IRS gets a free tax-filing mandate; commercial prep firms lose captive market.
H.R. 4267 — Get Your Money Back Act · Filed by Emilia Sykes (D-OH) · 2 cosponsors · Introduced Jun 30, 2025 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill requires the Treasury Secretary to continue operating Direct File, a free IRS tax-filing system, and mandates all 50 states plus D.C. to participate in it starting in 2026. The bill aims to give taxpayers a free alternative to commercial tax-prep software, potentially saving millions in filing fees.
Why we flagged it
The bill's operative mechanism is a mandate to continue and expand a free public tax-filing service. It is straightforward consumer protection legislation that reduces private-sector rent-seeking in tax preparation.
What the text implies
- State participation mandate may require states to update IT infrastructure or coordinate with IRS systems, creating implementation costs borne by state budgets.
- Widespread adoption of Direct File could reduce revenue to commercial tax-prep firms (Intuit, H&R Block, etc.), potentially triggering industry lobbying against the bill or future appropriations cuts to IRS funding.
- The bill does not specify enforcement mechanisms or penalties if states fail to participate, creating ambiguity about compliance.
Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.
Who it affects
Ordinary taxpayers gain access to a free, government-provided tax-filing system, eliminating or reducing fees paid to commercial tax-prep companies. The mandate on states ensures nationwide availability and removes barriers to adoption.
Named in the bill
Internal Revenue Service (IRS), U.S. Department of the Treasury, 50 U.S. States, District of Columbia, Commercial tax-prep industry (Intuit, H&R Block, TaxAct, etc.)
Where it stands
2 cosponsors: 2 Democrats.
- Jun 30, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
- Jun 30, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on Ways and Means · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the bill text published by Congress.gov (644 characters) on Jul 6, 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.
As of — page rendered 2026-10-20.
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