This section summarizes important tax changes for the 2010 tax year

• Due date of return ~ The due date is April 18, instead of April 15, because of the Emancipation Day holiday in the District of Columbia - even if you do not live in the District of Columbia.
• Limits on personal exemptions and overall itemized deductions ended ~ For 2010, you will no longer lose part of your deduction for personal exemptions and itemized deductions, regardless of the amount of your adjusted gross income (AGI).
• Self-employed health insurance deduction ~ Effective March 30, 2010, if you were self-employed and paid for health insurance, you may be able to include in your self-employed health insurance deductions any premiums you paid to cover your child who was under age 27 at the end of 2010, even if the child was not your dependent.
• Standard deduction increased ~ The standard deduction for some taxpayers who do not itemize their deductions on Schedule A of Form 1040 is higher in 2010 than it was in 2009. The amount depends on your filling status. In addition to the annual increase for some taxpayers due to inflation adjustments, your 2010 standards deduction is also increased by:
• Any state or local sales or excise taxes you paid in 2010 on the purchase of a new motor vehicle after February 16, 2009, and before January 1, 2010
• Any net disaster loss you had in 2010 because of a disaster that was declared after 2007 and that occurred before 2010.
• First-time home buyer credit ~ You generally cannot claim the credit for a home you bought after April 30, 2010. However, you may be able to claim the credit if you entered into a written binding contract before May 1, 2010, to buy the home before July 1, 2010, and actually bought the home before October 1, 2010. Also, certain members of the Armed Forces and certain other taxpayers have additional time to buy a home take the credit.
• Repayment of first-time home buyer credit ~ If you claimed the first-time home buyer credit for a home you bought in 2008, you generally must begin repaying it on your 2010 return. In addition, you generally must repay any credit you claimed for 2008 or 2009 if you sold your home in 2010 or the home stopped being your main home in 2010.
• Roth IRAs ~ Beginning in 2010, you can make a qualified rollover contribution to a Roth IRA regardless of the amount of your modified AGI. Also, half of any income that results from a rollover or conversion to a Roth IRA from another half in 2012, unless the elect to include all of it in 2010.
• Standard mileage rates ~ For 2010, the standard mileage rate for the cost of operating your car for business use is 50 cents a mile. For 2010, the standard mileage rate of the cost of operating your car for medical reasons is 16 1/2 cents a mile. For 2010, the standard mileage rate for the cost of operating your car for determining moving expenses is 16 1/2 cents a mile.
• Personal casualty and theft loss limit ~
• Each personal casualty or theft loss is limited to the excess of the loss over $100 (instead of the $500 limit that applied for 2009). In addition the 10%-of-AGI limit generally continues to apply to the net loss.
• At the time this publication went to print, Congress was considering legislation that would increase the loss limit described above. To find out if legislation was enacted.
• Divorced or separated parents ~ A custodial parent who has revoked his or her previous release of a claim to a child's exemption must include a copy of the revocation with his or her return.
• Expired tax benefits ~ The following tax benefits have expired and are not available for 2010.
• Deduction for educator expenses in figuring AGI.
• Tuition and fees deduction in figuring AGI.
• Increased standard deduction for real estate taxes or a net disaster loss from a disaster occurring after 2009.
• Itemized deduction or increased standard deduction for state or local sales or excise taxes on the purchase of a new motor vehicle (unless you bought the vehicle in 2009 after February 16 and paid the tax in 2010).
• Deduction for state and local general sales taxes.
• The exclusion from income of up to $2,400 in unemployment compensation you received in 2010 generally is taxable.
• The exclusion from income of qualified charitable distributions made from IRA accounts.
• Government retiree credit.
• District of Columbia first-time home buyer credit (for homes bought after 2009).
• Alternative motor vehicle credit for qualified hybrid motor vehicles bought after 2009, except cars and light trucks with a gross vehicle weight rating of 8,500 pounds or less.
• Extra $3,000 IRA deduction for employees of bankrupt companies.
• Certain tax benefits for Midwestern disaster areas, including increased Hope and lifetime learning credits and additional exemption amount if you provide housing for a person displaced by the Midwestern storms, tornadoes, or flooding.
• Credit to holders of clean renewable energy bonds issued after 2009.
• Decreased estimated tax payments for certain small businesses.
• The allowance of certain credits against the AMT, such as the credit for child and dependent care expenses, credit for non business energy property, credit for the elderly or the disabled, lifetime learning credit, mortgage interest credit, and District of Columbia first-time home buyer credit. For most people, these credits are now limited to your regular tax minus any tentative minimum tax.
• Preparer e-file mandate ~ A new law requires some paid preparers to e-file returns they prepare and file. Your preparer may make you aware of this requirement and the options available to you.