April 28, 2026, Washington D.C. — Yesterday, the House of Representatives passed the IRS Whistleblower Program Improvement Act by a 346-10 vote, bringing the bill one step closer to passing into law.
“This is a major victory for all whistleblowers,” said Stephen M. Kohn, the National Whistleblower Center’s (NWC) Chairman of the Board. “The overwhelming bipartisan support sends a powerful and positive message that whistleblowers are crucial to maintaining a fair and honest tax system. All eyes are now on the Senate.”
The passage of the bipartisan bill, introduced by Representatives Mike Kelly (R-PA) and Mike Thompson (D-CA), would address delayed whistleblower awards, a major flaw of the IRS Whistleblower Program. Currently, the average wait time for receiving a whistleblower award is 11 years.
The reforms include requiring the IRS to pay interest on overdue awards, allowing the tax court to review the facts of award appeals rather than leaving determinations to agency discretion, and strengthening confidentiality protections for whistleblowers.
“Tax whistleblowers should be heartened by the Congressional support for the tax whistleblower program. A special thanks to Congressmen Mike Kelly and Mike Thompson for their leadership in bringing this bill forward,” said Dean Zerbe, Senior Policy Analyst at NWC.
The bill is now headed to the Senate for consideration.
