Need to Know Tax Income Tax 2026 · Federal & Iowa

Updates since publication

The 2026 figures are final in mid-December with the IRS tables. The IRS does not stop there. Anything that changes afterward is logged here, newest first, with the article it affects.

After the election: the Iowa pages updated

Amendment 1 passed: raising the income tax now takes two-thirds of each chamber. The 3.8% rate is unchanged. Wording written before November 3 that described measures as pending has been replaced with the results, which are unofficial until certified. A new article, Iowa in 2027 and beyond, sets out what is on the 2026 return, what starts in 2027 and what comes later. All 50 states and DC are summarized in What the states decided.

Affects: the Iowa articles

Twelve articles added to the online edition

New web-only articles, not in the printed booklet: Who should claim the child?, the earned income credit when your ex claims the child, selling your home, income the IRS doesn’t tax, what moves Box 1 on your W-2, audit red flags, wills and probate, the ten most common estate planning mistakes, IRS forms and letters, decoded, and a history of tax reform, 1969 to 2025.

Affects: the topics list

This page is live before the figures are final

Entries will be added for the 2027 IRS inflation figures when they are published, any late guidance on Trump accounts, and corrections readers send in.

Affects: the numbers at a glance · Iowa in 2026

How to read an update

Each entry names the date, what changed, and which article it affects. Where a figure is superseded, the entry gives the new figure and the old one. Articles on this site are corrected in place and carry an “Updated” date at the bottom.

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