Taxpayer Certainty and Disaster Tax Relief Act of 2019

[andyelliott22]

Do I need to amend both federal and state to recieve the credit?

[DoninGA]

This is only a bill in Congress.  It has not come up for a vote, been approved or signed into law.

See - https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/3301

[andyelliott22]

then why would turbotax send me an email saying the tax law has been updated...

"We’re reaching out to you to let you know that The Taxpayer Certainty and Disaster Relief Act of 2019 extended the Tuition & Fees Deduction to apply to 2018 taxes. You may now qualify for a tax break based on the tuition and fees you paid in 2018."

"We’re letting you know about the updated tax law now because you filed your return before Congress changed the laws."

[DoninGA]

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@andyelliott22 wrote:

then why would turbotax send me an email saying the tax law has been updated...

"We’re reaching out to you to let you know that The Taxpayer Certainty and Disaster Relief Act of 2019 extended the Tuition & Fees Deduction to apply to 2018 taxes. You may now qualify for a tax break based on the tuition and fees you paid in 2018."

"We’re letting you know about the updated tax law now because you filed your return before Congress changed the laws."

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Have no idea why TurboTax would reference that bill.  However, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020 reinstated the Tuition and Fees Deduction for tax years 2018 and 2019.

[VictoriaD75]

In December 2019, Congress passed and the President signed into law the Taxpayer Certainty and Disaster Tax Relief Act of 2019 , providing tax relief for millions of Americans. The law extends many already expired provisions that provide tax relief and support for families and individuals, special tax relief for certain disaster victims, and the extension of energy efficient tax credits. They extended some tax credits back to the 2018 tax season, requiring some taxpayers to have to amend to take advantage of these extended provisions.

The full email can be found below:

Dear Valued Customer,
 
We’re reaching out because you may qualify for a credit of up to $500 for making qualified energy efficient improvements to your main home in 2018.
 
We’re letting you know about the updated tax law now because you filed your return before Congress changed the laws.
 
If this applies to you, we’ve got your back. Whenever you’re ready, we’ll be here to help you amend (change) your 2018 federal return to see if this tax break benefits you. There’s no rush to amend your return because you’ll be able to amend at any time.
 
You can only file amended returns by mail. The IRS can take up to 16 weeks after receipt to process your amended tax return.
 
If you’ve already taken action regarding this tax break, you can disregard this email.
 
How to Amend your 2018 return
If you filed using TurboTax Online
If you filed using TurboTax Desktop
 
Just so you know, the 5 tax breaks below were also recently added to the tax code. If you have one of these to add, you can report everything on the same amended return:

• Mortgage Insurance
• Cancellation of Debt in Main Home
• Tuition & Fees
• Energy-efficient Vehicle Credits
• Disasters

If you want to chat with us on the phone, we’ve got you covered. Give us a call at 1-844-333-2182.
 
Sincerely,
The TurboTax Team