IRS must check tax preparer credentials before returns are filed.
S. 5111 — Strengthening EFIN Confirmation for User Reliability and Electronic (SECURE) Tax Filing Act · Filed by Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) · 1 cosponsor · Introduced Jul 23, 2026 · Referred to committee
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What it does
The bill tells the IRS to build a system. The system checks if a tax preparer's credential (called an EFIN) is real and active. Tax software companies will check credentials before filing returns. The IRS must finish this system within 24 months. The IRS must report to Congress on how it works.
Who it affects
Tax preparers and tax software companies must use the new system. People who file taxes will be safer from fraud and identity theft.
One thing to notice
The IRS must build a system checked millions of times per year. Tax software companies must connect to this system, which costs them money.
From the analysis of the bill text, linked under Primary records below.
Where it stands
1 cosponsor: 1 Republicans.
- Jul 23, 2026 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in Senate”
- Jul 23, 2026 — Referred to Senate Committee on Finance · Congress.gov: “Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance”
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 (4,782 characters) on Aug 9, 2026. Section numbers in the findings refer to that text, linked below; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 14,707 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 2026-09-23.
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