Title 26Internal Revenue CodeRelease 119-73

§123 Amounts Received Under Insurance Contracts for Certain Living Expenses

Title 26 › Subtitle Subtitle A— Income Taxes › Chapter 1— NORMAL TAXES AND SURTAXES › Subchapter B— Computation of Taxable Income › Part III— ITEMS SPECIFICALLY EXCLUDED FROM GROSS INCOME › § 123

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

If your home is damaged or destroyed by fire, storm, or another disaster, or the government bars you from it because of such a threat, insurance payments that cover your family's temporary living expenses are not taxed as income. The tax-free amount is capped: it covers only the extra living costs you actually incurred above what your normal living expenses would have been during that period.

Full Legal Text

Title 26, §123

Internal Revenue Code — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)In the case of an individual whose principal residence is damaged or destroyed by fire, storm, or other casualty, or who is denied access to his principal residence by governmental authorities because of the occurrence or threat of occurrence of such a casualty, gross income does not include amounts received by such individual under an insurance contract which are paid to compensate or reimburse such individual for living expenses incurred for himself and members of his household resulting from the loss of use or occupancy of such residence.
(b)Subsection (a) shall apply to amounts received by the taxpayer for living expenses incurred during any period only to the extent the amounts received do not exceed the amount by which—
(1)the actual living expenses incurred during such period for himself and members of his household resulting from the loss of use or occupancy of their residence, exceed
(2)the normal living expenses which would have been incurred for himself and members of his household during such period.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Prior Provisions

A prior section 123 was renumbered section 140 of this title.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

Pub. L. 91–172, title IX, § 901(c), Dec. 30, 1969, 83 Stat. 709, provided that: “The

Amendments

made by this section [enacting this section] shall apply with respect to amounts received on or after January 1, 1969.”

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

26 U.S.C. § 123

Title 26Internal Revenue Code

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73