# 119-s-452: BARCODE Efficiency Act

119-s-452, BARCODE Efficiency Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Young, Todd [R-IN] (R-IN); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-04-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-452
- As of: 2026-04-21
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-452
- Congress: 119
- Title: BARCODE Efficiency Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-02-06
- Sponsor: Sen. Young, Todd [R-IN] (R-IN)
- Cosponsors: 1
- Policy area: Taxation
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-04-21

## Summary

**Digitize paper tax returns with barcodes and optical character recognition (OCR).** This bill would require the IRS to add scannable barcodes to electronically‑prepared returns that are printed and filed on paper, use barcode scanning to convert those returns into electronic data, and use OCR or similar technology to transcribe other paper returns and correspondence unless those methods are slower or less reliable than current processes. - Taxpayers who prepare returns electronically but mail printed copies would get scannable barcodes on those paper returns. The requirement would apply to individual returns received on or after January 1 of the first calendar year beginning more than 180 days after enactment. - People who submit paper returns not prepared electronically and who send paper correspondence would have that material transcribed by OCR or similar tech. Estate and gift returns have a later start date and would apply on or after January 1 of the first calendar year beginning more than 24 months after enactment. - The IRS could decline to use barcode scanning or OCR if the Secretary finds those methods slower or less reliable than other processes, but any such determination must be reported to the House Ways and Means Committee and the Senate Finance Committee within 30 days.

## Cosponsors (1)

- Sen. Warnock, Raphael G. [D-GA] (D-GA), 2025-02-06T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Barcode and OCR for paper filings: mixed, low. If enacted, the bill would require machine-readable codes and OCR for paper tax forms and paper letters to the IRS. Electronically prepared returns that are printed and mailed would need a scannable code that converts the form to electronic data. The IRS would be required to use barcode scanning fo…
- Staggered start dates for filings: mixed, low. If enacted, this bill would set different start dates for the scanning and OCR rules. For individual income tax returns, it would apply to returns received on or after January 1 of the first calendar year beginning more than 180 days after enactment. For estate and gift tax returns, it would apply…

## Related bills

- 119-s-5066: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026
- 119-s-2975: PIPELINE Safety Act of 2025
- 119-s-1541: SHIPS for America Act of 2025
- 119-s-258: TORNADO Act
- 119-s-3597: National Quantum Initiative Reauthorization Act of 2026
- 119-s-4070: Diabetes Foot Health Access and Modernization Act of 2026

## Sources
- [119-s-452 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/452)

## Related
- [119-s-5066: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5066)
- [119-s-2975: PIPELINE Safety Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2975)
- [119-s-1541: SHIPS for America Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1541)
- [119-s-258: TORNADO Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-258)
- [119-s-3597: National Quantum Initiative Reauthorization Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3597)
- [119-s-4070: Diabetes Foot Health Access and Modernization Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4070)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-452 (as of 2026-04-21).