Taxing Social Security Benefits in 2026: Thresholds, the Formula, and the Trend

Taxing Social Security Benefits in 2026: Thresholds, the Formula, and the Trend

The dollar thresholds that decide whether your Social Security benefits are taxed have not moved since 1984 and 1994, and the consequence is measurable: an estimated share of beneficiary families owing federal income tax on their benefits rose from about 8 percent in 1984 to about 52 percent in 2015, with the Social Security Administration projecting a peak near 58 percent in 2030 (Source: SSA Office of Retirement Policy, Issue Paper No. 2015-02, Purcell 2015, using MINT 7).

Table of Contents

This briefing documents, from primary federal sources, how Social Security benefits are taxed at the federal level in 2026, how the taxed population has expanded because the thresholds are fixed in statute rather than indexed for inflation, which eight states still tax benefits, and precisely what the 2025 law commonly called the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (P.L. 119-21) did and did not change. It is written for readers who want the statute, the worksheet arithmetic, and the sourcing, not a summary.

By the numbers

  • Federal taxation of benefits began in 1984 under the Social Security Amendments of 1983 (P.L. 98-21); benefits were fully exempt from 1940 to 1983 (Source: SSA Office of the Chief Actuary, taxbenefits.html).
  • The 50 percent-tier combined-income thresholds are $25,000 single / $32,000 joint and have not been indexed since 1984 (Source: 26 U.S.C. 86; IRS Publication 915, 2025).
  • The 85 percent-tier thresholds are $34,000 single / $44,000 joint and have not been indexed since 1994 (Source: 26 U.S.C. 86; OBRA 1993, P.L. 103-66).
  • The CBO estimates that about half of Social Security beneficiaries paid income tax on their benefits in 2021 (Source: CBO, 2024 Long-Term Projections for Social Security, publication 60679, Aug. 2024).
  • Taxation of benefits credited to the OASDI trust funds in 2023 totaled $50.7 billion, equal to 3.8 percent of OASDI total income (Source: 2024 OASDI Trustees Report; CRS TE10102).
  • In 2026, 8 states still tax Social Security benefits, down from 13 in 2020 (Source: Kiplinger; Money; Motley Fool, Feb. 4, 2026).
  • P.L. 119-21 added a temporary senior deduction of $6,000 per eligible individual for tax years 2025 through 2028 (Source: IRS newsroom; CRS R48613, Aug. 1, 2025).
  • The share of aggregate Social Security benefits paid as federal income tax rose from 2.2 percent in 1994 to 6.6 percent in 2022 (Source: CRS In Focus IF11397).
The Benefit Taxation Reach Ratio (BTRR), also called the Social Security Tax Creep Index. Q3 Advisors defines the BTRR as the share of Social Security beneficiary families that owe federal income tax on their benefits in a given year, indexed to the 1984 enactment baseline of 8 percent. Because the statutory thresholds in 26 U.S.C. 86 are fixed and never inflation-indexed, nominal income growth mechanically pushes more families above them each year. Values: 8 percent (1984, index 1.0x); 20 percent (1993, 2.5x); 52 percent (2015, 6.5x); a projected peak of 58 percent (2030, 7.25x). Methodology: BTRR(t) = taxed beneficiary families / total beneficiary families; Creep Index = BTRR(t) divided by BTRR(1984). This is an educational construct, not a forecast in the firm’s voice; the underlying shares are attributed to SSA, CBO, and CRS.

How federal taxation of Social Security benefits works in 2026

Whether any portion of Social Security benefits is subject to federal income tax turns on a figure the statute calls modified adjusted gross income and that IRS Publication 915 and most practitioners call “combined income” or “provisional income.” Under IRS Publication 915 (2025) and 26 U.S.C. 86(b)(2), combined income equals adjusted gross income determined without regard to Section 86 (and several other provisions), increased by tax-exempt interest, plus one-half of the Social Security benefits received. In plain terms: other income plus tax-exempt interest plus half of benefits.

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That combined-income figure is then compared against two sets of fixed dollar thresholds. This two-tier structure has been unchanged for three decades.

Tier Maximum share of benefits taxable Single / HoH / QSS threshold Married filing jointly threshold Enacted
Base amount (50% tier) Up to 50% $25,000 $32,000 1984 (P.L. 98-21)
Adjusted base amount (85% tier) Up to 85% $34,000 $44,000 1994 (P.L. 103-66)
Married filing separately, lived with spouse Up to 85% (base = $0) $0 n/a Statutory

Source: 26 U.S.C. 86(c); IRS Publication 915 (2025), page 3.

Two features deserve emphasis. First, married taxpayers who file separately and lived with a spouse at any time during the year have a base amount of $0, which means up to 85 percent of benefits can be taxable regardless of income (Source: IRS Publication 915, 2025). Second, the statute states these amounts as fixed dollars with no inflation-indexing provision (Source: 26 U.S.C. 86). A threshold set in 1984 dollars still reads $25,000 in 2026 dollars. For a fuller treatment written for retirees, see the Q3 Advisors overview of the taxation of Social Security benefits in 2026.

Fixed combined-income thresholds for taxing Social Security benefits
Fixed combined-income thresholds for taxing Social Security benefits. Source: 26 U.S.C. 86; IRS Publication 915 (2025)

The taxed population has expanded: the Benefit Taxation Reach Ratio

The clearest way to see the effect of fixed thresholds is to track the share of beneficiary families that owe income tax on benefits over time. The Q3 Advisors Benefit Taxation Reach Ratio does exactly that, drawing entirely on figures published by the SSA, CBO, and CRS.

Era Year Taxed share (BTRR) Creep Index vs. 1984 Source
Enacted baseline 1984 8% (about “less than 10%”) 1.0x SSA IP 2015-02, citing Ways & Means 2004
Pre-enactment estimate 1983 ~10% 1.25x 1983 National Commission on Social Security Reform (via SSA IP 2015-02)
Historical 1993 20% 2.5x SSA IP 2015-02 (Ways & Means 2004)
Historical (MINT 7) 2010 47% 5.9x SSA IP 2015-02, MINT 7
Recent (MINT 7) 2015 52% 6.5x SSA IP 2015-02, MINT 7
Best current data 2021 ~50% 6.25x CBO 2024 (pub. 60679); CRS IF11397
Projected peak 2030 58% 7.25x SSA IP 2015-02, MINT 7
Projected 2050 ~56% 7.0x SSA IP 2015-02, MINT 7

Source: SSA Office of Retirement Policy, Issue Paper No. 2015-02 (MINT 7); CBO publication 60679 (2024); CRS IF11397.

Benefit Taxation Reach Ratio: share of beneficiary families taxed on benefits
Benefit Taxation Reach Ratio: share of beneficiary families taxed on benefits. Source: SSA IP 2015-02 (MINT 7); CBO publication 60679 (2024)

The reach roughly increased between six and sevenfold from the 8 percent enacted baseline in 1984 to the projected 2030 peak of 58 percent. It crosses the majority line between 2010 and 2015, and CBO independently estimates that about half of beneficiaries paid income tax on their benefits in 2021, the most recent year for which data are available (Source: CBO, publication 60679, Aug. 2024). The SSA headline for the projection window is that “an annual average of about 56 percent of beneficiary families will owe income tax on their benefits over the period 2015-2050” (Source: SSA IP 2015-02).

The slight decline from the 2030 peak (58 percent) to about 56 percent in 2050 is not a policy easing. It reflects a modeling assumption in MINT 7 that federal tax brackets switch from price-indexing to wage-indexing after 2023, which slows the pace at which incomes outrun brackets (Source: SSA IP 2015-02). The Social Security thresholds themselves remain fixed.

Intensity, not just reach

Reach measures how many families are affected. Intensity measures how much of each benefit dollar is lost to tax. Both rise. Mean federal income tax as a share of benefit income across all beneficiary families is modeled at 6.4 percent (2010), 7.2 percent (2015), 9.7 percent (2030), and 10.9 percent (2050) (Source: SSA IP 2015-02, MINT 7). Among only those families owing any tax on benefits, the mean rises from 11.7 percent (2010) toward 14.7 percent (2050). At the aggregate level, CRS reports the overall share of benefits paid as federal income tax rose from 2.2 percent in 1994 to 6.6 percent in 2022 (Source: CRS IF11397).

Mean federal income tax as a share of benefit income, all families
Mean federal income tax as a share of benefit income, all families. Source: SSA IP 2015-02 (MINT 7)

Worked examples: how much of a benefit becomes taxable

The following filled-in scenarios follow the method in IRS Publication 915 (2025), “Worksheet 1. Figuring Your Taxable Benefits.” They illustrate the two tiers and the 85 percent hard cap. All figures are from the published worksheet examples (Source: IRS Publication 915, 2025).

Example Filing status Combined income Net benefits Taxable amount Taxable share
1 Single $31,980 $5,980 $2,990 50.0% (50% tier only)
2 Married filing jointly ~$32,550 $5,600 $0 0% (below effective inclusion)
3 Married filing jointly $45,500 $10,000 $6,275 62.75% (85% tier engaged)
4 MFS, lived with spouse n/a (base = $0) $4,000 $3,400 85.0% (forced maximum)

Source: IRS Publication 915 (2025), Worksheet 1 filled-in examples.

Taxable share of benefits in IRS Publication 915 worked examples
Taxable share of benefits in IRS Publication 915 worked examples. Source: IRS Publication 915 (2025), Worksheet 1

Example 1 shows a single filer whose combined income of $31,980 sits between $25,000 and $34,000, so only the 50 percent tier applies and exactly half of the benefit becomes taxable, well below the 85 percent cap of $5,083. Example 3 shows a joint filer whose combined income of $45,500 exceeds the $44,000 upper threshold, engaging the 85 percent tier on the portion above $44,000 and producing $6,275 taxable, which is 62.75 percent of the benefit and still below the hard cap of $8,500. Example 4 shows the married-filing-separately rule: with a base amount of $0, 85 percent of the benefit is taxable regardless of income.

Because the thresholds are fixed, the same nominal benefit produces a larger taxable share each year as other income grows. That mechanical drift is why the taxation of benefits interacts with other retirement-income decisions. Readers weighing the sequencing of withdrawals may find the Q3 Advisors discussion of the retirement tax window and of Roth conversions relevant, since both tax-exempt interest and taxable distributions feed directly into the combined-income formula.

Where the revenue goes

The two tiers route revenue to different trust funds. Revenue from the original up-to-50-percent inclusion is credited to the Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance (OASDI) trust funds. Revenue from the incremental 50-to-85-percent tier added in 1993 is credited to the Medicare Hospital Insurance (HI) trust fund (Source: SSA Office of the Chief Actuary, taxbenefits.html; CRS IF11397).

Year Credited to OASDI Credited to Medicare HI Note Source
2019 $36.5B (3.4% of income) $23.8B (7.4% of income) OACT progdata vintage CRS RL32552
2023 $50.7B (OASI $49.8B + DI $0.9B; 3.8%) $35.0B (8.4% of HI income) Trustees / CRS 2024 OASDI Trustees Report; CRS TE10102; CRS IF11397
2024 ~$55B (secondary summaries) not separately verified Projected $57.4B per CRS CRS TE10102
2033 $132.8B (projected, total) not separately verified CRS projection CRS TE10102

Source: 2024 OASDI Trustees Report; CRS TE10102; CRS IF11397; CRS RL32552.

Taxation of benefits credited to OASDI, 2023
Taxation of benefits credited to OASDI, 2023. Source: 2024 OASDI Trustees Report; CRS TE10102

What P.L. 119-21 (2025) did and did not change

The 2025 budget-reconciliation law commonly called the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1, P.L. 119-21, signed July 4, 2025) generated widespread commentary about “no tax on Social Security.” The precise, sourced position matters here.

What it did not change. The Congressional Research Service states that the determination of taxable Social Security benefits remains in 26 U.S.C. Section 86 and “was not changed by P.L. 119-21” (Source: CRS R48613, Aug. 1, 2025). The combined-income thresholds and the combined-income formula are unchanged, and they remain unindexed. CRS explains that “the senior deduction is separate from the determination of the amount of Social Security benefits included in total income” and is “age based and applied after taxable Social Security benefits are calculated” (Source: CRS R48613).

What it added. Section 70103 of the law created a temporary senior deduction.

Feature Detail Source
Amount $6,000 per eligible individual ($12,000 for a married couple where both are 65+) IRS newsroom; CRS R48613
Age eligibility Must attain age 65 on or before the last day of the tax year IRS newsroom
Effective years Tax years 2025 through 2028 (temporary) IRS; CRS R48613
Availability Both itemizers and non-itemizers; stacks on the existing 65+ additional standard deduction IRS newsroom; CRS R48613
Phase-out Reduced by 6% of MAGI above $75,000 single / $150,000 joint; not indexed CRS R48613
Full phase-out (derived) Around MAGI $175,000 single / $250,000 joint (both spouses) Arithmetic from 6% rate; cited secondarily
SSN requirement Taxpayer (and spouse if MFJ) needs work-authorized SSN; MFJ required to claim IRS newsroom; CRS R48613

Source: IRS, “One, Big, Beautiful Bill Act: Tax deductions for working Americans and seniors”; CRS R48613 (Aug. 1, 2025).

Temporary senior deduction under P.L. 119-21
Temporary senior deduction under P.L. 119-21. Source: IRS newsroom; CRS R48613 (Aug. 1, 2025)

The indirect effect is real but bounded. By lowering taxable income, the deduction can reduce, though not eliminate, tax owed on benefits for many recipients, and CRS notes it “may lead to less taxable income and therefore result in less money credited to the Social Security trust funds” (Source: CRS R48613). One advocacy estimate from the White House Council of Economic Advisers (June 2025) claims 88 percent of seniors receiving Social Security, or 51.4 million people, would have a deduction at least as large as their taxable benefits. That figure comes from an executive-branch advocacy document, not a neutral scorekeeper such as CBO or JCT; the law itself does not zero out benefit taxation, and the deduction expires after 2028. Q3 Advisors presents it here only to note its provenance, not to endorse it.

Because the deduction phases out at higher incomes and interacts with Medicare premium surcharges, some households will find the analysis of the Medicare IRMAA 2026 brackets and premiums a useful companion. The taxation of benefits also compounds the so-called survivor filing transition; the Q3 Advisors piece on the widow’s penalty in 2026 addresses how moving from joint to single thresholds affects benefit taxation.

State taxation of Social Security benefits in 2026

Federal taxation under Section 86 applies in all 50 states. Separately, in 2026, eight states impose their own income tax on some Social Security benefits, down from 13 states in 2020 (Source: Kiplinger; Money; Motley Fool, Feb. 4, 2026, all listing the identical eight). All eight exempt most retirees through income or age limits, so generally only higher-income filers actually pay at the state level.

State 2026 status Exemption thresholds / mechanism Recent change
Colorado Taxes (limited) Age 65+ fully deduct, no income limit; ages 55-64 fully deduct if AGI ≤ $75k single / $95k joint; taxed above limit or under 55 HB24-1142 (55-64 exemption, TY2025+)
Connecticut Taxes (limited) Fully exempt if AGI < $75k single/MFS or < $100k joint/HoH; above, no more than 25% of benefits taxable
Minnesota Taxes (limited) Full subtraction if AGI < $84,490 single / $108,320 MFJ / $54,160 MFS (TY2025, indexed); phases out above Ongoing inflation indexing
Montana Taxes (broadest) Taxes federally-taxable portion (return starts from federal taxable income); rates 4.7% / 5.9% Repeal HB148 failed (May 2025)
New Mexico Taxes (limited) Exempt if income < $100k single / $150k MFJ, HoH, QSS / $75k MFS Exemption effective TY2022
Rhode Island Taxes (limited) Exempt at/after full retirement age if AGI < $104,200 single/HoH/MFS / $130,250 MFJ (TY2025, indexed); above, taxed 3.75%-5.99% Ongoing inflation indexing
Utah Taxes (limited) Nonrefundable credit = 4.5% of taxable SS; full credit if MAGI ≤ $54k single / $90k MFJ,HoH,QSS / $45k MFS; phases out $0.025 per $1 over SB71 (2025) raised thresholds
Vermont Taxes (limited) Full exemption if AGI ≤ $55k single / $70k MFJ; partial to $65k / $80k; none above S.51 / Act 71 (2025) raised thresholds $5k, retro to TY2025

Source: state departments of revenue and enacting legislation as cited in the Sources section.

States taxing Social Security benefits, 2020 vs 2026
States taxing Social Security benefits, 2020 vs 2026. Source: Kiplinger; Money; Motley Fool (2026)

States that recently ended taxation of benefits

State Now exempt as of How
West Virginia TY2026 (100%) Three-year phase-out for filers above $50k single / $100k joint: 35% (2024), 65% (2025), 100% (2026); at/below limits exempt throughout
Nebraska TY2024 (100%, no income limit) LB 754 (2023) accelerated full exemption to 2024
Missouri TY2024 (100%, age 62+, cap removed) SB 190 (2023) removed the prior ~$85k/$100k AGI cap
Kansas TY2024 (100%, no income limit) SB 1 special session, signed June 21, 2024, removed the $75k AGI limit
North Dakota 2021 (exited list) Exited the taxing list in 2021

Source: WV Tax Division; Office of Gov. Pillen and Platte Institute; Missouri DoR; Kansas DoR Notice 24-08; Kiplinger.

Ranking by breadth of taxation among the eight (2026)

Ordered from broadest reach (most beneficiaries actually pay) to narrowest:

  1. Montana – broadest. No SS-specific income exemption; taxes whatever is federally taxable. Repeal attempt HB148 failed in 2025.
  2. Utah – a partial credit worth only 4.5 percent of taxable benefits, not a full exclusion, with low full-credit thresholds.
  3. Connecticut – above $75k/$100k, up to 25 percent of benefits taxable.
  4. Vermont – low thresholds ($55k/$70k) with a hard cutoff above.
  5. Colorado – fully exempt for 65+; only 55-64 above limits or under-55 filers pay.
  6. Minnesota – high, inflation-indexed thresholds exempt most retirees.
  7. New Mexico – high thresholds ($100k/$150k) exempt the large majority.
  8. Rhode Island – narrowest. Highest indexed thresholds plus a full-retirement-age requirement.
Overall share of Social Security benefits paid as federal income tax
Overall share of Social Security benefits paid as federal income tax. Source: CRS In Focus IF11397

The direction of state policy has been toward fewer taxing states: 13 in 2020 to 8 in 2026, with North Dakota (2021), New Mexico (2022), Nebraska (2024), Missouri (2024), Kansas (2024), and West Virginia (fully 2026) exiting, while Colorado narrowed but remains on the list (Source: Kiplinger, corroborated by Money and Motley Fool).

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Frequently asked questions

Are Social Security benefits taxed at the federal level in 2026?

Yes, for some recipients. Up to 50 percent or up to 85 percent of benefits can be included in taxable income depending on combined income, under 26 U.S.C. 86 and IRS Publication 915 (2025).

What is “combined income” for this purpose?

Combined income equals adjusted gross income determined without regard to Section 86, increased by tax-exempt interest, plus one-half of Social Security benefits (Source: 26 U.S.C. 86(b)(2); IRS Publication 915, 2025).

What are the 2026 thresholds for the 50 percent tier?

$25,000 for single, head of household, or qualifying surviving spouse filers, and $32,000 for married filing jointly (Source: 26 U.S.C. 86(c)(1); IRS Publication 915, 2025).

What are the thresholds for the 85 percent tier?

$34,000 single and $44,000 married filing jointly (Source: 26 U.S.C. 86(c)(2); IRS Publication 915, 2025).

Have these thresholds ever been adjusted for inflation?

No. The amounts are stated as fixed dollars in the statute with no inflation-indexing provision, unchanged since 1984 and 1994 (Source: 26 U.S.C. 86).

What is the maximum share of benefits that can be taxed?

85 percent of total net benefits is the hard cap, computed on Worksheet 1 line 18 (Source: IRS Publication 915, 2025).

Why does married filing separately sometimes tax 85 percent regardless of income?

For a taxpayer who is married filing separately and lived with a spouse at any time during the year, the base amount is $0, so up to 85 percent of benefits is taxable regardless of income (Source: IRS Publication 915, 2025).

How many beneficiaries pay income tax on their benefits today?

CBO estimates about half of Social Security beneficiaries paid income tax on their benefits in 2021, the most recent year with data (Source: CBO, publication 60679, 2024). CRS puts it at approximately 50 percent for 2021 (Source: CRS IF11397).

Why do some sources say about 40 percent instead of 50 percent?

The SSA benefits-planner figure of about 40 percent counts individual beneficiaries and reflects an older data vintage, while CBO’s roughly 50 percent counts tax-filing families for 2021 (Source: SSA benefits planner; CBO publication 60679).

What is the Benefit Taxation Reach Ratio?

It is a Q3 Advisors educational index defined as the share of beneficiary families owing income tax on benefits in a year, indexed to the 1984 baseline of 8 percent. It rose to about 52 percent by 2015 (Source: SSA IP 2015-02).

What share of benefits is paid as federal income tax overall?

The overall share rose from 2.2 percent in 1994 to 6.6 percent in 2022 (Source: CRS IF11397).

How much revenue does taxation of benefits raise?

In 2023, $50.7 billion was credited to the OASDI trust funds and $35.0 billion to the Medicare HI trust fund (Source: 2024 OASDI Trustees Report; CRS IF11397; CRS TE10102).

Where does the revenue go?

The up-to-50-percent tier revenue goes to OASDI; the incremental 50-to-85-percent tier revenue goes to Medicare Hospital Insurance (Source: SSA Office of the Chief Actuary; CRS IF11397).

Did P.L. 119-21 repeal taxation of Social Security benefits?

No. The determination of taxable benefits remains in Section 86 and “was not changed by P.L. 119-21” (Source: CRS R48613, Aug. 1, 2025).

What did P.L. 119-21 add for seniors?

A temporary senior deduction of $6,000 per eligible individual for tax years 2025 through 2028 (Source: IRS newsroom; CRS R48613).

Who qualifies for the senior deduction?

A taxpayer who attains age 65 on or before the last day of the tax year, with a work-authorized Social Security number; married taxpayers must file jointly to claim it (Source: IRS newsroom; CRS R48613).

Does the senior deduction phase out?

Yes. It is reduced by 6 percent of modified adjusted gross income above $75,000 single or $150,000 joint, and these thresholds are not indexed (Source: CRS R48613).

Does the senior deduction reduce tax on benefits?

Indirectly. By lowering taxable income it can reduce, though not eliminate, tax owed on benefits, and CRS notes it may result in less money credited to the trust funds (Source: CRS R48613).

How many states tax Social Security benefits in 2026?

Eight: Colorado, Connecticut, Minnesota, Montana, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Utah, and Vermont, down from 13 in 2020 (Source: Kiplinger; Money; Motley Fool, 2026).

Which state taxes benefits most broadly?

Montana, which has no Social Security-specific income exemption and taxes the federally taxable portion; a 2025 repeal attempt (HB148) failed (Source: AARP Montana state tax guide; HB148).

Which states recently stopped taxing benefits?

Nebraska, Missouri, and Kansas ended taxation for tax year 2024, and West Virginia reaches full exemption in tax year 2026 (Source: state departments of revenue; Kiplinger).

Does West Virginia still tax benefits in 2026?

No. West Virginia completed a three-year phase-out and provides a 100 percent exemption for tax year 2026 (Source: West Virginia Tax Division).

Will the taxed share keep rising after 2028?

The senior deduction expires after 2028 and did not change the Section 86 thresholds, so the SSA-projected creep in the taxed share resumes on the fixed-threshold path (Source: CRS R48613; SSA IP 2015-02). Any statement about future levels here is attributed to those sources, not offered as a firm forecast.

Sources

IRS Publication 915 (2025), Social Security and Equivalent Railroad Retirement Benefits, https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p915.pdf and https://www.irs.gov/publications/p915.
26 U.S.C. 86 (Legal Information Institute), https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/26/86.
SSA Office of Retirement Policy, Issue Paper No. 2015-02 (Purcell 2015), https://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/issuepapers/ip2015-02.html.
SSA research summary, Income Taxes on Benefits, https://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/research-summaries/income-taxes-on-benefits.html.
SSA Office of the Chief Actuary, taxation of benefits, https://www.ssa.gov/oact/progdata/taxbenefits.html.
CBO, 2024 Long-Term Projections for Social Security (publication 60679), https://www.cbo.gov/publication/60679.
CRS In Focus IF11397, https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/IF11397.
CRS TE10102, https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/TE10102.
CRS R48613 (Aug. 1, 2025), https://www.everycrsreport.com/reports/R48613.html.
2024 OASDI Trustees Report, https://www.ssa.gov/oact/tr/2024/II_B_cyoper.html.
IRS newsroom, One, Big, Beautiful Bill Act tax deductions, https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/one-big-beautiful-bill-act-tax-deductions-for-working-americans-and-seniors.
State sources: Colorado DoR; CT OLR Report 2025-R-0152; Minnesota DoR; AARP Montana; NM Taxation & Revenue; RI Division of Taxation PUB 2026-01; Utah State Tax Commission; Vermont Dept of Taxes; West Virginia Tax Division; Nebraska Office of the Governor; Missouri DoR; Kansas DoR Notice 24-08. Compilation cross-checks: Kiplinger, Money, Motley Fool (2026).

About the author

Craig Wear, CFP(R), is the founder of Q3 Advisors, a registered investment adviser, with more than 25 years of experience working with retirement-focused households. This briefing was prepared and reviewed by the Q3 Advisors team using primary federal sources, including the Internal Revenue Code, IRS Publication 915, and reports from the Social Security Administration, the Congressional Budget Office, and the Congressional Research Service.

Disclaimer

This material is provided by Q3 Advisors, a registered investment adviser, for informational and educational purposes only. It is not investment, legal, or tax advice, nor a recommendation or solicitation to buy or sell any security or to adopt any strategy. Information is believed to be from reliable sources as of the dates cited, but its accuracy is not guaranteed and figures are subject to change. Past performance does not guarantee future results, and the value of investments can go down as well as up. Registration with the SEC or a state does not imply a certain level of skill or training. See Q3 Advisors’ Form ADV Part 2A for information on services, fees, and conflicts of interest. Readers should consult their own qualified tax, legal, or financial advisor before making any decisions.

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