H.R. 8299: Autofill Act of 2026

This bill, known as the Autofill Act of 2026, aims to streamline the process of filing individual income tax returns in the United States by creating a program for pre-populated tax forms. Here are the main aspects of the legislation:

Program Establishment

The bill mandates the Secretary of the Treasury to establish a program where taxpayers can download tax forms that are partially filled with their specific tax information. This information will be derived from data reported to the Secretary under existing tax laws and the Social Security Act.

Information Availability

• The Secretary is required to make taxpayer information available within 15 days after it is received.
• The information will be provided in two formats:
  • A printable document for manual completion and filing.
  • A computer-readable format for automated tax preparation software.

Autofill Service Deadlines

The bill sets deadlines for the implementation of various aspects of the program:

• Standards for data downloads to tax preparation software must be established by October 31, 2026.
• A demonstration server for downloading the pre-populated forms should be made available by the same date.
• By February 15, 2027, and annually thereafter, taxpayers should be able to download the standardized tax forms (1040, 1040A, and 1040EZ) populated with relevant information.

Taxpayer Responsibilities

Taxpayers will still be accountable for ensuring the accuracy and completeness of their tax returns. They must acknowledge that even when using the autofill service, they are responsible for verifying the information provided.

Information on Income Reporting

The bill outlines requirements for information related to wages and self-employment income:

• For the calendar year 2026, wage and self-employment income information must be provided to the Secretary by January 31, 2027.
• For subsequent years, this information must be submitted by January 31 of the year following the year to which the data pertains.

Amendments to Existing Laws

In addition to establishing a new program, the bill also amends current statutory deadlines and procedures related to the filing of information returns and adds corresponding changes to the Social Security Act.

Effective Date

The provisions of this bill will take effect for returns related to taxable years commencing after December 31, 2025.

Relevant Companies

• INTU (Intuit Inc.) - As a leading provider of tax preparation software (like TurboTax), Intuit may see a significant impact from these changes as they may need to integrate with the pre-populated tax data provided by the government.
• HRB (H&R Block Inc.) - H&R Block, a major tax preparation service, could be affected as the autofill program changes the way tax information is handled by taxpayers, potentially influencing their business model and client interaction.