Now that the President has signed the Tax Hike Prevention Act of 2010, taxpayers will have some certainty about their tax situation, if only for the next 24 months. Here is a list of some of the biggest items that will affect individuals.

Extended income tax rates: $207.5 billion

The six federal income tax rates will remain at the same levels they are today: 10%, 15%, 25%, 28%, 33% and 35%. In addition, itemized deductions will continue to be allowed in full for higher-income taxpayers.

ATM fix: $137 billion

More than 20 million tax filers will be protected from having to pay the so-called "wealth tax," otherwise known as the Alternative Minimum Tax. For tax year 2010, the bill will raise the amount of income that is exempt from the reach of the AMT to $47,450 for individuals and to $72,450 for couples filing jointly. In 2011, those exemption amounts will increase to $48,450 and $74,450 respectively. In addition, the bill will allow taxpayers to apply nonrefundable credits (which reduce one's tax bill dollar for dollar) to their tax liability – whether under the AMT or the regular tax code.

Social Security tax break: $112 billion

Workers will get a 2 percentage-point break on their payroll tax for one year. Instead of paying 6.2% on wages up to $106,800, they will only have to pay 4.2% in 2011.

What Social Security break means for your paycheck

This tax break replaces the Making Work Pay credit, which expires this year. Unlike Making Work pay, which was limited to workers making less than $75,000 ($150,000 for couples), the payroll tax holiday will be available to everyone who pays into Social Security.

Expanded child tax credit: $90 billion

The bill will retain the $1,000 child tax credit (up from $500 before the Bush tax cuts). It also will retain the reduced-earnings threshold, which allows more people to claim the credit as refundable. A refundable tax credit is one paid to a tax filer even if the value of the credit exceeds his tax liability. So if a filer doesn't owe any federal income tax but qualifies for the credit, it is paid to him in the form of a refund.

Smaller estate tax: $68 billion

Barring any changes, the estate tax in 2011 and 2012 will be reinstated at an exemption level of $1 million and a top rate of 55%. But under the bill, the exemption level will be raised to $5 million and the top rate lowered 35%.

Help for the jobless: $57 billion

The unemployed will get a 13-month extension of the deadline to file for additional unemployment benefits – which go as high as 99 weeks in states hit hardest by job loss.

Extended investment tax rates: $53 billion

Everybody will get to keep their low investment tax rates for the next two years. For most people, that means their qualified capital gains and dividends will continue to be taxed at 15%.

Low-income tax filers (those in the 10% and 15% brackets), however,will continue to enjoy a 0% tax rate on their capital gains or dividends.

Marriage penalty relief: $27 billion

Marriage will still be hard (sorry), but not because less-than-wealthy two-earner couples will owe more to the IRS than they did when they were single. The bill continues to ensure that the standard deduction for couples is exactly twice that for single filers. It also maintains an expanded 15% tax bracket so that the amount of income in that bracket for joint filers is exactly double that for single filers.

Expanded college credit: $18 billion

Paying for college tuition in 2011 and 2012 will be made a bit easier with the retention of the American Opportunity Credit tax credit is worth up to $2,500 (up to 100% of the first $2,000 spent and up to 25% of the next $2,500), and it may be claimed for four years' worth of college. Eligibility to take the credit is limited to those with modified adjusted gross income below $90,000 ($180,000 for couples filing jointly).

Individual tax break extensions: Costs vary

The legislation will extend a number of tax breaks that have been introduced in the past few years such as the option to deduct on one's federal return state and local sales tax instead of state and local income tax – at a cost of $6 billion. Also, it will extend a deduction for qualified tuition and other education-related expenses at a cost of $1.2 billion.

Less pricey extensions include a break for teachers to deduct up to $250 in classroom expenses (just under $400 million)