WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service moved this month to expand health savings accounts while showcasing record-setting enforcement results, signaling a dual push to broaden tax benefits for households and intensify financial crime investigations nationwide.
In guidance issued on December 9, the IRS unveiled Notice 2026-05, detailing new tax benefits under the One Big Beautiful Bill that significantly widen eligibility for Health Savings Accounts. The changes allow more Americans to save and pay for health care expenses through HSAs on a tax-free basis, beginning in 2025 and 2026.
Among the most immediate changes, the notice makes permanent the ability for HSA-eligible individuals to receive telehealth and other remote care services before meeting a high-deductible health plan deductible, effective for plan years starting Jan. 1, 2025. Beginning Jan. 1, 2026, bronze and catastrophic health plans will be treated as HSA-compatible, regardless of whether they meet the traditional definition of a high-deductible plan, opening HSA access to millions who previously could not contribute.
The guidance also allows individuals enrolled in certain direct primary care arrangements to contribute to HSAs starting in 2026 and to use HSA funds tax-free to pay recurring direct primary care fees.
Days later, on Friday, IRS Criminal Investigation released its Fiscal Year 2025 annual report, highlighting a sharp escalation in enforcement activity. The agency said its roughly 3,000 employees identified $10.59 billion in financial crimes during the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, a 15.7 percent increase from the prior year. Of that total, $4.5 billion stemmed from tax fraud, more than doubling year over year.
The report also detailed a 25 percent increase in search warrants, a 14 percent rise in prosecution referrals to the Justice Department, and the seizure of more than $800 million in assets. Investigators returned $100 million to crime victims and seized 2.35 petabytes of digital data, reflecting the growing cyber component of financial crime cases.
“IRS-CI’s team combines financial expertise with investigative precision to protect taxpayers and hold criminals accountable,” said IRS Chief Executive Officer Frank Bisignano. IRS-CI Chief Guy Ficco said the agency continues to evolve through new technology, expanded partnerships, and streamlined operations to make it harder for criminals to hide illicit funds.
The enforcement report highlighted high-profile cases, including sentences tied to the Feeding Our Future pandemic fraud scheme, the Bitfinex cryptocurrency hack, international money laundering tied to drug trafficking, and a landmark anti-money laundering case against TD Bank that resulted in a $1.8 billion penalty.
The IRS and Treasury also announced new steps tied to the One, Big, Beautiful Bill aimed at education. Under Revenue Procedure 2026-6, states may begin electing to participate in a new federal tax credit for contributions to scholarship-granting organizations that serve low- and middle-income students. Starting in 2027, taxpayers may claim a nonrefundable federal credit of up to $1,700 for eligible contributions, provided their state opts into the program and certifies qualifying organizations.
Taken together, the announcements mark a pivotal moment for federal tax policy and enforcement, expanding consumer-facing benefits while reinforcing the government’s message that financial crime, from tax fraud to cyber schemes, will face increasingly aggressive scrutiny.
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