HR-7959 — IRS Whistleblower Program Improvement Act

YourVoice.Now Summary

Your MoneyTransparency & Accountability

Tax whistleblowers could get a fresh court review, keep their names private, and earn interest when the IRS is slow.

Your Money

Interest on late whistleblower awards — if IRS waits 12 months

The clock starts after the IRS collects the money and the tax case is closed. If the IRS then takes a year to name an award, it must add interest at the rate it pays on tax overpayments.

Tax break for whistleblowers' legal fees — covers more awards

Whistleblowers pay their lawyers out of the award money. The bill lets them subtract those legal fees before their tax is figured, on every kind of award.

Transparency & Accountability

Fresh court review of whistleblower awards — includes pending cases

Today a whistleblower who fights an award goes to the Tax Court on appeal. Under the bill the court would judge the award fresh, and could weigh proof that came to light later.

Whistleblower anonymity in tax court — judge may still override

A whistleblower could ask the Tax Court to keep their name off the case record. The judge could still name them if the public need to know outweighs the harm to the whistleblower.

IRS must report top tax avoidance schemes — up to 10 yearly

The IRS already sends Congress a yearly report on the whistleblower program. The bill would add a list of up to 10 top tax avoidance schemes reported that year.

Public access to whistleblowers' names in court — overrides open-record rules

The bill sets aside two tax code rules that keep Tax Court hearings and records open. Only the whistleblower's name is affected, and a judge can still order it made public.

More about this bill

Most people would notice no change in daily life. The changes would only touch people who report tax cheating to the IRS, and the lawyers who help them. If you report tax cheating and dispute your award, the Tax Court would judge your case fresh. It could weigh evidence that was not available before. You could also ask to keep your name out of the case. A judge could still name you if the public need to know is greater than the harm to you. If the IRS waits a year to tell you what your award may be, it would owe you interest. That part starts 180 days after the bill becomes law. You could also subtract your lawyer's fees from your taxable income on more kinds of awards. The IRS's yearly report to Congress would have to list up to 10 of the top tax avoidance schemes. The House passed the bill on April 27, 2026, and the Senate has not voted.

Congressional Summary

Congress's official summary of this bill still describes an earlier version of the text, so we have left it out here. You can read it on Congress.gov.

Congress.gov →

Legislative Subjects

Administrative remediesCongressional oversightDepartment of the TreasuryExecutive agency funding and structureGovernment studies and investigationsInterest, dividends, interest ratesInternal Revenue Service (IRS)Judicial review and appealsLegal fees and court costsRight of privacySpecialized courtsTax administration and collection, taxpayers

Details

Congress: 119th
Chamber: House
Status: summarized
Action: Passed House
Action Date: 2026-04-27
Date Added: 2026-04-23
Source: Congress.gov →

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