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What Is a Revenue Officer and How to Become One


What Is a Revenue Officer?

A revenue officer works for a government agency, like the IRS or a county treasury division, or a private collection agency to help collect delinquent taxes or various fees. As a revenue officer, you may tackle some of the biggest cases the IRS has or you may work for the county to collect overdue traffic fines. Your job duties entail evaluating a delinquent payer’s situation and what kind of payment plan works best for both the collections department and the individual. You also determine whether or not wages should be garnished and if any property should be seized. Depending on your job level, you may have sole discretion over determining what payment plan should be put into place.

How to Become a Revenue Officer

Revenue officers don’t necessarily have to have a background in tax code or accounting. The minimum qualifications for this career vary but usually include either a few years of experience at a collections agency or a bachelor’s degree. You typically receive quite a bit of on-the-job training to begin. You must have excellent negotiation and communication skills, as one of your main duties is to interact with taxpayers to discuss payment options, and employers may prefer you to be bilingual. Because you are entrusted with various cases, you must show excellent judgment and organizational skills. Having working knowledge of debt collection methods or billing processes within your state is ideal.