Key Provisions from the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021

January 8, 2021

By abarker on January 8, 2021
Body

On December 27, President Trump signed the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (the “Act”) into law, after initially sending it back to Congress over his displeasure with the amount of stimulus payments. 

The Act combines $900 billion in stimulus relief for the COVID-19 pandemic with a $1.4 trillion spending package for the 2021 fiscal year. The legislation is the first to address the COVID-19 pandemic since April 2020.

Below is a high-level summary of the most notable provisions. 

  • Direct Stimulus Payments 

    The most widely publicized portion of the law is the second round of direct payments. This provides $600 per individual and another $600 each for child dependents. The payments are a credit against 2020 taxes and phase out for individuals with a 2019 adjusted gross income exceeding $75,000 ($150,000 for joint filers).1  
  • Payroll Tax Deferral 

    This provision extends the 2020 payroll tax deferral (employee share) from April 30, 2021 to December 31, 2021.2
  • Teacher Expenses 

    The Act directs the Treasury to issue regulations providing that personal protective equipment and other supplies related to preventing the spread of COVID-19 qualify for an above-the-line deduction (no requirement to itemize to deduct against income).3
  • Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Expenses 

    The IRS previously issued Notice 2020-32, which precluded businesses from deducting expenses that were paid for with funds forgiven from the PPP. This Act indicates that the intent of the original legislation was for these expenses to be deductible, and therefore, expressly allows for such.4 
  • Charitable Contributions 

    The CARES Act temporarily increased the itemized deduction limitation for cash contributions from 60% of adjusted gross income to 100%, allowed for a $300 above-the-line deduction to taxpayers utilizing the standard deduction, and increased the corporate limitation from 10% of taxable income to 25%. This Act extends those provisions through 2021.5 
  • Meals 

    To help the severely impacted dining industry, the business deduction for meals (including beverages) will be 100% (vs. 50%) for 2021 and 2022.6 
  • Extenders  

    Included in the Act was the annual package that extends or makes permanent provisions that were set to expire at the end of the year. A couple notable examples are the 7.5% medical expense limitation that was made permanent  and the extension through 2021 of deductions for mortgage insurance premiums  along with a handful of energy credits.

It’s worth noting that the waiver on required minimum distributions (RMDs) for 2020 was not extended in the Act. Therefore, beneficiaries subject to the RMD rules will need to account for them in 2021. 
 

Citations

1Code Sec. 6428(a) and COVIDTRA Sec. 272
2COVIDTRA Sec. 274
3Code Sec. 62(a)(2)(D)(ii)
4H.R. 133 Sec. 276
5TCDTR Sec. 212 and TCDTR Sec. 213
6TDCTR Sec. 210
7Code Sec. 213(a)
8Code Sec. 163(h)(3)(E)(iv)(I)

Disclaimers

The opinions and analyses expressed in this newsletter are based on RMB Capital Management, LLC's ("RMB Capital") research and professional experience and are expressed as of the date of our mailing of this email. Certain information expressed represents an assessment at a specific point in time and is not intended to be a forecast or guarantee of future performance, nor is it intended to speak to any future time periods. RMB Capital makes no warranty or representation, express or implied, nor does RMB Capital accept any liability, with respect to the information and data set forth herein, and RMB Capital specifically disclaims any duty to update any of the information and data contained in this newsletter. The information and data in this email does not constitute legal, tax, accounting, investment or other professional advice. Past performance is not indicative of future results, and there is a risk of loss of all or part of your investment. This information is confidential and may not be reproduced or redistributed to any other party without the permission of RMB Capital.

Was this article helpful?

Tags for this article: