PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.
Congressional Research Service
Version 00 · Introduced in House · May 11, 2016
Higher Education Loan Payments for Students and Parents Act or the HELP for Students and Parents Act
This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to expand the tax exclusion for employer-provided educational assistance programs to exclude from the gross income of an employee: (1) employer payments of principal or interest on loans for higher education expenses incurred by an employee, and (2) any qualified dependent 529 contributions made by the employer. (Under current law, the maximum exclusion for educational assistance programs is $5,250 per year.)
A "qualified dependent 529 contribution" is any amount contributed by an employer to a qualified tuition program the designated beneficiary of which is an employee's child who: (1) has not attained the age of 19 at the time of the contribution, or (2) is a student who has not attained the age of 24 at the time of the contribution.
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The bill also allows a business tax credit for employer-provided higher education assistance, including: (1) 50% of the student loan repayment expenditures of the taxpayer for the year, and (2) 50% of the qualified dependent 529 contributions made by the taxpayer for the year. The amount taken into account for each expenditure with respect to any employee for any taxable year may not exceed $5,250.
People & committees
Rep. Dold, Robert J. [R-IL-10] · R–IL
Legislative record
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Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Primary sources
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No related bills are listed in this snapshot. This does not establish whether the proposal has appeared in earlier Congresses.
Source last updated: Aug 12, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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