77-2716.01. Personal exemptions; standard deduction; computation.

(1)(a) Through tax year 2017, every individual shall be allowed to subtract from his or her income tax liability an amount for personal exemptions. The amount allowed to be subtracted shall be the credit amount for the year as provided in this subdivision multiplied by the number of exemptions allowed on the federal return. For tax year 1993, the credit amount shall be sixty-five dollars; for tax year 1994, the credit amount shall be sixty-nine dollars; for tax year 1995, the credit amount shall be sixty-nine dollars; for tax year 1996, the credit amount shall be seventy-two dollars; for tax year 1997, the credit amount shall be eighty-six dollars; for tax year 1998, the credit amount shall be eighty-eight dollars; for tax year 1999, and each year thereafter through tax year 2017, the credit amount shall be adjusted for inflation by the method provided in section 151 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as it existed prior to December 22, 2017. The eighty-eight-dollar credit amount shall be adjusted for cumulative inflation since 1998. If any credit amount is not an even dollar amount, the amount shall be rounded to the nearest dollar. For nonresident individuals and partial-year resident individuals, the personal exemption credit shall be subtracted as specified in subsection (3) of section 77-2715.

(b) Beginning with tax year 2018, every individual, except an individual that can be claimed for a child credit or dependent credit on the federal return of another taxpayer, shall be allowed to subtract from his or her income tax liability an amount for personal exemptions. The amount allowed to be subtracted shall be the credit amount for the year as provided in this subdivision multiplied by the sum of the number of child credits and dependent credits taken on the federal return, plus two for a married filing jointly return or plus one for any other return. For tax year 2018, the credit amount shall be one hundred thirty-four dollars. For tax year 2019 and each tax year thereafter, the credit amount shall be adjusted for inflation based on the percentage change in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers published by the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics from the twelve months ending on August 31, 2017, to the twelve months ending on August 31 of the year preceding the taxable year. If any credit amount is not an even dollar amount, the amount shall be rounded to the nearest dollar. For nonresident individuals and partial-year resident individuals, the personal exemption credit shall be subtracted as specified in subsection (3) of section 77-2715.

(2)(a) For tax years beginning or deemed to begin on or after January 1, 2003, and before January 1, 2004, under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, every individual who did not itemize deductions on his or her federal return shall be allowed to subtract from federal adjusted gross income a standard deduction based on the filing status used on the federal return except as the amount is adjusted under section 77-2716.03. The standard deduction shall be the smaller of the federal standard deduction actually allowed or (i) for single taxpayers four thousand seven hundred fifty dollars, (ii) for head of household taxpayers seven thousand dollars, (iii) for married filing jointly taxpayers seven thousand nine hundred fifty dollars, and (iv) for married filing separately taxpayers three thousand nine hundred seventy-five dollars. Taxpayers who are allowed additional federal standard deduction amounts because of age or blindness shall be allowed an increase in the Nebraska standard deduction for each additional amount allowed on the federal return. The additional amounts shall be for married taxpayers, nine hundred fifty dollars, and for single or head of household taxpayers, one thousand one hundred fifty dollars.

(b) For tax years beginning or deemed to begin on or after January 1, 2007, and before January 1, 2018, under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, every individual who did not itemize deductions on his or her federal return shall be allowed to subtract from federal adjusted gross income a standard deduction based on the filing status used on the federal return. The standard deduction shall be the smaller of the federal standard deduction actually allowed or (i) for single taxpayers three thousand dollars and (ii) for head of household taxpayers four thousand four hundred dollars. The standard deduction for married filing jointly taxpayers shall be double the standard deduction for single taxpayers, and for married filing separately taxpayers, the standard deduction shall be the same as single taxpayers. Taxpayers who are allowed additional federal standard deduction amounts because of age or blindness shall be allowed an increase in the Nebraska standard deduction for each additional amount allowed on the federal return. The additional amounts shall be for married taxpayers six hundred dollars and for single or head of household taxpayers seven hundred fifty dollars. The amounts in this subdivision will be indexed using 1987 as the base year.

(c) For tax years beginning or deemed to begin on or after January 1, 2007, and before January 1, 2018, the standard deduction amounts, including the additional standard deduction amounts, in this subsection shall be adjusted for inflation by the method provided in section 151 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as it existed prior to December 22, 2017. If any amount is not a multiple of fifty dollars, the amount shall be rounded to the next lowest multiple of fifty dollars.

(3)(a) For tax years beginning or deemed to begin on or after January 1, 2018, every individual who did not itemize deductions on his or her federal return shall be allowed to subtract from federal adjusted gross income a standard deduction based on the filing status used on the federal return. The standard deduction shall be the smaller of the federal standard deduction actually allowed or (i) six thousand seven hundred fifty dollars for single taxpayers and (ii) nine thousand nine hundred dollars for head of household taxpayers. The standard deduction for married filing jointly taxpayers or qualifying widows or widowers shall be double the standard deduction for single taxpayers, and the standard deduction for married filing separately taxpayers shall be the same as the standard deduction for single taxpayers. Taxpayers who are allowed additional federal standard deduction amounts because of age or blindness shall be allowed an increase in the Nebraska standard deduction for each additional amount allowed on the federal return. The additional amounts shall be one thousand three hundred dollars for married taxpayers and one thousand six hundred dollars for single or head of household taxpayers.

(b) For tax years beginning or deemed to begin on or after January 1, 2019, the standard deduction amounts, including the additional standard deduction amounts, in this subsection shall be adjusted for inflation based on the percentage change in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers published by the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics from the twelve months ending on August 31, 2017, to the twelve months ending on August 31 of the year preceding the taxable year. If any amount is not a multiple of fifty dollars, the amount shall be rounded to the next lowest multiple of fifty dollars.

(4) Every individual who itemized deductions on his or her federal return shall be allowed to subtract from federal adjusted gross income the greater of either the standard deduction allowed in this section or his or her federal itemized deductions as defined in section 63(d) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, except for the amount for state or local income taxes included in federal itemized deductions before any federal disallowance.

Source:Laws 1987, LB 773, § 10; Laws 1988, LB 1234, § 2; Laws 1989, LB 739, § 3; Laws 1991, LB 300, § 3; Laws 1993, LB 240, § 5; Laws 1997, LB 401, § 3; Laws 1998, LB 1028, § 4; Laws 2003, LB 596, § 2; Laws 2004, LB 355, § 1; Laws 2006, LB 968, § 10; Laws 2007, LB367, § 21; Laws 2018, LB1090, § 2; Laws 2019, LB512, § 20.