Becoming a whistleblower can be rewarding, both in terms of helping the government to recover funds and hold wrongdoers accountable, and in terms of monetary incentives provided by government agencies. Each whistleblower program listed below offers rewards to whistleblowers who report fraudulent activities, when that reporting leads to a significant recovery. Click to read more about each area’s specific whistleblower rewards.
False Claims Act & Qui Tam Whistleblower Rewards
Whistleblowers who report fraud under the False Claims Act are entitled to a sizable reward if their reporting leads to a large recovery. Under the False Claims Act, whistleblowers reward amounts differ based on a variety of factors, including whether or not the government chooses to join the qui tam case. Generally, a whistleblower recovers between 15 and 30 percent of the recovered amount. Some cases have recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for the government, and whistleblowers have been paid hundreds of millions of dollars under the False Claims Act. If the government declines the whistleblower lawsuit, and the whistleblower proceeds against the defendant, the percentage of the potential reward increases. False Claims Act & Qui Tam Whistleblower Rewards »
Securities Whistleblower Rewards
Reporting securities fraud can lead to significant whistleblower rewards. The Securities and Exchange Commission is directed by Congress to provide monetary awards to eligible individuals who come forward with high-quality original information that leads to a Commission enforcement action in which more than $1,000,000 is recovered by the SEC. Certain factors will be considered to determine the whistleblower's reward, including the significance of the information provided, assistance provided by the whistleblower and the whistleblower's attorney and the programmatic interest of the SEC in deterring violations of the securities law. Securities Whistleblower Rewards »
CFTC Whistleblower Rewards
Reporting fraud in the commodity and futures markets can lead to significant whistleblower rewards. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission is directed by Congress to provide monetary awards to eligible individuals who come forward with high-quality original information that leads to a Commission enforcement action in which more than $1,000,000 is recovered by the CFTC. Certain factors will be considered to determine the whistleblower's reward, including the significance of the information provided, assistance provided by the whistleblower and the whistleblower's attorney and the programmatic interest of the CFTC in deterring violations of the securities law. CFTC Whistleblower Rewards »
IRS Whistleblower Rewards
The IRS Whistleblower Office pays money to those who blow the whistle on persons or companies failing to pay the tax that they owe. If the IRS uses information provided by the whistleblower, it can award the whistleblower up to 30 percent of the additional tax, penalty and other amounts it collects. The process, from submission of information to the IRS until the proceeds are collected, may take several years. Payments of awards will not be made until after the taxes, penalties, interest, additions to tax and additional amounts that are finally determined to be owed to the IRS have been collected. IRS Whistleblower Rewards »
