On July 1, 2025, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, H.R.1 – 199th Congress (2025-2026) (the “Act”) was passed in the U.S. Senate (“Senate”). On July 3, 2025, it was passed in the U.S. House of Representatives (“House”) and presented to President Trump to be signed into law. On July 4, 2025, the President signed the Act into law.
I intend to present several installments on my blog featuring some of the most important tax provisions of the Act, allowing us to break down these provisions in detail. This first installment is a continuation of my coverage of the SALT deduction provision of the Act.
As reported on May 16, 2025, the SALT cap proposal contained in the legislation that was pending in the U.S. House of Representatives (“House”) aimed at, among other things, dealing with the expiring provisions of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (“TCJA”) was not well received by lawmakers from high-income tax states such as Oregon, New York, Hawaii and California. That proposal increased the SALT cap from $10,000 to $30,000, but it contained a downward adjustment for taxpayers with “modified adjusted gross income” over $400,000. For this purpose, modified adjusted gross income is adjusted gross income plus any amounts excluded from income under Code Sections 911, 931 and 933. Under that proposal, the $30,000 cap is reduced by 20% of a taxpayer’s modified adjusted gross income to the extent it exceeds $400,000 ($200,000 in the case of a married taxpayer filing separately). However, the SALT cap cannot be reduced below $10,000 ($5,000 in the case of a married taxpayer filing separately).
It appears the SALT cap proposal may have been the last item holding up the passage of the bill by members of the House. After hours of debate and discussion, the proposal was modified, and the House passed the bill on May 22, 2025. It now sits in the U.S. Senate (“Senate”), where it is expected this provision of the bill, among others, will face fierce debate.
Background
Prior to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (“TCJA”), there was no direct limitation on an individual taxpayer’s deduction of his or her state and local taxes (“SALT”) on the federal individual income tax return. Of course, for high-income taxpayers, the SALT deduction often triggered the alternative minimum tax.
As of 2018, as a result of the TCJA, the SALT deduction for individuals was capped at $10,000 per year for both single and married taxpayers filing jointly ($5,000 for married taxpayers filing separately). Hence, the cap contains an inherent “marriage penalty.”
The SALT cap was added to the TCJA, in part, as a compromise for an increase in the standard deduction (almost doubling it from pre-TCJA days). It is, however, set to sunset at the end of this year.
In News Release 2020-107, issued Thursday, May 28, 2020, the IRS announced that taxpayers will soon be able to electronically file Form 1040-X, Amended U.S. Individual Income Tax Return. This is welcome news for taxpayers and tax practitioners!
Background
According to the IRS, more than 90 percent of individual taxpayers electronically file their U.S. Federal Income Tax Returns (Form 1040) each year. Likewise, approximately three million amended U.S. Federal Income Tax Returns (Form 1040-X) are filed each year.
Currently, a large number of tax forms may be filed electronically, including U.S. Federal Income Tax Forms 1040, 1065, 1120 and 1120S. Additionally, taxpayers may electronically amend U.S. Federal Income Tax Forms 1065, 1120 and 1120S. They may not, however, amend U.S. Federal Income Tax Form 1040 (Form 1040-X) electronically.
Despite repeated pleas by tax practitioners for the ability to file Form 1040-X electronically, the IRS has not been able to accommodate practitioners. That is about to change!
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Larry J. Brant
Editor
Larry J. Brant is a Shareholder and the Chair of the Tax & Benefits practice group at Foster Garvey, a law firm based out of the Pacific Northwest, with offices in Seattle, Washington; Portland, Oregon; Washington, D.C.; New York, New York, Spokane, Washington; Tulsa, Oklahoma; and Beijing, China. Mr. Brant is licensed to practice in Oregon and Washington. His practice focuses on tax, tax controversy and transactions. Mr. Brant is a past Chair of the Oregon State Bar Taxation Section. He was the long-term Chair of the Oregon Tax Institute, and is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the Portland Tax Forum. Mr. Brant has served as an adjunct professor, teaching corporate taxation, at Northwestern School of Law, Lewis and Clark College. He is an Expert Contributor to Thomson Reuters Checkpoint Catalyst. Mr. Brant is a Fellow in the American College of Tax Counsel. He publishes articles on numerous income tax issues, including Taxation of S Corporations, Reasonable Compensation, Circular 230, Worker Classification, IRC § 1031 Exchanges, Choice of Entity, Entity Tax Classification, and State and Local Taxation. Mr. Brant is a frequent lecturer at local, regional and national tax and business conferences for CPAs and attorneys. He was the 2015 Recipient of the Oregon State Bar Tax Section Award of Merit.
