Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), John Fetterman (D-Pa.),John Cornyn (R-Texas), and Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) introduced the Survivors Assistance for Fear-free and Easy (SAFE) Tax Filing Act. This bipartisan bill would work to end economic coercion in abusive marriages by making it easier for survivors of spousal abuse or abandonment to file their taxes.
“Survivors of domestic violence should not have to worry about contacting their abuser – putting themselves and their children at risk of serious physical harm – just to file their taxes,” said Senator Cortez Masto. “This commonsense, bipartisan legislation will help keep Nevada families safe and help survivors on the road to recovery.”
The SAFE Tax Filing Act allows spousal abuse survivors to file their taxes as if they are unmarried. Currently, laws require survivors to either file their taxes jointly with their abuser or to file as Married Filing Separately, a disadvantageous status that could reduce their tax refund. This bill ends the requirement that survivors must contact their abusers to get the biggest tax refund they’re eligible for to support themselves and their families.
“The SAFE Tax Filing Act of 2025 is more than tax reform—it’s a lifeline,” said Pamela Jacobs, JD, CEO, National Resource Center on Domestic Violence. “It recognizes that survivors of abuse deserve safety, autonomy, and freedom from financial entanglement with those who’ve harmed them. This legislation honors the reality of survivors’ lives and removes another barrier on their path to healing and independence.”
“There is no safety without economic security. Survivors of domestic violence often face substantial tax liability as a result of their abusive partner, and the act of filing taxes can expose survivors to further risk to their physical safety,” said Erika Sussman, Founder & Executive Director, Center for Survivor Agency and Justice. “The SAFE Tax Filing Act will lift that burden by providing survivors with the chance to attend to their tax responsibilities without subjecting themselves to further economic and physical harm. We owe this to survivors.”
The SAFE Tax Filing Act is endorsed by the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence, the National Domestic Violence Hotline, the National Network to End Domestic Violence, the Center for Survivor Agency and Justice, Futures Without Violence, and Just Solutions.
The full bill text is available here.
Senator Cortez Masto is an outspoken advocate for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking. She was a cosponsor and vocal supporter of the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act to help address gender-based violence and provide services and protections for survivors. The reauthorization included Cortez Masto’s bipartisan Fairness for Rape Kit Backlog Survivors Act to require state programs to allow sexual assault victims to file for compensation without being unfairly penalized for delays due to rape kit backlogs. She helped pass the bipartisan Safer Communities Act to narrow the “dating partner” loophole and prevent convicted domestic violence abusers from purchasing and possessing firearms.
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