‘Deadbeat Taxpayers:’ More than 500,000 federal workers, retirees are delinquent paying Uncle Sam
Tax debt among federal workers has surged 32% since 2021, and the number of government employees who aren’t paying taxes has increased by 43% in three years.
By Katherine Pugh
Published: June 25, 2026 10:55pm
Updated: June 26, 2026 7:19am
An investigation by the House Oversight and Accountability Committee has found that 571,000 federal employees and retirees have failed to pay their share of income taxes, depriving the U.S. Treasury of more than $6.3 billion in revenues.
The number of tax scofflaws working for Uncle Sam is continuing to surge, with tax debt among federal workers growing 32% since 2021.
And the number of current and former government employees who aren’t paying taxes has increased by 43% in three years, according to House Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., who serves as chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. The committee announced its investigation launch on Wednesday.
“I don’t think anyone in America knew about it, including myself,” Comer told the Just the News, No Noise TV show. “The people who have made their living and their retirement off of our hard-earned tax dollars aren’t paying their taxes.”
50,000 federal employees have not filed taxes for more than 2 years
Comer wants the IRS to make an example of these employees. A recent Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration report that found that roughly 50,000 federal employees haven't filed a tax return for two or more years, including 14,000 workers who make more than $100,000 annually and about 122 people who didn't file taxes for eight or more years while still receiving taxpayer-funded salaries.
https://justthenews.com/accountability/waste-fraud-and-abuse/more-half-million-federal-employees-owe-63-billion-unpaid
