Key Elements of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2020

This 5,000+ page(!) bill was signed into law on December 27, 2020. Dubbed Coronavirus Stimulus 2.0, its most notable provisions included the additional $600 per person stimulus checks and extensions to unemployment benefits and the return and enhancement of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).

The new law was also notable for provisions it did not contain. In particular, it did NOT extend the COVID-Related Distribution (CRD) rules created under the CARES Act that permitted IRA and qualified plan participants to take interest and penalty-free loans of up to $100,000 with tax-free rollovers of any portion permitted over three tax years. The Act also did NOT extend the 2020 moratorium on Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) from IRAs and qualified retirement plans.

For more detailed summaries of the new provisions, see the following articles:

Retirement Plan Provisions in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 (IceMiller Legal Counsel)

Round 2 Stimulus: The Consolidated Appropriations Act

Year-End Stimulus: What Changed for Retirement Plan Participants (Think Advisor)

Coronavirus: President Trump Signs Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021; Summary of the Tax Provisions(National Law Review)