Recently Expired Individual Tax Provisions ("Tax Extenders"): In Brief (CRS Report for Congress)
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| Release Date |
Revised March 30, 2018 |
| Report Number |
R44925 |
| Report Type |
Report |
| Authors |
Molly F. Sherlock, Coordinator; Mark P. Keightley; Jane G. Gravelle; Sean Lowry; Grant A. Driessen |
| Source Agency |
Congressional Research Service |
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Summary:
Thirty-four temporary tax provisions expired at the end of 2016. Four of these provisions are
individual income tax provisions. In the past, Congress has regularly acted to extend expired or
expiring temporary tax provisions. Collectively, these temporary tax provisions are often referred
to as “tax extenders.” Most recently, in December 2015, Congress addressed tax extenders in the
Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes Act of 2015 (PATH Act), enacted as Division Q of the
Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016 (P.L. 114-113). Three of the four individual income tax
provisions that expired at the end of 2016 were extended in the PATH Act. The provisions that
were extended in the PATH Act were extended for two years, retroactive for 2015 and through
2016. These include the:
Tax Exclusion for Canceled Mortgage Debt;
Mortgage Insurance Premium Deductibility; and
Above-the-Line Deduction for Qualified Tuition and Related Expenses.
Brief background information on these provisions is provided in this report.
The other individual income tax provision that expired at the end of 2016, expired for the first
time in that year, and thus has not been a part of previous tax extender legislation. This is the:
Medical Expense Deduction Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) Floor of 7.5% for
Individuals Age 65 and Over.
Options related to expired tax provisions in the 115th Congress include (1) extending all or some
of the provisions that expired at the end of 2016 or (2) allowing expired provisions to remain
expired. If temporary tax provisions that expired at the end of 2016 are extended, retroactive
extensions may be considered so that tax incentives and provisions are available in 2017. In the
past, retroactive extensions have been common for expired temporary tax provisions.
This report provides background information on individual income tax provisions that expired in
2016. For information on other tax provisions that expired at the end of 2016, see CRS Report
R44677, Tax Provisions that Expired in 2016 (“Tax Extenders”), by Molly F. Sherlock.
