What major federal tax changes took effect for 2025 and 2026 that I should know about?

Several provisions from the 2017 tax law were scheduled to expire at the end of 2025, and legislation passed in 2025 addressed many of them, so the landscape has shifted. Watch for updates to the individual tax brackets and standard deduction, the state-and-local tax (SALT) deduction cap, the child tax credit, the estate and gift tax exemption, and the qualified business income (QBI) deduction. Standard deduction, contribution limits, and bracket thresholds are also adjusted annually for inflation. Because the specifics can change with each bill and IRS inflation release, don't rely on a number you saw last year — verify current figures directly on irs.gov or with a tax professional. Consider a mid-year checkup using WealthSerene's tax-health assessment at wealthserene.com/assessments/tax-health to catch anything that affects you.