For the previous couple of years, tax season for retirees was comparatively boring. You took the usual deduction, ignored your shoe field of receipts, and filed rapidly. However for the 2026 submitting season (overlaying the 2025 tax yr), the principles have modified considerably as a result of “One Large Stunning Invoice Act” (OBBBA) and shifting financial circumstances.
With the reinstatement of upper deductions and new “Senior Bonus” credit, the particular items of paper you want have modified. For those who auto-pilot your return this yr, you would miss out on hundreds in write-offs. Earlier than you head to your accountant or log into TurboTax, ensure you have hunted down these 5 often-overlooked paperwork.
1. Property Tax Payments (The “SALT” Receipt)
For years, the $10,000 cap on State and Native Taxes (SALT) made property tax payments irrelevant for a lot of retirees in high-tax states. In 2026, that panorama has shifted. The brand new tax laws has raised the SALT cap considerably (to $40,000 for a lot of filers), bringing itemization again into play.
You want your Type 1098 out of your mortgage lender (in case you nonetheless have a mortgage) or the precise county tax receipts in case you pay immediately. Not like earlier years the place this deduction was capped out early, your full property tax invoice may now be deductible. You probably have been shredding these payments pondering “I take the usual anyway,” you must dig them out or obtain cost historical past out of your county treasurer’s web site instantly.
2. The QCD “Acknowledgment Letter”
In case you are over 70½ and made a Certified Charitable Distribution (QCD) immediately out of your IRA to a charity, you prevented paying taxes on that cash. Nonetheless, the IRS Type 1099-R you obtain out of your custodian does not clearly show the cash went to charity—it usually simply lists it as a “Regular Distribution” (Code 7), making it look totally taxable.
Whereas a brand new “Code Y” was launched for 2025, its use is non-compulsory for custodians this yr. Due to this fact, the written acknowledgment letter from the charity (dated earlier than you file) is your solely bulletproof protection throughout an audit. You will need to bodily hand this letter to your accountant to show the $5,000 withdrawal shouldn’t be added to your taxable earnings. With out it, the IRS laptop will default to taxing the total quantity.
3. The “Senior Bonus” Earnings Worksheet
New for the 2025 tax yr is the “Senior Bonus” deduction—an additional customary deduction enhance for filers over age 65. Nonetheless, this bonus is means-tested, which means it vanishes in case your earnings is simply too excessive.
You received’t obtain a selected type for this, however you must compile a provisional earnings worksheet that features “invisible” earnings like tax-exempt municipal bond curiosity. The phase-out for this bonus begins at $75,000 (single) or $150,000 (joint). For those who fail to calculate your Modified Adjusted Gross Earnings (MAGI) precisely by gathering all earnings sources, you may declare a bonus you aren’t entitled to, triggering an automated IRS correction letter and a delayed refund.
4. Type 1099-Ok (The “Correction” Copy)
The IRS has formally reverted the 1099-Ok reporting threshold to $20,000 and 200 transactions for the 2025 tax yr, retroactively killing the $600 rule that frightened many informal sellers.
Whereas most retirees received’t get a 1099-Ok for promoting a used sofa on eBay, some platforms could have despatched them erroneously earlier than the regulation was finalized. For those who obtain a 1099-Ok within the mail for a small quantity (e.g., $800), do not ignore it. You will need to file a return that lists this earnings after which “zero it out” with a corresponding adjustment. For those who simply trash the misguided type, the IRS automated underreporter system (AUR) will flag your return for lacking earnings.
5. Type 1099-INT (The “Excessive-Yield” Shock)
Within the period of 0.1% rates of interest, financial institution curiosity was a rounding error. In 2025, with financial savings accounts paying 4% to five%, your “protected” cash generated a big tax invoice.
Look ahead to Type 1099-INT. A retiree with $100,000 in a Excessive-Yield Financial savings Account earned roughly $4,500 in curiosity final yr. That’s totally taxable strange earnings. Many seniors overlook this type as a result of they’re used to incomes $50 a yr. Lacking this type is the #1 cause for “Math Error” notices in 2026, as banks report this knowledge on to the IRS.
Don’t Depend on “Final 12 months’s” Checklist
The tax code is a residing doc, and for 2026, it has grown new enamel. If you wish to maintain your refund, you must show each deduction with paper.
Did you obtain an misguided 1099-Ok this yr? Depart a remark under—inform us the way you mounted it!
