[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 26, Volume 20]
[Revised as of April 1, 2004]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 26CFR801.3]

[Page 160-161]
 
                       TITLE 26--INTERNAL REVENUE
 
    CHAPTER I--INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY 
                               (CONTINUED)
 
PART 801_BALANCED SYSTEM FOR MEASURING ORGANIZATIONAL AND EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE 
WITHIN THE INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE--Table of Contents
 
Sec. 801.3  Measuring employee performance.

    (a) In general. All employees of the IRS will be evaluated according 
to the critical elements and standards or such other performance 
criteria as may be established for their positions. In accordance with 
the requirements of 5 U.S.C. 4312, 4313 and 9508 and section 1201 of the 
Internal Revenue Service Restructuring and Reform Act of 1998 (Public 
Law 105-206, 112 Stat. 685 ) (as is appropriate to the employee's 
position), the performance criteria for each position will be composed 
of elements that support the organizational measures of Customer 
Satisfaction, Employee Satisfaction and Business Results; however, such 
organizational measures will not directly determine the evaluation of 
individual employees.
    (b) Fair and equitable treatment of taxpayers. In addition to all 
other criteria required to be used in the evaluation of employee 
performance, all employees of the IRS will be evaluated on whether they 
provided fair and equitable treatment to taxpayers.
    (c) Senior Executive Service and special positions. Employees in the 
Senior Executive Service will be rated in accordance with the 
requirements of 5 U.S.C. 4312 and 4313 and employees selected to fill 
positions under 5 U.S.C. 9503 will be evaluated pursuant to workplans, 
employment agreements, performance agreements or similar documents 
entered into between the Internal Revenue Service and the employee.
    (d) General workforce. The performance evaluation system for all 
other employees will:
    (1) Establish one or more retention standards for each employee 
related to the work of the employee and expressed in terms of individual 
performance--
    (i) Require periodic determinations of whether each employee meets 
or does not meet the employee's established retention standards; and
    (ii) Require that action be taken, in accordance with applicable 
laws and

[[Page 161]]

regulations, with respect to employees whose performance does not meet 
the established retention standards.
    (2) Establish goals or objectives for individual performance 
consistent with the IRS's performance planning procedures--
    (i) Use such goals and objectives to make performance distinctions 
among employees or groups of employees; and
    (ii) Use performance assessments as a basis for granting employee 
awards, adjusting an employee's rate of basic pay, and other appropriate 
personnel actions, in accordance with applicable laws and regulations.
    (e) Limitations. (1) No employee of the Internal Revenue Service may 
use records of tax enforcement results (as defined in Sec. 801.6) to 
evaluate any other employee or to impose or suggest production quotas or 
goals for any employee.
    (i) For purposes of the limitation contained in this paragraph (e), 
employee has the meaning as defined in 5 U.S.C. 2105(a).
    (ii) For purposes of the limitation contained in this paragraph (e), 
evaluate includes any process used to appraise or measure an employee's 
performance for purposes of providing the following:
    (A) Any required or requested performance rating.
    (B) A recommendation for an award covered by Chapter 45 of Title 5; 
5 U.S.C. 5384; or section 1201(a) of the Internal Revenue Service 
Restructuring and Reform Act of 1998, (Public Law 105-206, 112 Stat. 
685, 713-716 ).
    (C) An assessment of an employee's qualifications for promotion, 
reassignment or other change in duties.
    (D) An assessment of an employee's eligibility for incentives, 
allowances or bonuses.
    (E) Ranking of employees for release/recall and reductions in force.
    (2) Employees who are responsible for exercising judgment with 
respect to tax enforcement results (as defined in Sec. 801.6) in cases 
concerning one or more taxpayers may be evaluated with respect to work 
done on such cases only on the basis of information derived from a 
review of the work done on the taxpayer cases handled by such employee.
    (3) Performance measures based in whole or in part on Quantity 
Measures (as described in Sec. 801.6) will not be used to evaluate the 
performance of or to impose or suggest goals for any non-supervisory 
employee who is responsible for exercising judgment with respect to tax 
enforcement results (as defined in Sec. 801.6).