President Trump promised that he would eliminate taxes on Social Security benefits. While the President was not quite able to deliver on this goal, and the tax rules for retirees remain unchanged in 2026, the President did deliver a new tax break to seniors. The tax savings could leave seniors with more money in their bank accounts to spend in the future.
Here’s the change that the Trump Administration made to retirees’ tax situations as part of his signature legislation, the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (OBBBA).
This new tax break will benefit seniors
While the OBBBA made changes to the tax rules for seniors, and President Trump declared it was a success in eliminating taxes on Social Security for many retirees, the reality is that the Act simply added a new standard deduction for taxpayers who are 65 and over. It does not apply to all Social Security retirees, since retirement benefits become available as early as the age of 62. It is also not restricted only to seniors who are collecting Social Security, as eligibility is based on age and income, and not based on whether you currently have retirement benefits being deposited into your bank account.
And Social Security’s tax rules remain unchanged, with retirees subject to a partial benefits tax with provisional income above $25,000 for single filers and $32,000 for married joint filers.
So, what does the deduction do? The OBBBA’s new deduction is worth $6,000 annually, and it is on top of other deductions retirees can claim, like the standard deduction available to all taxpayers. The new $6,000 deduction is available beginning in 2025 for taxpayers 65 and over, and married taxpayers who meet the age requirements can each claim the deduction, allowing them to save a total of $12,000 on their income taxes.
The tax savings is limited based on income, though. It phases out at a rate of 6% for additional income over $75,000 for single filers and $150,000 for married joint filers. So, for every additional $1,000 in income retirees earn over their respective limits, they will lose $60 of the deduction. The deduction entirely disappears for singles with $175,000 in income and $250,000 in income for married joint filers.
Taxpayers will need to provide their Social Security numbers so they can claim the tax savings. And, because it is a deduction, it reduces your tax bill by lowering your taxable income. It is not a credit that reduces your bill on a dollar-for-dollar basis. So, a $6,000 deduction will not save you $6,000 on your taxes. If you are in the 22% tax bracket, it could save you up to $1,320 on your tax bill — 22% of the $6,000 that you are now not paying taxes on.
How can you plan for the deduction?
Getting a $6,000 tax deduction is a great opportunity, and seniors should seriously consider determining how they can benefit from it.
Of course, the obvious option is to just save or invest the extra money that you are not paying in taxes. However, some experts are advocating more advanced tax planning strategies, such as taking the opportunity to do a Roth conversion when you have an extra $6,000 or $12,000 to deduct.
A Roth conversion would allow you to move money from a traditional account to a Roth account that does not require you to pay taxes on distributions. While converting from a traditional to a Roth is a taxable event, the extra deduction could provide a great opportunity to make this move without increasing your tax bill much, if at all.
Since this tax break is temporary and will phase out in 2028, you have a limited time to benefit from it. You should strongly consider talking with a financial advisor about how you may be able to use this opportunity to shore up your finances in the long run and build a more secure retirement for your future.
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