Adoption Tax Credit Made Permanent in Fiscal Cliff Bill

Religion Today | Updated: Jan 04, 2013

Adoption Tax Credit Made Permanent in Fiscal Cliff Bill

The "fiscal cliff" bill signed by President Obama didn't fully please either political party, but it did contain good news for the adoption community by maintaining a tax credit that makes adoption more affordable for low- and middle-income families, Baptist Press reports. The adoption tax credit was set to expire at the end of 2012, and for months the adoption community had been lobbying Congress to extend it. The House and Senate did more than that, making the credit permanent under the bill passed just before the new year. Unlike a tax deduction, which only reduces taxable income, a tax credit actually reduces a person's tax liability. Under IRS rules, an adoptive family can claim adoption expenses -- court costs and adoption agency fees, among others -- up to the maximum amount allowed under the credit, which last year was $13,360. Since many adoptions cost $20,000 and up, the tax credit simply makes the expensive process more affordable.



Adoption Tax Credit Made Permanent in Fiscal Cliff Bill