# Plain Language Summary: Home Lead Safety Tax Credit Act of 2024

This bill creates a federal tax credit to help homeowners pay for removing lead from their homes. If you own a house built before 1978 and spend money getting rid of lead hazards, you can claim 50 percent of those costs as a credit on your federal taxes—essentially getting the government to pay for half the work. The credit covers things like hiring certified professionals to test for lead, removing lead paint, replacing lead pipes, sealing up lead-contaminated areas, and even temporarily relocating your family while the work happens. You can claim up to $3,000 per year if you're doing full lead removal, or up to $1,000 per year if you're doing less intensive interim measures. Over the lifetime of your home, you can claim a maximum of $4,000 total.

The bill targets homes built before 1978 because that's when lead paint was banned in the United States. According to the bill, about 22 million American homes still have lead paint hazards, and lead poisoning remains a serious threat to children's brain development and learning. While government grant programs exist to help with lead removal, they've only reached about 400,000 homes since 1993—leaving millions of families without support. This tax credit is designed to fill that gap by making it more affordable for regular homeowners to tackle the problem themselves.

To claim the credit, you'll need documentation from a certified lead inspector or risk assessor proving that the work was completed properly and meets safety standards. You can't use this credit for costs that are already covered by state or local tax credits, and you can't claim it for work funded by government grants or other programs. The credit is available for work done starting January 1, 2025, and expires after December 31, 2028. The dollar amounts will increase each year to account for inflation, so future homeowners might be able to claim slightly higher amounts.