IRS Whistleblower Program

The Internal Revenue Service’s Whistleblower Office rewards whistleblowers who fail to pay the taxes they owe. Whistleblowers who provide information that helps the IRS catch a violator who owes more than $2 million, or an individual with an annual gross income of over $200,000, will be awarded with between 15% and 30% of the penalty, additional tax and other amounts it collects. When it comes to violators who owe less than $2 million, or an individual with an annual gross income less than $200,000, whistleblowers can expect a maximum award of 15% up to $10 million.

Since 2007, the IRS Whistleblower Program has assisted the IRS in collecting over $3.4 billion in revenue. In turn, the IRS has approved more than $465 million in awards to whistleblowers. For example, in 2012, a former banker at UBS received a $104 million award for revealing the secrets of the Swiss banking system.