IRS gets power to let you choose direct deposit for stolen-check refunds
H.R. 1155 — Recovery of Stolen Checks Act · Filed by Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY) · 3 cosponsors · Introduced Feb 10, 2025 · Passed chamber
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What it does
This bill amends the tax code to let taxpayers whose refund checks were lost or stolen choose to receive replacement refunds by direct deposit instead of paper check. The IRS has 6 months to write rules enabling this election.
Why we flagged it
The bill is a straightforward procedural amendment enabling taxpayers to opt into a safer refund-delivery method. It addresses a real consumer problem (lost/stolen checks) by expanding IRS options.
What the text implies
- Direct deposit election may reduce IRS paper-check printing and mailing costs, creating modest operational savings.
- Taxpayers who elect direct deposit receive refunds faster than paper mail, improving cash flow for lower-income filers who depend on refunds.
- The 6-month regulatory timeline means implementation details (eligibility verification, fraud safeguards, account validation) will be set by IRS rule, not statute — those rules are not visible here.
Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.
Who it affects
Taxpayers who have experienced lost or stolen refund checks gain a safer, faster delivery option (direct deposit) without losing the paper-check alternative. This reduces fraud risk and gives citizens more control over their own money.
Named in the bill
Internal Revenue Service (IRS), U.S. Department of Treasury, Taxpayers
Where it stands
3 cosponsors: 2 Republicans, 1 Democrats.
- Feb 10, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
- Feb 10, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on Ways and Means and Senate Committee on Finance · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means”
- Feb 12, 2025 — Markup held in committee · Congress.gov: “Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held”
- Feb 12, 2025 — Reported out of committee · Congress.gov: “Ordered to be Reported in the Nature of a Substitute (Amended) by the Yeas and Nays: 41 - 0”
- Mar 31, 2025 — Passed the House · Congress.gov: “On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H1351)”
- Mar 31, 2025 — Floor vote scheduled · Congress.gov: “Mr. Smith (MO) moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
Money around this bill
1 lobbying clients named this bill on 1 disclosure filings across 1 quarter, Jun 2026 to Jun 2026. Those filings disclosed $50,000 in lobbying spend. A filing names 1 bills on average, so that figure is what each filing reported, not a share belonging to this bill.
More lobbying clients named this bill than 0% of bills with at least one filing.
Nicole Malliotakis, the sponsor, reported $1,140,250 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle.
- Energy Fair Trade Coalition — $50,000 on 1 filing
Lobbying Disclosure Act filings through Jul 20, 2026. A filing shows who paid to lobby on a bill it names, not what changed.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the bill text published by Congress.gov (1,007 characters) on Jun 8, 2026. Section numbers in the findings refer to that text, linked below; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 16,222 analysed bills.
Status and sponsors — Congress.gov's bill record — actions, committee referrals and cosponsors — loaded nightly. The timeline shows status changes, not every procedural action.
Money — Senate Lobbying Disclosure Act filings whose specific-issue field names this bill for quarters ending Jun 2026 to Jun 2026. A filing's amount is reported whole beside the median number of bills a filing names; it is never divided across them. PAC receipts are FEC-reported contributions to the sponsor's candidate committee in the 2026 cycle.
As of — lobbying records through Jul 20, 2026 · page rendered 2026-10-20.
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