# 119-hr-9481: RETURN Act

119-hr-9481, RETURN Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Ross, Deborah K. [D-NC-2] (D-NC); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-09-30).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9481
- As of: 2026-09-30
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-9481
- Congress: 119
- Title: RETURN Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-06-25
- Sponsor: Rep. Ross, Deborah K. [D-NC-2] (D-NC)
- Cosponsors: 5
- Policy area: Taxation
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-30

## Summary

**Clearer, faster IRS decisions on refund claims.** This bill would require the IRS to decide refund claims on a predictable timeline and give taxpayers a written explanation and appeal instructions when claims are denied. - Claimants would get a determination within 12 months of the IRS receiving a claim or another date the taxpayer and IRS agree to. If a claim is disallowed the IRS must mail a detailed explanation and instructions for appealing to the IRS Independent Office of Appeals. - If the IRS misses the deadline the overpayment interest rate would be increased by 1 percentage point for any period after the applicable date, with that increase capped at $500 per claim. Beginning in 2027 the $500 cap would rise with a cost-of-living adjustment and be rounded to the nearest $50. - Frivolous claims would not get the detailed explanation. Those claims would receive a mailed denial by the same deadline, and a frivolous claim is defined as one a federal court has found frivolous and that the IRS has identified under section 6702.

## Cosponsors (5)

- Rep. Panetta, Jimmy [D-CA-19] (D-CA), 2026-06-25T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. DeLauro, Rosa L. [D-CT-3] (D-CT), 2026-06-25T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Carson, André [D-IN-7] (D-IN), 2026-07-13T00:00:00.000Z
- Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large] (D-DC), 2026-07-13T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Moulton, Seth [D-MA-6] (D-MA), 2026-07-22T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Quicker IRS refund notices and cap: mixed, low. This bill would require the IRS to review any refund claim and decide it by the applicable date. If your claim is denied in whole or part, the IRS would mail a detailed written explanation to your last known address. When you can appeal, that notice would include instructions for appealing to the I…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026
- 119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act
- 119-hr-4669: FEMA Act of 2025
- 119-hres-1058: Recognizing that it is the duty of the Federal Government to develop and implement a Transgender Bill of Rights to protect and codify the rights of transgender…
- 119-hr-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act
- 119-hr-20: Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2025

## Sources
- [119-hr-9481 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/9481)

## Related
- [119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9877)
- [119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7973)
- [119-hr-4669: FEMA Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4669)
- [119-hres-1058: Recognizing that it is the duty of the Federal Government to develop and implem…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hres-1058)
- [119-hr-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-51)
- [119-hr-20: Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-20)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9481 (as of 2026-09-30).