2025 - The One Big Beautiful Bill
- INCOME TAX: The law makes permanent the lower individual tax rates of 10%, 12%, 22%, 24%, 32%, 35%, 37%. It also eliminates personal and dependent exemptions, and some itemized deductions while keeping the doubled standard deduction. Under the bill, the standard deduction for 2025 is $15,750 for single taxpayers, $31,500 for joint filers, and $23,625 for heads of household.
- ESTATE TAX EXEMPTION: Effective as of January 1, 2026, the federal estate and gift tax exclusion and the generation-skipping transfer (GST) tax exemption will increase to $15,000,000 per person. This means that in 2026 an individual can transfer $15,000,000 (increased from $13,990,000 in 2025) free of any federal estate, gift, or GST taxes either during their lifetime or at death ($30,000,000 for married couples, increased from $27,980,000 in 2025). This amount is subject to an annual cost-of-living adjustment such that this $15,000,000 threshold may change in future years.
- CHILD TAX CREDIT: The child tax credit is increased from $2,000 per child to $2,200, and is subject to annual inflation increases. The bill requires the taxpayer claiming the credit, the taxpayer’s spouse, and the child to have Social Security numbers.
- SENIOR TAX DEDUCTION: In place of eliminating taxes on Social Security, Americans 65 or older will see a temporary “bonus” deduction of up to $6,000 on their income taxes. This will be available to single filers making a modified adjusted gross income up to $75,000, or couples making up to $150,000, for tax years 2025 to 2028.
2025 New Tax Rules For Nonprofits and Charitable Donors
- Charitable Deduction for Non-Itemizers: Taxpayers who do not itemize can now deduct up to $1,000 (individuals) or $2,000 (married couples filing jointly) per year for cash donations to qualified charities. This deduction does not apply to contributions to donor-advised funds.
- Permanent 60% AGI Limit for Itemizers: The temporary 60% limit for cash gifts to public charities, introduced in 2017, is now permanent.
- New Limits and Reductions for Itemized Charitable Deductions: Itemizers can only deduct charitable contributions that exceed 0.5% of their adjusted gross income. Those in the highest tax bracket will see a reduction in their total itemized deductions.
- Corporate Giving Faces a New Floor: Corporations may now only deduct charitable contributions that exceed 1% of taxable income. The 10% annual cap on corporate charitable deductions remains unchanged.
- New Tax Credit for Scholarship Donations: Individuals can now claim a tax credit of the greater of $5,000 or 10% of AGI for gifts to qualified scholarship-granting organizations supporting K–12 students.