Taxpayers who take the standard deduction rather than itemizing are getting a slightly bigger break on the return they'll file in early 2026, and the bump is larger than usual.
The IRS confirmed the numbers in its annual inflation adjustment released in October 2025, and they apply to income earned during 2025.
For single filers, the standard deduction rises to $15,750, up $750 from the prior year.
Married couples filing jointly get $31,500, and heads of household land at $23,625.
Those increases are roughly double the typical annual adjustment, which has hovered closer to $300 to $400 in recent years.
The IRS adjusts deductions, tax brackets, and contribution limits each fall based on the Chained Consumer Price Index, so when prices climb faster, the deduction climbs with them.
It's not a gift — it's an attempt to keep taxpayers from being pushed into higher brackets by raises that only keep pace with the cost of living.
There's a practical catch that trips up a lot of people: the additional deduction for being 65 or older or blind.
For 2025, single filers 65 and up can add $2,000 on top of the base amount, and married filers who are both 65 or older can add $3,200.
A married couple both over 65 filing jointly can reach $34,700 before itemizing a single receipt.
Then there's the new bonus deduction that has accountants fielding calls all fall.
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act created a temporary extra deduction of up to $6,000 for seniors 65 and older, on top of the standard deduction, for tax years 2025 through 2028.
It phases out for higher earners, starting at $75,000 for singles and $150,000 for joint filers.
If your income is modest and you're 65-plus, this is real money — potentially thousands off your taxable income.
The standard deduction still isn't for everyone.
If you paid a lot of mortgage interest, gave generously to charity, or live in a high-tax state, itemizing may beat it.
But the 2017 tax law roughly doubled the standard deduction, and most filers never went back to itemizing.
About 90% of taxpayers now take the standard deduction, according to IRS data, which is why these annual numbers matter to so many households.
One more wrinkle: if you're self-employed or have significant side income, you can't use the standard deduction to avoid tracking expenses.
And if you receive Social Security, the senior deduction above is separate from how much of your benefits are taxable, which is its own calculation.
Where people get burned is assuming last year's number still applies.
If you filed in early 2025 using 2024 figures and then eyeballed your 2025 return the same way, you may have understated your deduction and overpaid — or filed a return that's now worth amending.
Software usually catches this, but anyone filing by hand or reusing an old spreadsheet should double-check. **The bottom line:** a few hundred extra dollars of deduction is a modest win, not a windfall, and it won't rescue a bad tax year on its own.
But if you're 65 or older, or you've been itemizing out of habit without running the math, it's worth ten minutes with the IRS worksheet before you file.
Final Thoughts
Free money left on the table is the one deduction nobody gets to claim twice.