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Congress·In Committee·S. 655

Stop Tax Penalties on American Hostages Act of 2025

Tax Relief for American Hostages

about 1 year ago·View on Congress.gov·Read full text

This bill was recently introduced in the Senate and is currently being reviewed by the Committee on Finance. It is in the early stages of the lawmaking process and no further actions are scheduled at this time. The bill is considered active as it moves through the initial committee review.

Passage Likelihood

85%Very Likely

This bill has strong support from both parties and fixes a clear unfairness. It is very likely to pass because it costs very little and helps people in desperate situations.

  • ·Strong bipartisan support
  • ·Senate Finance Committee Chair is a sponsor
  • ·Low cost to the government
  • ·Addresses a clear humanitarian issue

Legislative Progress

Senate
House
President
Law

Key Points

  • This bill stops the IRS from charging interest or late fees to Americans who miss tax deadlines because they are being held hostage or are wrongfully detained by a foreign government.
  • It gives these individuals and their spouses extra time to file their tax returns and pay any taxes they owe without being punished for the delay.
  • The government would be required to refund any tax penalties or interest already paid by hostages for tax years dating back to 2021.
  • The State Department and the Attorney General would be required to share lists of eligible people with the Treasury Department to make sure they get their money back.
  • This change aims to help people who return home from traumatic situations only to find they owe the government thousands of dollars for deadlines they could not meet while in captivity.

Milestones

2 milestones2 actions
Feb 20, 2025Senate

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.

Sent to a congressional committee for expert review. The committee decides whether this bill moves forward.

Feb 20, 2025

Introduced in Senate

The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.

Related Bills

2 bills
S. 3931Related bill

TAS Act

Feb 26 — Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.

H.R. 1868Identical bill

Stop Tax Penalties on American Hostages Act of 2025

Mar 5 — Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.

Source Information

Document Type

Congressional Bill

Official Title

Stop Tax Penalties on American Hostages Act of 2025

Bill NumberS 655
Congress119th Congress
ChamberSenate
Latest ActionRead twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
Read Full Bill Text

Sponsor

Cosponsors

(9)
D: 3R: 6

Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.