Moore, Fitzpatrick, Dingell, and Kim Urge IRS to Reduce Tax Burdens for Domestic Abuse Survivors

Today, Representatives Gwen Moore (D-WI), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Debbie Dingell (D-MI), and Young Kim (R-CA), Chairs of the Bipartisan Working Group to End Domestic Violence, called on the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to use its discretionary authority to revise Revenue Procedure 2020-46 to facilitate the process by which survivors of domestic abuse may avoid taxation for missing the 60-day deadline to roll over retirement funds.

In a letter to the IRS, Representative Moore and her colleagues urged the agency to add domestic abuse to the list of permissible reasons individuals may self-certify when requesting a waiver of the 60-day rollover requirement for retirement account distributions. While the IRS already allows self-certification for reasons such as incarceration, death in the family, or postal errors, domestic abuse is not currently included.

“Domestic violence upends every aspect of a survivor’s life,” said Rep. Moore. “As survivors work to heal and rebuild their lives, the federal government should remove barriers,” Moore said. “No survivor should be taxed or penalized because they were prioritizing their safety over a filing deadline.”

“Domestic abuse is not only physical—it is often financial, leaving survivors cut off from the accounts, documents, and resources they need to rebuild their independence. Economic coercion is a powerful tool of control, and it can make rigid administrative deadlines impossible to meet. Federal policy should reflect that reality. The IRS has the authority to address this gap and ensure survivors are not unfairly penalized for circumstances created by their abuser, and we will continue pushing for that change,” said Rep. Fitzpatrick.

The Members emphasized that economic abuse is a pervasive tactic used by harm-doers to exert control. Survivors may be denied access to bank accounts, retirement accounts, passwords, or other critical documents necessary to complete a timely rollover.

“When abusers withhold access to financial information or resources, survivors may be unable to act within the 60-day window,” the letter noted. “That is clearly the type of circumstance Congress intended the waiver authority to address.”

Read the full letter HERE.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.