Palantir has been helping the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigations office probe financial crimes in the United States for much of the last decade, according to a report published by The Intercept in April 2026. The IRS has paid the data analytics firm $130 million since 2018 to use its software to analyze financial records for investigative purposes.
The reporting draws on public records detailing Palantir’s IRS contract, obtained by the nonprofit watchdog group American Oversight. The specific tool in use is Palantir’s Lead and Case Analytics platform, which aggregates and analyzes data across multiple federal agencies. According to The Intercept, the software can identify connections across millions of records and thousands of database links, and is particularly capable of mapping human relationships and communications.
While it was previously known that the IRS used Palantir’s products — and that the agency viewed the software as a means to automate and modernize audits — the full extent of that relationship had not been previously reported. It was also reported last summer that Palantir was assisting DOGE, the government efficiency initiative launched by President Trump’s executive order, on a project designed to access IRS records.
Earlier this week, American Oversight sued the Trump administration seeking public records related to multiple federal agencies’ use of Palantir tools, including the IRS. The lawsuit and the newly disclosed contract details suggest the scope of Palantir’s role across federal government operations may be broader than previously understood. TechCrunch reported it had reached out to Palantir for comment.
Source: TechCrunch