Federal tax brackets
Effective January 1, 2026
2026 federal tax brackets and the new senior deduction
The TCJA tax cliff didn't happen — OBBBA made the 10–37% brackets permanent. The 2026 brackets and standard deduction were inflation-adjusted, and a new $6,000 senior deduction is available to those 65+ through 2028.
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (signed July 4, 2025) made the seven-bracket structure — 10 / 12 / 22 / 24 / 32 / 35 / 37% — permanent. There is no reversion to the old 15 / 25 / 28% rates.
For 2026, the brackets and standard deduction were inflation-adjusted. The standard deduction is $16,100 (single) / $32,200 (married filing jointly), plus the over-65 add-on — a single filer 65+ gets about $18,150; a couple both 65+ about $35,500.
New: a $6,000-per-person "senior deduction" for those 65 and older, available for tax years 2025–2028. It phases out above $75,000 MAGI (single) / $150,000 (joint) and disappears entirely at $175,000 / $250,000.
Despite the "no tax on Social Security" headlines, this is a deduction — it lowers an older filer's taxable income. It does not exempt Social Security benefits from tax, and the rules that determine how much of your benefit is taxable are unchanged.
Sources
What this means for your plan
Personalized impact emails are coming to Pro — a note within days of each change showing how it moves your own plan’s success probability. For now, you can re-run your plan against the updated 2026 figures.