Idaho · figures

Idaho figures at a glance, 2026: the rate, the deductions, the credits, the dates

Every number that drives a 2026 Idaho return on one page: the 5.3% rate and the zero bracket, the federal deductions that flow through, the subtractions and their caps, the credits that remain and the one that ended, the property-tax relief limits for 2027, and the filing dates. Figures the Idaho State Tax Commission had not published for 2026 are shown as the 2025 figure and marked.

By Charles Trautman, EA, editor

Need to Know Tax · written from Idaho State Tax Commission sources, November 3, 2026; updated November 12, 2026 after the election · not yet reviewed by an Idaho practitioner

Idaho’s return for 2026 runs on a short list of numbers. One rate, 5.3%, on Idaho taxable income above a small indexed zero bracket. The federal standard deduction, $16,100 single and $32,200 joint for 2026, taken again on Form 40. The federal senior, tips, overtime and car-loan deductions, taken again on line 18. A $155 refundable food tax credit per person. A $205 child credit that no longer exists. And a set of property-tax relief limits for the 2027 program year that the Department posted in the fall of 2026. The 2026 Form 40, its instructions, the indexed zero bracket and the retirement benefits deduction maximums had not been published when this was written; where a 2026 figure is missing, the 2025 figure is shown and labeled.

The return

Rate, base and deductions, 2026 Idaho return
Item	2026	Note
Income tax rate	5.3%	Flat, on Idaho taxable income above the zero bracket. Set by House Bill 40 (2025); unchanged for 2026. No local income tax.
Zero bracket, single or married filing separately	$4,811 (2025 figure; 2026 to come)	Indexed each year; the first dollars of taxable income taxed at 0%
Zero bracket, joint, head of household, qualifying surviving spouse	$9,622 (2025 figure; 2026 to come)	Same note
Standard deduction, single or married filing separately	$16,100	Federal amount, Form 40 line 16; was $15,750 for 2025
Standard deduction, married filing jointly or qualifying surviving spouse	$32,200	Was $31,500 for 2025
Standard deduction, head of household	$24,150	Was $23,625 for 2025
Additional standard deduction, age 65 or blind, per box	$1,650 married / $2,050 single or head of household	Federal amounts flow through; 2025 figures were $1,600 / $2,000
Federal senior deduction, per person 65 or older	$6,000	Reaches Idaho on Form 40 line 18 via Form 1040 line 13b; federal phase-out applies
Federal tips, overtime and car-loan interest deductions	Federal amounts	Flow through on line 18 under House Bill 559 (2026); Form 43 filers apportion on Worksheet 1-A
Qualified business income deduction	Federal amount	Line 18, via Form 1040 line 13a
Itemized deductions	Federal Schedule A less state and local income or sales tax	Form 40 lines 13–15; the larger of this or the standard deduction is taken on line 17
Bonus depreciation	Not allowed	Federal bonus added back on Form 39R, Part A, line 5; Idaho depreciation recovered on Part B, line 21
Permanent building fund tax	$10	Form 40 line 31, everyone required to file; waived for public assistance recipients and the legally blind
Use tax on untaxed purchases	6%	Form 40 line 28; the state sales tax rate

Line numbers are from the 2025 Form 40, revised March 2, 2026.

Who must file

Gross income filing thresholds, residents (2025 figures; 2026 to come)
Filing status	Under 65	65 or older
Single	$15,750	$17,750
Head of household	$23,625	$25,625
Married filing jointly	$31,500	$33,100 (one spouse 65) / $34,700 (both)
Qualifying surviving spouse	$31,500	$33,100
Married filing separately	$5	$5
Part-year resident or nonresident	$2,500 of Idaho-source gross income	$2,500

The resident thresholds track the federal standard deduction and will rise for 2026. Filing below the threshold still pays: the food tax credit is refundable.

Subtractions and their caps

Form 39R, Part B subtractions, 2026
Subtraction	Limit	Note
Social Security and railroad retirement	No limit	Line 7; the federally taxable amount, any age
Retirement benefits deduction, single	$48,216 (2025 figure; 2026 to come)	Line 8; CSRS and Foreign Service annuities, military retirement, Idaho Firefighters Retirement Fund and qualifying city police pensions only; reduced by Social Security received
Retirement benefits deduction, married filing jointly	$72,324 (2025 figure; 2026 to come)	Same
Idaho capital gains deduction	60% of the net gain	Line 10, from Form CG; Idaho real property (12 months), business tangible property (12), cattle and horses (24), other breeding livestock (12), timber (24); never stock
IDeal college savings contributions	$6,000 single or head of household / $12,000 joint	Line 14; contributions by December 31; nonqualified withdrawals added back
Idaho medical savings account contributions	$10,000 single / $20,000 joint	Line 13; 10% penalty on nonmedical withdrawals before 59½
First-time home buyer savings account	$15,000 single / $30,000 joint a year; $100,000 lifetime	Reported on the return from the institution’s January statement
Alternative energy device for the home	40% of cost in year one, 20% in each of the next three; $5,000 a year	Line 5
Child and dependent care	Per the instructions’ worksheet (verify)	Line 6; from federal Form 2441
Active-duty military pay earned outside Idaho	No limit	Line 11; 120 or more consecutive days of duty
Health insurance and long-term care premiums	No limit	Lines 18 and 19; only if not deducted elsewhere
Maintaining a home for a family member 65 or older or developmentally disabled	$1,000 per person	Line 15; or the $100 credit instead
Idaho lottery prizes	Prizes under $600 each	Line 16

Credits

Idaho credits, 2026
Credit	Amount	Note
Food tax credit, per person	$155 (2025 figure; no change enacted)	Form 40 line 43; refundable; $12.92 per month if prorated; no credit for a month on SNAP
Food tax credit, receipts alternative, per person	Up to $250	Actual Idaho sales tax paid on food, receipts required
Idaho child tax credit	$0	The $205 per child credit (Idaho Code 63-3029L) expired after tax year 2025
Parental Choice Tax Credit, per eligible student	$5,000 / $7,500 with a qualifying disability	Form 40 line 42; refundable; must apply and be awarded; advance payment option
Credit for income tax paid to another state	Lesser of the other state’s tax and Idaho’s tax on the same income	Form 40 line 21, from Form 39R, Part C
Gifts to Idaho educational entities	50% of the gift; $500 single / $1,000 joint; 50% of tax	Form 40 line 22, from Form 39R, Part D
Gifts to Idaho youth and rehabilitation facilities	50% of the gift; $100 single / $200 joint; 20% of tax	Same
Live organ donation	Up to $5,000 (verify)	Five-year carryforward; Form 39R, Part D
Maintaining a home for a family member 65 or older or developmentally disabled	$100 per person, $300 maximum	Form 40 line 44; refundable; $8.33 per month if prorated; not with the $1,000 deduction
State earned income credit; dependent care credit	None	Idaho has neither

Paying and filing

Dates and payment rules, 2026 return
Item	Figure	Note
Return due	April 15, 2027	Form 40 or 43; Form 24 for seniors claiming only the food credit
Extended due date	October 15, 2027	Automatic, no form, if 80% of 2026 tax or 100% of 2025 tax was paid in by April 15
Estimated payments	None required	No underpayment penalty for individuals; Form 51 and Quick Pay for voluntary payments
Interest on unpaid tax	6% a year (2026 rate; 2027 to come)	Runs from April 15 regardless of extension
Late-payment penalty after the extended date	0.5% a month, up to 50%	Per the Department’s extension page
Deadline to report a federal change	120 days (2025 instructions) or 180 days (September 2026 publication) (verify)	Use 120 until the 2026 instructions settle it
Refund claim window	3 years from the original due date	After that the refund expires
E-filed refund timing	About 7 to 8 weeks after acknowledgment	Paper 10 to 11 weeks; add 3 weeks for a first-time Idaho filer, 6 weeks after answering a letter

Property tax relief, 2027 program year

County-assessor programs using 2026 income
Program	Figure	Note
Homeowner’s exemption	50% of value, $125,000 cap (2021–2025 cap; 2026 to come (verify))	Home and up to one acre; apply once at the county assessor
Property Tax Reduction (circuit breaker), benefit	$250 to $1,500	65 or older, widowed, blind, disabled, former POW or hostage, or a fatherless or motherless child under 18
Property Tax Reduction, income limit	$40,030 of 2026 income after medical expenses	Apply January 1 to April 15, 2027, every year
Property Tax Deferral, income limit	$63,400 of 2026 income	Apply January 1 to September 7, 2027; repaid with interest on sale
Disabled veterans’ benefit	Up to $1,500	100% service-connected rating as of January 1, 2027; no income limit; apply January 1 to April 15, 2027

None of these appears on Form 40. The circuit breaker and veterans’ benefit require a current homeowner’s exemption.

What changed from 2025

The $205 Idaho child tax credit ended. Tax year 2025 was its last; Form 40 line 24 will be gone or blank.
The standard deduction rose with the federal figures: $16,100 single, $32,200 joint, $24,150 head of household, from $15,750, $31,500 and $23,625.
House Bill 559 (2026) set Idaho’s conformity date at January 1, 2026, retroactive to 2025, so the federal tips, overtime, senior and car-loan deductions apply to the full 2026 year on Form 40 line 18, as they did for 2025 once the forms were rebuilt.
The zero bracket and the retirement benefits deduction maximums are indexed and will rise; the 2026 figures are to come.
The property-tax relief limits moved: the circuit breaker income limit is $40,030 for the 2027 program (2026 income), the deferral limit $63,400.
The rate, 5.3%, the food tax credit, $155, and the no-estimated-payments rule did not change.
Withholding tables changed July 23, 2026 to remove the child credit allowance; employees with children who have not filed a new Form ID W-4 may be underwithheld for the first seven months.

Behind the scenes: which numbers Idaho indexes

Three groups of figures move each year on their own. The federal ones, the standard deduction and the age additions, move because the IRS indexes them and Idaho copies them. The Idaho zero bracket and the retirement benefits deduction maximums are indexed by Idaho statute and appear in the Form 40 and 39R instructions each winter. The property-tax income limits are set by the Tax Commission’s property tax division each fall for the coming program year. Everything else, the 5.3% rate, the $155 food credit, the $6,000 and $12,000 IDeal caps, the $125,000 homeowner’s exemption cap, is a fixed number until the Legislature changes it.

What to bring

Last year’s Form 40 and 39R, to compare line by line
The federal return, since Form 40 copies lines 11, 13a and 13b
Dates of birth for the age-65 boxes
Year-end statements for IDeal, medical savings and first-time home buyer accounts
Form 1099-R with the plan type identified, for the retirement benefits deduction
County assessor letters on the homeowner’s exemption and any circuit breaker award

Questions people ask

What is the Idaho income tax rate for 2026?

5.3%, flat, on Idaho taxable income above the zero bracket. No bill in the 2026 session changed it.

What is the Idaho standard deduction for 2026?

The federal one: $16,100 single or married filing separately, $32,200 joint, $24,150 head of household, plus the federal additions for age 65 and blindness.

How much is the food tax credit?

$155 per person on the return (2025 figure; no 2026 change was enacted), or the actual sales tax paid on food up to $250 per person with receipts.

Is there an Idaho child tax credit for 2026?

No. The $205 credit expired after 2025.

Does Idaho require estimated payments?

No, and there is no underpayment penalty. Interest runs at 6% from April 15 on anything unpaid, and the automatic extension requires 80% of this year’s tax or 100% of last year’s paid by then.

What is the income limit for the senior property tax break?

$40,030 of 2026 income after medical expenses, for the 2027 Property Tax Reduction program. Apply at the county assessor between January 1 and April 15, 2027.

One rate, the federal deductions, $155 a head

Check the 2026 instructions for the indexed zero bracket and pension maximums when they appear; everything else on this page is settled.

Written by Charles Trautman, EA, editor  ·  Need to Know Tax, Lone Tree, Colorado
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Sources and where to check

Updated November 12, 2026, after the November 3 election · tax year 2026 figures · awaiting review by an Idaho practitioner — use the right article