To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to repeal the limitation on deductions for personal casualty losses and to provide for increased taxpayer relief with respect to theft losses involving fraud, deceit, or misrepresentation.
Section 1. Short title
This Act may be cited as the Tax Relief for Fraud Victims Act
.
Sec. 2. Repeal of limitation on deductions for personal casualty losses; increased taxpayer relief with respect to certain theft losses
(a) Repeal of limitation on deductions for personal casualty losses
Section 165(h) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended by striking paragraph (5).
(b) Certain theft losses sustained during taxable year of choice; extension of period of limitation for credit or refund claims for certain theft losses
(1) Certain theft losses sustained during taxable year of choice
Section 165(e) of such Code is amended to read as follows:
(e) Theft losses
For purposes of subsection (a)—
(1) In general
Except as provided in paragraph (2), any loss arising from theft shall be treated as sustained during the taxable year in which the taxpayer discovers such loss.
(2) Theft losses involving fraud, deceit, or misrepresentation
In the case of any loss arising from theft involving fraud, deceit, or misrepresentation (as defined by the Secretary), the taxpayer may elect to treat such loss as sustained during the taxable year in which such loss occurs.
(2) Extension of period of limitation for credit or refund claims for certain theft losses
Section 165(h)(4) of such Code is amended by adding at the end the following new subparagraph:
(F) Period of limitation for credit or refund claims for theft losses involving fraud, deceit, or misrepresentation
In the case of a claim for credit or refund with respect to a deduction allowed under subsection (a) for any loss arising from theft involving fraud, deceit, or misrepresentation—
(i)
the period of limitation prescribed by section 6511(a) for the filing of such claim shall be treated as not expiring earlier than the date that is 1 year after the date on which the taxpayer discovers such loss, and
(ii)
section 6511(b)(2) shall not apply with respect to the filing of such claim.
(c) Distributions relating to theft losses involving fraud, deceit, or misrepresentation
Section 72(t)(2) of such Code is amended by adding at the end the following new subparagraph:
(O) Distributions relating to theft losses involving fraud, deceit, or misrepresentation
(i) In general
Any distribution to the extent it relates to any loss arising from theft involving fraud, deceit, or misrepresentation for which a deduction is allowed under section 165(a).
(ii) Amount distributed may be repaid
Rules similar to the rules of subparagraph (H)(v) shall apply with respect to an individual who receives a distribution to which clause (i) applies, except that subparagraph (H)(v)(I) shall be applied by substituting
1-year period beginning on the day after the date on which the taxpayer discovers the loss described in subparagraph (O)(i)for3-year period beginning on the day after the date on which such distribution was received.(iii) Period of limitation for credit or refund claims
In the case of a claim for credit or refund of the tax imposed by paragraph (1) with respect to a distribution described in clause (i)—
(I)
the period of limitation prescribed by section 6511(a) for the filing of such claim shall be treated as not expiring earlier than the date that is 1 year after the date on which the taxpayer discovers the loss described in clause (i), and
(II)
section 6511(b)(2) shall not apply with respect to the filing of such claim.
(d) Cross reference
Section 6511(i) of such Code is amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
(8)
For a period of limitations for credit or refund in the case of theft losses involving fraud, deceit, or misrepresentation, see sections 72(t)(2)(O)(iii) and 165(h)(4)(F).
(e) Claim processing deadline
In the case of a claim for credit or refund with respect to a deduction allowed under section 165(a) of such Code for any specified personal casualty loss (as defined in subsection (f)(5)) or with respect to any distribution described in section 72(t)(2)(O)(i) of such Code (as added by this section), the Secretary of the Treasury (or the Secretary’s delegate) shall process such claim not later than 2 years after the date on which such claim is filed.
(f) Effective dates
(1) In general
Except as otherwise provided in this subsection, the amendments made by this section shall apply to losses sustained in taxable years beginning after December 31, 2025.
(2) Specified personal casualty losses
In the case of any specified personal casualty loss, paragraph (1) shall be applied by substituting December 31, 2020
for December 31, 2025
.
(3) Distributions relating to theft losses involving fraud, deceit, or misrepresentation
The amendment made by subsection (c) shall apply to distributions made after December 31, 2020.
(4) Extension of period of limitation for credit or refund claims for specified personal casualty losses
(A) Fraud-related personal casualty losses
In the case of any fraud-related personal casualty loss, if the taxpayer discovers such loss before the date of the enactment of this section—
(i)
section 165(h)(4)(F)(i) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (as added by this section) shall be applied by substituting the date of the enactment of this subparagraph
for the date on which the taxpayer discovers such loss
, and
(ii)
section 72(t)(2)(O)(iii)(I) of such Code (as added by this section) shall be applied by substituting the date of the enactment of this subparagraph
for the date on which the taxpayer discovers the loss described in clause (i)
.
(B) Pyrrhotite-related personal casualty losses
In the case of a claim for credit or refund with respect to a deduction allowed under section 165(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 for any pyrrhotite-related personal casualty loss—
(i)
the period of limitation prescribed by section 6511(a) of such Code for the filing of such claim shall be treated as not expiring earlier than the date that is 1 year after the date of the enactment of this section, and
(ii)
section 6511(b)(2) of such Code shall not apply with respect to the filing of such claim.
(5) Specified personal casualty loss
For purposes of this subsection—
(A) Specified personal casualty loss
The term specified personal casualty loss means—
(i)
any fraud-related personal casualty loss, and
(ii)
any pyrrhotite-related personal casualty loss.
(B) Fraud-related personal casualty loss
The term fraud-related personal casualty loss means any personal casualty loss (as defined in section 165(h)(3)(B) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986) sustained after December 31, 2020, and before January 1, 2026, arising from theft involving fraud, deceit, or misrepresentation (as defined by the Secretary).
(C) Pyrrhotite-related personal casualty loss
The term pyrrhotite-related personal casualty loss means any personal casualty loss (as defined in section 165(h)(3)(B) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986) sustained after December 31, 2020, and before January 1, 2026, in connection with damage to a principal residence (within the meaning of section 121 of such Code) by reason of deterioration of a concrete foundation adversely impacted by pyrrhotite.