---
title: "Standard Deduction 2026: Amounts by Filing Status and Age | TaxWren"
description: "The 2026 standard deduction is $16,100 for single filers, $32,200 for married couples filing jointly and $24,150 for heads of household, plus $2,050 (single) or $1,650 (married) at 65 or older."
url: https://taxwren.com/glossary/standard-deduction
---

[Tax glossary](/glossary) · Updated October 15, 2026

# Standard deduction 2026

Short answer

A fixed amount that reduces your taxable income when you don't itemize: $16,100 for single filers, $32,200 for married couples filing jointly and $24,150 for heads of household in 2026, more if you are 65 or older or blind.

The standard deduction is a flat amount you subtract from your [adjusted gross income](/glossary/adjusted-gross-income) to get your [taxable income](/glossary/taxable-income), without listing any expenses. Most filers take it, because it is larger than their [itemized deductions](/glossary#itemized-deductions). The amount depends on your [filing status](/glossary#filing-status), your age and whether you are blind, and it rises with inflation each year.

## Standard deduction by filing status

| Filing status | 2026 | 2025 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Single | $16,100 | $15,750 |
| Married filing jointly | $32,200 | $31,500 |
| Qualifying surviving spouse | $32,200 | $31,500 |
| Head of household | $24,150 | $23,625 |
| Married filing separately | $16,100 | $15,750 |

## Extra amount at 65 or older, or blind

For 2026, add $2,050 if you are single or head of household and 65 or older or blind ($4,100 if both), or $1,650 for each condition and each spouse if you are married or a qualifying surviving spouse.

-   Single, 65 or older: $18,150
-   Head of household, 65 or older: $26,200
-   Married filing jointly, one spouse 65 or older: $33,850; both: $35,500

This is separate from the [senior deduction](/glossary#senior-deduction) of up to $6,000 per person 65 or older for 2025 to 2028, which you can take on top of the standard deduction or itemized deductions, reduced by 6% of modified AGI over $75,000 ($150,000 joint).

## What it saves you

A single filer with $60,000 of wages and no other deductions subtracts $16,100 and pays income tax on $43,900. Each dollar of standard deduction saves your top rate on that dollar: at the 22% bracket, the $16,100 deduction is worth up to $3,542, but less in practice because part of it would otherwise be taxed at lower rates.

## Dependents and other limits

-   If someone can claim you as a [dependent](/glossary#dependent), your standard deduction is the larger of $1,350 or your earned income plus $450, capped at the regular amount.
-   If you are married filing separately and your spouse itemizes, you can't take the standard deduction.
-   Nonresident aliens generally can't take it.

Should you itemize instead? Compare the two in [standard vs. itemized deductions](/glossary/standard-vs-itemized-deductions). For the brackets that apply after the deduction, see the [2026 federal tax brackets](/federal-tax-brackets).

## Work it out

-   [Federal tax brackets by yearCurrent and previous federal tax brackets, standard deduction and key figures, with year-over-year changes.](/federal-tax-brackets)
-   [Income tax calculatorFederal and state income tax for 2026](/income-tax-calculator)
-   [Tax bracket calculatorWhich bracket you are in, and how close the next is](/tax-bracket-calculator)

## Related terms

- Itemized deductions: Specific expenses you can deduct on Schedule A instead of taking the standard deduction: state and local taxes (up to $40,400 in 2026), home mortgage interest, gifts to charity and medical expenses above 7.5% of AGI, among others. You itemize only when they add up to more than your standard deduction.
- Standard vs. itemized deductions: You deduct whichever is larger: the standard deduction ($16,100 single, $32,200 married filing jointly in 2026) or the total of your itemized deductions on Schedule A.
- Taxable income: The income your tax brackets apply to: adjusted gross income minus the standard deduction (or your itemized deductions) and other deductions such as the qualified business income deduction.
- Senior deduction: An extra deduction of up to $6,000 for each person 65 or older, for tax years 2025 to 2028, on top of the standard or itemized deductions. It shrinks by 6% of modified AGI over $75,000 ($150,000 joint).

## Frequently asked questions

### What is the standard deduction for 2026?

$16,100 for single filers and married people filing separately, $32,200 for married couples filing jointly and qualifying surviving spouses, and $24,150 for heads of household.

### What is the 2026 standard deduction for people over 65?

Add $2,050 if you are single or head of household and 65 or older (or blind), or $1,650 for each spouse 65 or older (or blind) if married. A single filer 65 or older gets $18,150; a married couple filing jointly, both 65 or older, gets $35,500. The separate senior deduction of up to $6,000 per person comes on top for 2025 to 2028.

### What is the 2026 standard deduction for married filing jointly?

$32,200, or $33,850 if one spouse is 65 or older and $35,500 if both are.

### Can I take the standard deduction and itemize?

No, you choose one. Take the standard deduction unless your itemized deductions add up to more. If you are married filing separately and your spouse itemizes, you must itemize too.

### What is the standard deduction for a dependent?

Someone who can be claimed as a dependent gets the larger of $1,350 or earned income plus $450, but no more than the regular standard deduction ($16,100 for a single filer in 2026).

Sources: [IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32](https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-drop/rp-25-32.pdf). Figures come from our tax data files; see the [methodology](/methodology). All terms: [tax glossary](/glossary).