USC - Adjusted gross income defined

§ 62. Adjusted gross income defined

(a) General ruleFor purposes of this subtitle, the term “adjusted gross income” means, in the case of an individual, gross income minus the following deductions:

(1) Trade and business deductions

(2) Certain trade and business deductions of employees

(A) Reimbursed expenses of employees

(B) Certain expenses of performing artists

(D) Certain expenses of elementary and secondary school teachersThe deductions allowed by section 162 which consist of expenses, not in excess of $250, paid or incurred by an eligible educator—

(i) by reason of the participation of the educator in professional development courses related to the curriculum in which the educator provides instruction or to the students for which the educator provides instruction, and

(ii) in connection with books, supplies (other than nonathletic supplies for courses of instruction in health or physical education), computer equipment (including related software and services) and other equipment, and supplementary materials used by the eligible educator in the classroom.

(E) Certain expenses of members of reserve components of the Armed Forces of the United States

(3) Losses from sale or exchange of property

(4) Deductions attributable to rents and royalties

(5) Certain deductions of life tenants and income beneficiaries of property

(6) Pension, profit-sharing, and annuity plans of self-employed individuals

(7) Retirement savings

[(8) Repealed. Pub. L. 104–188, title I, § 1401(b)(4), Aug. 20, 1996, 110 Stat. 1788]

(9) Penalties forfeited because of premature withdrawal of funds from time savings accounts or deposits

[(10) Repealed. Pub. L. 115–97, title I, § 11051(b)(2)(A), Dec. 22, 2017, 131 Stat. 2089]

(11) Reforestation expenses

(12) Certain required repayments of supplemental unemployment compensation benefits

(13) Jury duty pay remitted to employer

[(14) Repealed. Pub. L. 113–295, div. A, title II, § 221(a)(34)(C), Dec. 19, 2014, 128 Stat. 4042]

(15) Moving expenses

(16) Archer MSAs

(17) Interest on education loans

[(18) Repealed. Pub. L. 116–260, div. EE, title I, § 104(b)(2)(A), Dec. 27, 2020, 134 Stat. 3041]

(19) Health savings accounts

(20) Costs involving discrimination suits, etc.

(21) Attorneys’ fees relating to awards to whistleblowers

(A) In generalAny deduction allowable under this chapter for attorney fees and court costs paid by, or on behalf of, the taxpayer in connection with any award under—

(i) section 7623(b), or

(ii) in the case of taxable years beginning after December 31, 2017, any action brought under—(I) section 21F of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78u–6),(II) a State false claims act, including a State false claims act with qui tam provisions, or(III) section 23 of the Commodity Exchange Act (7 U.S.C. 26).

(B) May not exceed award

Nothing in this section shall permit the same item to be deducted more than once. Any deduction allowed by section 199A shall not be treated as a deduction described in any of the preceding paragraphs of this subsection.

(b) Qualified performing artist

(1) In generalFor purposes of subsection (a)(2)(B), the term “qualified performing artist” means, with respect to any taxable year, any individual if—

(A) such individual performed services in the performing arts as an employee during the taxable year for at least 2 employers,

(B) the aggregate amount allowable as a deduction under section 162 in connection with the performance of such services exceeds 10 percent of such individual’s gross income attributable to the performance of such services, and

(C) the adjusted gross income of such individual for the taxable year (determined without regard to subsection (a)(2)(B)) does not exceed $16,000.

(2) Nominal employer not taken into account

(3) Special rules for married couples

(A) In general

(B) Application of paragraph (1)In the case of a joint return—

(i) paragraph (1) (other than subparagraph (C) thereof) shall be applied separately with respect to each spouse, but

(ii) paragraph (1)(C) shall be applied with respect to their combined adjusted gross income.

(D) Joint return

(c) Certain arrangements not treated as reimbursement arrangementsFor purposes of subsection (a)(2)(A), an arrangement shall in no event be treated as a reimbursement or other expense allowance arrangement if—

(1) such arrangement does not require the employee to substantiate the expenses covered by the arrangement to the person providing the reimbursement, or

(2) such arrangement provides the employee the right to retain any amount in excess of the substantiated expenses covered under the arrangement.

The substantiation requirements of the preceding sentence shall not apply to any expense to the extent that substantiation is not required under section 274(d) for such expense by reason of the regulations prescribed under the 2nd sentence thereof.

(d) Definition; special rules

(1) Eligible educator

(A) In general

(B) School

(2) Coordination with exclusions

(3) Inflation adjustmentIn the case of any taxable year beginning after 2015, the $250 amount in subsection (a)(2)(D) shall be increased by an amount equal to—

(A) such dollar amount, multiplied by

(B) the cost-of-living adjustment determined under section 1(f)(3) for the calendar year in which the taxable year begins, determined by substituting “calendar year 2014” for “calendar year 2016” in subparagraph (A)(ii) thereof.

Any increase determined under the preceding sentence shall be rounded to the nearest multiple of $50.

(e) Unlawful discrimination definedFor purposes of subsection (a)(20), the term “unlawful discrimination” means an act that is unlawful under any of the following:

(1) Section 302 of the Civil Rights Act of 1991 (42 U.S.C. 2000e–16b).

(2) Section 201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206, 207, or 208 of the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 (2 U.S.C. 1311, 1312, 1313, 1314, 1315, 1316, or 1317).1

1 See References in Text note below.

(3) The National Labor Relations Act (29 U.S.C. 151 et seq.).

(4) The Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 201 et seq.).

(5) Section 4 or 15 of the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (29 U.S.C. 623 or 633a).

(6) Section 501 or 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 791 or 794).

(7) Section 510 of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (29 U.S.C. 1140).

(8) Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (20 U.S.C. 1681 et seq.).

(9) The Employee Polygraph Protection Act of 1988 (29 U.S.C. 2001 et seq.).

(10) The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (29 U.S.C. 2102 et seq.).

(11) Section 105 of the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (29 U.S.C. 2615).

(12) Chapter 43 of title 38, United States Code (relating to employment and reemployment rights of members of the uniformed services).

(13) Section 1977, 1979, or 1980 of the Revised Statutes (42 U.S.C. 1981, 1983, or 1985).

(14) Section 703, 704, or 717 of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 2000e–2, 2000e–3, or 2000e–16).

(15) Section 804, 805, 806, 808, or 818 of the Fair Housing Act (42 U.S.C. 3604, 3605, 3606, 3608, or 3617).

(16) Section 102, 202, 302, or 503 of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12112, 12132, 12182, or 12203).

(17) Any provision of Federal law (popularly known as whistleblower protection provisions) prohibiting the discharge of an employee, the discrimination against an employee, or any other form of retaliation or reprisal against an employee for asserting rights or taking other actions permitted under Federal law.

(18) Any provision of Federal, State, or local law, or common law claims permitted under Federal, State, or local law—

(i) providing for the enforcement of civil rights, or

(ii) regulating any aspect of the employment relationship, including claims for wages, compensation, or benefits, or prohibiting the discharge of an employee, the discrimination against an employee, or any other form of retaliation or reprisal against an employee for asserting rights or taking other actions permitted by law.

(Aug. 16, 1954, ch. 736, 68A Stat. 17; Pub. L. 87–792, § 7(b), Oct. 10, 1962, 76 Stat. 828; Pub. L. 88–272, title II, § 213(b), Feb. 26, 1964, 78 Stat. 52; Pub. L. 91–172, title V, § 531(b), Dec. 30, 1969, 83 Stat. 655; Pub. L. 93–406, title II, §§ 2002(a)(2), 2005(c)(9), Sept. 2, 1974, 88 Stat. 959, 992; Pub. L. 93–483, § 6(a), Oct. 26, 1974, 88 Stat. 1458; Pub. L. 94–455, title V, § 502(a), title XV, § 1501(b)(1), title XIX, § 1901(a)(8), (9), Oct. 4, 1976, 90 Stat. 1559, 1735, 1765; Pub. L. 95–615, § 203(b), Nov. 8, 1978, 92 Stat. 3106; Pub. L. 96–451, title III, § 301(b), Oct. 14, 1980, 94 Stat. 1990; Pub. L. 96–608, § 3(a), Dec. 28, 1980, 94 Stat. 3551; Pub. L. 97–34, title I, §§ 103(b), 112(b)(2), title III, § 311(h)(1), Aug. 13, 1981, 95 Stat. 187, 195, 282; Pub. L. 97–354, § 5(a)(17), Oct. 19, 1982, 96 Stat. 1693; Pub. L. 98–369, div. A, title IV, § 491(d)(2), July 18, 1984, 98 Stat. 849; Pub. L. 99–514, title I, §§ 131(b)(1), 132(b), (c), title III, § 301(b)(1), title XVIII, § 1875(c)(3), Oct. 22, 1986, 100 Stat. 2113, 2115, 2116, 2217, 2894; Pub. L. 100–485, title VII, § 702(a), Oct. 13, 1988, 102 Stat. 2426; Pub. L. 100–647, title I, § 1001(b)(3)(A), title VI, § 6007(b), Nov. 10, 1988, 102 Stat. 3349, 3687; Pub. L. 101–508, title XI, § 11802(e)(1), Nov. 5, 1990, 104 Stat. 1388–530; Pub. L. 102–318, title V, § 521(b)(2), July 3, 1992, 106 Stat. 310; Pub. L. 102–486, title XIX, § 1913(a)(2), Oct. 24, 1992, 106 Stat. 3019; Pub. L. 103–66, title XIII, § 13213(c)(1), Aug. 10, 1993, 107 Stat. 474; Pub. L. 104–188, title I, § 1401(b)(4), Aug. 20, 1996, 110 Stat. 1788; Pub. L. 104–191, title III, § 301(b), Aug. 21, 1996, 110 Stat. 2048; Pub. L. 105–34, title II, § 202(b), title IX, § 975(a), Aug. 5, 1997, 111 Stat. 808, 898; Pub. L. 106–554, § 1(a)(7) [title II, § 202(b)(1)], Dec. 21, 2000, 114 Stat. 2763, 2763A–629; Pub. L. 107–16, title IV, § 431(b), June 7, 2001, 115 Stat. 68; Pub. L. 107–147, title IV, § 406(a), (b), Mar. 9, 2002, 116 Stat. 43; Pub. L. 108–121, title I, § 109(b), Nov. 11, 2003, 117 Stat. 1341; Pub. L. 108–173, title XII, § 1201(b), Dec. 8, 2003, 117 Stat. 2476; Pub. L. 108–311, title III, § 307(a), Oct. 4, 2004, 118 Stat. 1179; Pub. L. 108–357, title VII, § 703(a), (b), Oct. 22, 2004, 118 Stat. 1546, 1547; Pub. L. 109–135, title IV, § 412(q), Dec. 21, 2005, 119 Stat. 2638; Pub. L. 109–432, div. A, title I, § 108(a), title IV, § 406(a)(3), Dec. 20, 2006, 120 Stat. 2939, 2959; Pub. L. 110–343, div. C, title II, § 203(a), Oct. 3, 2008, 122 Stat. 3864; Pub. L. 111–312, title VII, § 721(a), Dec. 17, 2010, 124 Stat. 3316; Pub. L. 112–240, title II, § 201(a), Jan. 2, 2013, 126 Stat. 2323; Pub. L. 113–295, div. A, title I, § 101(a), title II, § 221(a)(34)(C), Dec. 19, 2014, 128 Stat. 4012, 4042; Pub. L. 114–113, div. Q, title I, § 104(a)–(c), Dec. 18, 2015, 129 Stat. 3045; Pub. L. 115–97, title I, §§ 11002(d)(1)(J), 11011(b)(1), 11051(b)(2)(A), Dec. 22, 2017, 131 Stat. 2060, 2070, 2089; Pub. L. 115–123, div. D, title II, § 41107(a), Feb. 9, 2018, 132 Stat. 158; Pub. L. 115–141, div. T, § 101(a)(2)(B), div. U, title IV, § 401(a)(31), (32), Mar. 23, 2018, 132 Stat. 1155, 1185, 1186; Pub. L. 116–92, div. A, title XI, § 1122(d)(2)(B), Dec. 20, 2019, 133 Stat. 1609; Pub. L. 116–136, div. A, title II, § 2204(a), (b), Mar. 27, 2020, 134 Stat. 345; Pub. L. 116–260, div. EE, title I, § 104(b)(2)(A), title II, § 212(c), Dec. 27, 2020, 134 Stat. 3041, 3068.)