The Secret IRS Files

Inside the Tax Records of the .001%

A massive trove of tax information obtained by ProPublica, covering thousands of America’s wealthiest individuals, reveals what’s inside the billionaires’ bag of tricks for minimizing their personal tax bills — sometimes to nothing.

The Secret IRS Files: Trove of Never-Before-Seen Records Reveal How the Wealthiest Avoid Income Tax

ProPublica has obtained a vast cache of IRS information showing how billionaires like Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk and Warren Buffett pay little in income tax compared to their massive wealth — sometimes, even nothing.

by Jesse Eisinger, Jeff Ernsthausen and Paul Kiel

Jun. 08, 2021, 5:00 am EDT

Impact of Our Reporting

Sports Team Owners Face New Scrutiny From IRS Over Tax Avoidance

by Robert Faturechi, Ellis Simani and Justin Elliott

May 2, 2024, 5:00 am EDT

How the Wealthy Save Billions in Taxes by Skirting a Century-Old Law

by Paul Kiel and Jeff Ernsthausen

February 9, 2023, 8:10 am EST

House Bill Would Blow Up the Massive IRAs of the Superwealthy

by Justin Elliott, Patricia Callahan and James Bandler

September 21, 2021, 1:00 pm EDT

The Number of People With IRAs Worth $5 Million or More Has Tripled, Congress Says

by Justin Elliott, James Bandler and Patricia Callahan

July 28, 2021, 1:27 pm EDT

Democratic Senators Call for Investigation of Tax Avoidance by the Ultrawealthy

by Jesse Eisinger, Paul Kiel and Jeff Ernsthausen

July 14, 2021, 11:00 am EDT

Campaign to Rein in Mega IRA Tax Shelters Gains Steam in Congress Following ProPublica Report

by James Bandler, Patricia Callahan and Justin Elliott

July 7, 2021, 3:15 pm EDT

The Ultrawealthy Have Hijacked Roth IRAs. The Senate Finance Chair Is Eyeing a Crackdown.

by Justin Elliott, Patricia Callahan and James Bandler

June 25, 2021, 3:15 pm EDT

55 stories published since 2021

How Billionaires Have Sidestepped a Tax Aimed at the Rich

by Paul Kiel

December 18, 2024, 6:00 am EST
How a Decades-Old Loophole Lets Billionaires Avoid Medicare Taxes

by Paul Kiel

December 11, 2024, 6:00 am EST
IRS Audit of Trump Could Cost Former President More Than $100 Million

by Paul Kiel, ProPublica, and Russ Buettner, The New York Times

May 11, 2024, 10:00 am EDT
A Top Mutual Fund Executive Made Millions for Himself Trading the Same Stocks His Giant Fund Was Trading

by Robert Faturechi and Ellis Simani with Mariam Elba, graphics by Lucas Waldron

November 21, 2023, 5:00 am EST
How Warren Buffett Privately Traded in Stocks That Berkshire Hathaway Was Buying and Selling

by Robert Faturechi and Ellis Simani

November 9, 2023, 5:00 am EST
How the Ultrawealthy Use Private Foundations to Bank Millions in Tax Deductions While Giving the Public Little in Return

by Jeff Ernsthausen

July 26, 2023, 5:00 am EDT
The Biotech Edge: How Executives and Well-Connected Investors Make Exquisitely Timed Trades in Health Care Stocks

by Ellis Simani and Robert Faturechi

June 22, 2023, 5:00 am EDT
IRS Strategic Plan Vows to Amp Up Audits of the Rich

by Jeff Ernsthausen

April 7, 2023, 6:00 am EDT
Private Planes and Luxury Yachts Aren’t Just Toys for the Ultrawealthy. They’re Also Huge Tax Breaks.

by Paul Kiel

April 5, 2023, 5:00 am EDT
Wealthy Executives Make Millions Trading Competitors’ Stock With Remarkable Timing

by Robert Faturechi and Ellis Simani

March 16, 2023, 5:00 am EDT
That Cardboard Box in Your Home Is Fueling Election Denial

by Justin Elliott, Megan O’Matz and Doris Burke

October 26, 2022, 5:00 am EDT
Ken Griffin Spent $54 Million Fighting a Tax Increase for the Rich. Secret IRS Data Shows It Paid Off for Him.

by Paul Kiel and Mick Dumke

July 7, 2022, 5:00 am EDT
Ten Ways Billionaires Avoid Taxes on an Epic Scale

by Paul Kiel

June 24, 2022, 5:00 am EDT
How Susquehanna’s Jeff Yass Avoided $1 Billion in Taxes

by Justin Elliott, Jeff Ernsthausen and Paul Kiel

June 23, 2022, 5:00 am EDT
Meet the Billionaire and Rising GOP Mega-Donor Who’s Gaming the Tax System

by Justin Elliott, Jesse Eisinger, Paul Kiel, Jeff Ernsthausen and Doris Burke

June 21, 2022, 5:00 am EDT
“If You’re Getting a W-2, You’re a Sucker”

by Paul Kiel

April 15, 2022, 5:00 am EDT
America’s Top 15 Earners and What They Reveal About the U.S. Tax System

by ProPublica

April 13, 2022, 5:01 am EDT
America’s Highest Earners and Their Taxes Revealed

by Paul Kiel, Ash Ngu, Jesse Eisinger and Jeff Ernsthausen

April 13, 2022, 5:00 am EDT
Taking Aim at Billionaire Tax Avoiders, Biden Proposes Minimum Tax for Ultrarich

by Paul Kiel, Jesse Eisinger and Jeff Ernsthausen

March 28, 2022, 3:15 pm EDT
When Billionaires Don’t Pay Taxes, People “Lose Faith in Democracy”

by Jesse Eisinger, Jeff Ernsthausen and Paul Kiel

February 28, 2022, 5:00 am EST
“The Secret IRS Files” Wins Selden Ring Award for Investigative Reporting

by ProPublica

February 7, 2022, 5:01 pm EST
The Great Inheritors: How Three Families Shielded Their Fortunes From Taxes for Generations

by Patricia Callahan, James Bandler, Justin Elliott, Doris Burke and Jeff Ernsthausen

December 15, 2021, 6:00 am EST
A Massive Oil Spill Helped One Billionaire Avoid Paying Income Tax for 14 Years

by Jesse Eisinger, Paul Kiel and Jeff Ernsthausen

December 9, 2021, 5:00 am EST
When You’re a Billionaire, Your Hobbies Can Slash Your Tax Bill

by Paul Kiel, Jesse Eisinger and Jeff Ernsthausen

December 8, 2021, 5:00 am EST
These Real Estate and Oil Tycoons Avoided Paying Taxes for Years

by Jeff Ernsthausen, Paul Kiel and Jesse Eisinger

December 7, 2021, 5:00 am EST
How These Ultrawealthy Politicians Avoided Paying Taxes

by Ellis Simani, Robert Faturechi and Ken Ward Jr.

November 4, 2021, 5:00 am EDT
These Billionaires Received Taxpayer-Funded Stimulus Checks During the Pandemic

by Paul Kiel, Jesse Eisinger and Jeff Ernsthausen

November 3, 2021, 11:42 am EDT
The Billionaires Tax Isn’t New

by Jesse Eisinger

October 29, 2021, 5:01 am EDT
Proposal to Rein in Mega IRAs Faces Lobbying Resistance From Retirement Industry

by Justin Elliott

October 25, 2021, 9:36 am EDT
ProPublica Wins Gold and Bronze Barlett & Steele Award

by ProPublica

October 19, 2021, 11:38 am EDT
More Than Half of America’s 100 Richest People Exploit Special Trusts to Avoid Estate Taxes

by Jeff Ernsthausen, James Bandler, Justin Elliott and Patricia Callahan

September 28, 2021, 10:45 am EDT
How the Trump Tax Law Created a Loophole That Lets Top Executives Net Millions by Slashing Their Own Salaries

by Robert Faturechi and Justin Elliott

August 19, 2021, 5:00 am EDT
Secret IRS Files Reveal How Much the Ultrawealthy Gained by Shaping Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Tax Cut”

by Justin Elliott and Robert Faturechi

August 11, 2021, 5:00 am EDT
The Inside Story of How We Reported the Secret IRS Files

by ProPublica

August 6, 2021, 11:30 am EDT
How a Billionaire Team Owner Pays a Lower Tax Rate Than LeBron James — and the Stadium Workers, Too

Nadia Sussman, Mauricio Rodríguez Pons, Joseph Singer and Kristyn Hume

July 8, 2021, 12:47 pm EDT
The Billionaire Playbook: How Sports Owners Use Their Teams to Avoid Millions in Taxes

by Robert Faturechi, Justin Elliott and Ellis Simani

July 8, 2021, 5:00 am EDT
Eight Takeaways From ProPublica’s Investigation of How Sports Owners Use Their Teams to Avoid Taxes

by ProPublica

July 8, 2021, 4:59 am EDT
How the .001% Use Retirement Accounts as Tax-Free Piggy Banks

Nadia Sussman and Sherene Strausberg

July 1, 2021, 2:09 pm EDT
Why You Can’t Turn Your Roth IRA Into a Billion-Dollar Tax Shelter

by Nadia Sussman, Sherene Strausberg and Justin Elliott

July 1, 2021, 5:00 am EDT
Lord of the Roths: How Tech Mogul Peter Thiel Turned a Retirement Account for the Middle Class Into a $5 Billion Tax-Free Piggy Bank

by Justin Elliott, Patricia Callahan and James Bandler

June 24, 2021, 5:00 am EDT
Leading Manhattan DA Candidate Has Repeatedly Paid Virtually No Federal Income Taxes

by Robert Faturechi and Jeff Ernsthausen

June 16, 2021, 12:50 pm EDT
ProPublica’s Tax Revelations Lead to Calls for Reforms — and Investigation

by Robert Faturechi

June 9, 2021, 4:45 pm EDT
Buy, Borrow, Die: How America’s Ultrawealthy Stay That Way

Video by Mauricio Rodríguez Pons and Nadia Sussman

June 8, 2021, 12:23 pm EDT