Bill would let Border Patrol agents claim tax deduction on overtime pay

HOUSTON, Texas (KVIA) -- U.S. Border Patrol agents could claim a tax exemption on overtime pay under a bill U.S. Senator John Cornyn introduced Thursday.

Sen. Cornyn said the "No Tax on Border Patrol Agent Overtime Act" would let agents make deduction claims part of the Working Families Tax Cuts Act, also known as the "One Big Beautiful Bill" signed into law July 4, 2025.

That bill included a provision providing a $12,500 deduction for overtime pay and ($25,000 for joint filers).

The No Tax on Overtime deduction applies to workers subject to the Fair Labor Standards Act, Cornyn said. However, Border Patrol agents have different overtime rules that doesn't let them claim the deduction.

The The Border Patrol Agent Pay Reform Act, which became law in 2014, restructured overtime pay for agents.

The bill Cornyn introduced would restructure the rules and would allow agents to claim the No Tax on Overtime deduction.