. "And I think there should have been a deadline for you to get us our money."

She said the decision came quickly. "I looked into it and I had like two days to make a decision," she said. "So I decided to go ahead and do it because of the timing."

Initially, she said, everything seemed to be in order. But once she began asking when to expect her payout, the communication stopped.
"Everything was going smoothly, then I started to try and find out — ‘hey, when do I get paid? When can I expect...’ Crickets. Nothing. Nobody is answering any of my questions."

Now, she says she is not just out of patience — but out of money. "I don’t have any leave. I don’t have any money. And then here it is, these people are not telling me when I’m going to get paid."

She also expressed concern for her former department and coworkers, claiming others in federal agencies are experiencing similar delays. "I’m very passionate about my work. Very. And besides my personal wondering when I’m going to get my money, I’m wondering who is going to do the work."

The former employee worked in a specialized accounting role and worries the public will feel the impact of the staffing cuts. "While downsizing can be a really good thing, I want people to know that it could be a bigger mess."

The other side:

The IRS has not responded to a request for comment.