Require Employees To Uniformly Return Now Act or the RETURN Act This bill prohibits Internal Revenue Service (IRS) employees from teleworking during the period beginning five business days after the enactment of this bill and ending on the date on which the IRS certifies that the processing backlog for 2020 income tax returns has been eliminated. The Department of the Treasury may not obligate additional funds for the IRS until the date on which the IRS certifies the backlog has been eliminated.
No Hires for the Delinquent IRS Act This bill prohibits the hiring of additional Internal Revenue Service (IRS) employees until the Department of the Treasury publicly issues a written certification that the IRS does not employ any individual who has a seriously delinquent tax debt (i.e., an outstanding tax debt for which a notice of lien has been filed in public records).
RETURN Act Require Employees To Uniformly Return Now Act
Federal Freeze ActThis bill bars pay raises for federal employees for one year and requires reductions in the number of employees at each federal agency.The bill prohibits agencies from increasing the basic pay of any employee for one year after enactment. Also in that first year, the bill prohibits each federal agency from increasing the number of its employees beyond the number employed on the date of the bill's enactment, except that the agency may increase such number when making appointments to positions related to law enforcement, public safety, or national security.Additionally, the bill requires reductions in force such that within three years of the bill's enactment the number of employees at each agency is 5% lower than it was on the date of the bill's enactment.
Prioritizing Troops Over Tax Collectors Act of 2023 This bill establishes the rate of basic pay for a member of the uniformed services at the minimum amount of $31,200. It transfers unobligated amounts made available to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) by the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 for enforcement activities to pay for the increase in basic pay. The bill also prohibits the IRS from hiring additional employees until the increase in the rate of basic pay is implemented.
Stop the Nosy Obsession with Online Payments Act of 2023 or the SNOOP Act of 2023 This bill modifies requirements for third party settlement organizations to eliminate their reporting requirement with respect to the transactions of their participating payees unless they have earned more than $20,000 on more than 200 separate transactions in an applicable tax period. A third party settlement organization is the central organization that has the contractual obligation to make payments to participating payees (generally, a merchant or business) in a third party payment network. This reverses a provision in the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 that lowered the reporting threshold to $600 with no minimum on the number of transactions.
Fostering Autonomy in Independent Returns by Prohibiting Redundant and Extralegal Programs Act of 2025 or the FAIR PREP Act of 2025This bill prohibits the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) from preparing federal tax returns or refund claims, with some exceptions. The bill specifically prohibits the preparation of federal income tax returns or refund claims through the IRS’s Direct File program. (The Direct File program currently allows qualified taxpayers in 25 participating states to prepare and electronically file free federal tax returns through a portal on the IRS’s website.)The bill defines prepare with respect to federal tax returns and refund claims as (1) the completion (in whole or in part) of any form or schedule for the purpose of calculating federal taxes or refunds, and (2) the filing (either electronically or on paper) of such federal tax returns or refund claims.However, under the bill, federal and state tax returns and refund claims may be prepared through the IRS’s Free File program (a program that allows certain taxpayers to prepare and file free federal and state income tax returns using third-party tax-preparation software) or the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance grant program (through which the IRS partners with local community organizations to help low-income and disabled individuals and persons with limited English proficiency prepare and file free federal and state income tax returns). Further, the Department of the Treasury may not award grants or enter into contracts or other transactions for the development or operation of an electronic tax preparation service.
Fostering Autonomy in Independent Returns by Prohibiting Redundant and Extralegal Programs Act of 2025 or the FAIR PREP Act of 2025This bill prohibits the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) from preparing federal tax returns or refund claims, with some exceptions. The bill specifically prohibits the preparation of federal income tax returns or refund claims through the IRS’s Direct File program. (The Direct File program currently allows qualified taxpayers in 25 participating states to prepare and electronically file free federal tax returns through a portal on the IRS’s website.)The bill defines prepare with respect to federal tax returns and refund claims as (1) the completion (in whole or in part) of any form or schedule for the purpose of calculating federal taxes or refunds, and (2) the filing (either electronically or on paper) of such federal tax returns or refund claims.However, under the bill, federal and state tax returns and refund claims may be prepared through the IRS’s Free File program (a program that allows certain taxpayers to prepare and file free federal and state income tax returns using third-party tax-preparation software) or the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance grant program (through which the IRS partners with local community organizations to help low-income and disabled individuals and persons with limited English proficiency prepare and file free federal and state income tax returns). Further, the Department of the Treasury may not award grants or enter into contracts or other transactions for the development or operation of an electronic tax preparation service.
SALT Marriage Penalty Elimination Act This bill increases from $10,000 to $20,000 the amount that a married couple filing a joint tax return may deduct as state and local taxes (thus eliminating the tax effect known as the marriage penalty with respect to the deduction).
No Hires for the Delinquent IRS Act This bill prohibits the hiring of additional Internal Revenue Service (IRS) employees until the Department of the Treasury publicly certifies in writing that the IRS does not employ any individual who has a seriously delinquent tax debt.The bill defines seriously delinquent tax debt as an outstanding tax debt for which a notice of lien is filed in public records, but excluding tax debtsbeing paid pursuant to an installment agreement or offer-in-compromise,for which collection action is suspended because a due process hearing or innocent spouse relief is requested,subject to levy, orreleased from levy due to economic hardship.