Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who also serves as acting commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service, has appointed Frank Bisignano, head of the Social Security Administration, to serve as the IRS’s first chief executive officer, creating a new leadership structure aimed at modernizing the tax agency and improving customer service.
The move marks a major step in the administration’s effort to bring private-sector management principles to federal operations. Bisignano, a longtime financial executive who previously led the payments-processing company Fiserv and held senior roles at JPMorgan Chase, will oversee the IRS’s day-to-day operations while continuing to run Social Security. He will report directly to Bessent, who remains acting commissioner.
“Frank is a businessman with an exceptional record of driving growth and efficiency in the private and now public sector,” Bessent said in a statement Monday. He described the new role as part of a broader plan to make the IRS more efficient, technologically advanced, and focused on serving taxpayers.
According to people familiar with the matter, the idea of naming a CEO for the IRS originated with President Trump, who has encouraged Cabinet secretaries to apply business-style leadership to government agencies. The president, they said, believes the IRS should treat taxpayers as customers—delivering faster responses, clearer communication, and more accountability.
Under the new structure, Treasury will retain policy oversight while Bisignano manages execution, similar to the relationship between a corporate board and its chief executive. The arrangement allows reforms to move forward without the delays of a Senate confirmation process.
Bisignano’s immediate priorities include preparing for the 2026 tax-filing season, implementing provisions of the One Big Beautiful Bill tax law signed in July, and advancing long-planned technology upgrades. The law expands deductions for overtime, tips, and seniors and is expected to yield larger refunds early next year.
At the Social Security Administration, Bisignano introduced artificial-intelligence tools to shorten call-center wait times and reduce backlogs. Treasury officials said similar innovations are planned for the IRS as part of a broader push to improve “customer-experience metrics” across government.
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