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Retirement and Tax Numbers We Keep Current

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Updated August 7, 2026. Quick answer: this page is the public face of the register we keep behind every figure on this site — 123 numbers, each with the year it applies to, a plain statement of what makes it move, and its own anchor so a single figure can be cited directly. It is generated from that register rather than typed, which means it cannot quietly disagree with the pages that use these numbers: the build fails if a tracked figure is missing from this page. 6 figures for 2027 are already published and are shown with that year. Nothing here is for sale.

How to read this page

Three things make this different from the annual round-ups that appear every January.

  • Every figure carries its year. A year-less tax number is the single most common error in this category, and it is why figures from three years ago are still circulating as current.
  • Every figure says what moves it — an IRS inflation adjustment, an SSA determination, an act of Congress, or a vendor changing its price. That column is more useful than the number, because it tells you when to stop trusting what you are reading.
  • Statutory figures are marked as statutory. Several here have not moved in decades and will not move next January however many round-ups say “2027 limits”.

Where a figure varies by state, this page carries the tracked ones and points at the full crosses: state estate tax, LLC annual reports, small-estate limits.

Contributions and account limits (10)

What you may put in, and the catch-ups. These move on the IRS’s annual inflation cycle, announced in the autumn for the following year.

FigureValueYearChanges when
hdhp deductible min family
Same figure, tax year and source as the hdhp min deductible family 2027 row, held here under a second register key.
$3,5002027IRS annual figure
hdhp deductible min self
Same figure, tax year and source as the hdhp min deductible self 2027 row, held here under a second register key.
$1,7502027IRS annual figure
hdhp min deductible family 2027
Announced for 2027, with no 2026 counterpart in this register.
$3,5002027IRS annual figure
hdhp min deductible self 2027
Announced for 2027, with no 2026 counterpart in this register.
$1,7502027IRS annual figure
hdhp oop max self
Same figure, tax year and source as the hdhp oop max self 2027 row, held here under a second register key.
$8,7002027IRS annual figure
hdhp oop max self 2027
Announced for 2027, with no 2026 counterpart in this register.
$8,7002027IRS annual figure
hsa contrib family$8,7502026unclassified – we have not yet established what moves this figure
hsa contrib self$4,4002026unclassified – we have not yet established what moves this figure
sep ira limit
2026: lesser of 25% of compensation or $72,000.
$72,0002026IRS annual inflation adjustment, announced in the autumn for the next year
solo 401k elective deferral
2026 elective deferral.
$24,5002026IRS annual inflation adjustment, announced in the autumn for the next year

Social Security (8)

Set by the Social Security Administration’s annual cost-of-living determination, which has landed in late October or early November in each of the two years we have observed.

FigureValueYearChanges when
oasdi wage base$184,5002026SSA annual determination, late October to early November
ss earnings test higher$65,1602026SSA annual determination, late October to early November
ss earnings test lower
Also embedded in calculator JavaScript on 1 page, which a content-level refresh cannot reach.
$24,4802026SSA annual determination, late October to early November
ssi burial fund exclusion
per person, for the individual and a spouse; reduced by excluded life-insurance face value and irrevocable burial trusts.
$1,500set by regulation and not on an annual cycle
ssi earned income exclusion
followed by one-half of the remainder at (c)(7).
$65set by regulation and not on an annual cycle
ssi general income exclusion
CFR 416.1112(c)(4) cross-references this as (c)(10); that cross-reference is stale in the published regulation.
$20set by regulation and not on an annual cycle
ssi resource limit couple
Read with the individual limit in the next row.
$3,000statutory and unchanged since 1989 – it is not indexed and it has not moved
ssi resource limit individual
NOT annually indexed.
$2,000statutory and unchanged since 1989 – it is not indexed and it has not moved

Medicare and health costs (6)

Announced on their own cycles, and the two-year IRMAA lookback means the income that sets a premium is already two years in the past when the premium arrives.

FigureValueYearChanges when
cdcc expense limit one$3,0002026statutory – moves only if Congress or a legislature moves it
cdcc qualifying gross income
The figure shown on the topic page; it moves with the tax year and the page itself references a 2025 return.
$5,2002025IRS annual figure
dependent care fsa exclusion$7,5002026statutory, amended by recent legislation
medicare part b premium
Set by annual CMS notice, typically announced in the autumn – see the trigger calendar.
$202.902026CMS annual notice, historically November
nhe medicare spending
CMS revises NHE accounts; the 2025 figures land in the normal December release.
$1,118.0 billion2024unclassified – we have not yet established what moves this figure
nhe total spending
Paired with $15,474 per person and 18.0% of GDP – all three move together.
$5.3 trillion2024unclassified – we have not yet established what moves this figure

Income tax: deductions, rates and thresholds (19)

Federal figures. The inflation-adjusted ones move every year; the statutory ones move only when Congress moves them, and several here have not moved in decades.

FigureValueYearChanges when
additional medicare tax threshold single
0.9% Additional Medicare Tax.
$200,0002025statutory – moves only if Congress or a legislature moves it
addl std deduction married 65$1,6502026IRS annual inflation adjustment, announced in the autumn for the next year
addl std deduction single 65$2,0502026IRS annual inflation adjustment, announced in the autumn for the next year
ctc refundable$1,7002026unclassified – we have not yet established what moves this figure
form 1041 gross income threshold$600statutory – moves only if Congress or a legislature moves it
form 1099 nec threshold
RECENT AMENDMENT – this is the figure most published guidance still gets wrong.
$2,0002026IRS annual inflation adjustment, announced in the autumn for the next year
home office simplified rate
$5 per square foot, capped at 300 square feet, so a $1,500 maximum.
$5set by regulation and not on an annual cycle
household employee fica threshold
The IRS states on the page that this threshold ‘can change from year to year’.
$3,0002026IRS annual figure
household employee futa quarter$1,0002026statutory – moves only if Congress or a legislature moves it
irs opa installment threshold
Combined tax, penalties and interest – NOT tax alone; the page says so because the distinction changes who qualifies.
$50,0002026IRS annual figure
irs opa shortterm threshold
Short-term plan (180 days or less).
$100,0002026IRS annual figure
irs records retention default
The ordinary case.
3 yearsstatutory – moves only if Congress or a legislature moves it
mileage rate business 2026 h1
FIRST HALF ONLY: 1 Jan – 30 Jun 2026.
72.5 cents2026IRS annual inflation adjustment, announced in the autumn for the next year
mileage rate business 2026 h2
SECOND HALF ONLY: 1 Jul – 31 Dec 2026, following a mid-year increase.
76 cents2026IRS annual inflation adjustment, announced in the autumn for the next year
se tax rate
Statutory, not indexed.
15.3%statutory rate, not indexed
sec6601j base$1,940,0002026unclassified – we have not yet established what moves this figure
std deduction hoh$24,1502026IRS annual inflation adjustment, announced in the autumn for the next year
std deduction mfj$32,2002026IRS annual inflation adjustment, announced in the autumn for the next year
std deduction single$16,1002026IRS annual inflation adjustment, announced in the autumn for the next year

Estate and gift (22)

The federal exemption and annual exclusion, the state estate-tax exemptions that differ from them, and the special-use and instalment provisions.

FigureValueYearChanges when
ca small estate residence 13151
Distinct from the 13100 affidavit cap ($208,850, indexed triennially per 890).
$750,000statutory
cost of dying ne inheritance exemption$100,000statutory – moves only if Congress or a legislature moves it
cost of dying pa inheritance rate
Also embedded in calculator JavaScript on 1 page, which a content-level refresh cannot reach.
4.5%statutory rate, not indexed
estate exemption connecticut
state estate-tax exemption; several of these are INDEXED annually
$15,000,0002026unclassified – we have not yet established what moves this figure
estate exemption district of columbia
state estate-tax exemption; several of these are INDEXED annually.
$4,988,4002026indexed annually by the state
estate exemption hawaii
state estate-tax exemption; several of these are INDEXED annually.
$5,490,0002026indexed annually by the state
estate exemption illinois
state estate-tax exemption; several of these are INDEXED annually
$4,000,0002026unclassified – we have not yet established what moves this figure
estate exemption maine
state estate-tax exemption; several of these are INDEXED annually.
$7,160,0002026indexed annually by the state
estate exemption maryland
state estate-tax exemption; several of these are INDEXED annually
$5,000,0002026unclassified – we have not yet established what moves this figure
estate exemption massachusetts
state estate-tax exemption; several of these are INDEXED annually
$2,000,0002026unclassified – we have not yet established what moves this figure
estate exemption minnesota
state estate-tax exemption; several of these are INDEXED annually
$3,000,0002026unclassified – we have not yet established what moves this figure
estate exemption new york
state estate-tax exemption; several of these are INDEXED annually.
$7,350,0002026indexed annually by the state
estate exemption oregon
state estate-tax exemption; several of these are INDEXED annually
$1,000,0002026unclassified – we have not yet established what moves this figure
estate exemption rhode island
state estate-tax exemption; several of these are INDEXED annually.
$1,838,0562026indexed annually by the state
estate exemption vermont
state estate-tax exemption; several of these are INDEXED annually
$5,000,0002026unclassified – we have not yet established what moves this figure
estate exemption washington
state estate-tax exemption; several of these are INDEXED annually.
$3,000,000
$3,076,000 for deaths January 1 to June 30, 2026
2026indexed annually by the state
federal annual gift exclusion$19,0002026IRS annual figure
federal basic exclusion amount
Our irrevocable life insurance trust guide uses this exclusion to argue an ILIT is usually unnecessary, so if the figure moves that argument moves with it.
$15,000,0002026IRS annual figure
fl summary administration threshold$75,000statutory – moves only if Congress or a legislature moves it
ne intestate spousal threshold
The statute writes this amount in words, not digits.
$150,0002026unclassified – we have not yet established what moves this figure
sec2032a cap$1,460,0002026unclassified – we have not yet established what moves this figure
wi probate filing fee
AMENDMENT PENDING 2026-11-01: becomes a $36 flat fee with an $18,500 threshold.
0.2% above $10,000 ($20 at or below)statutory, with an amendment pending

Asset protection and benefit eligibility (3)

Statutory floors and ceilings that decide what is reachable and what disqualifies.

FigureValueYearChanges when
able ssi resource threshold
Above it SSI is SUSPENDED not terminated, and Medicaid continues.
$100,000statutory and not indexed
bankruptcy homestead 1215 cap
Also embedded in calculator JavaScript on 4 pages, which a content-level refresh cannot reach.
$125,000adjusted by the Judicial Conference on its own cycle
bankruptcy homestead federal
Section 522 dollar figures are adjusted periodically by the Judicial Conference; the page says so.
$15,000adjusted by the Judicial Conference on its own cycle

Running a small or encore business (3)

The figures a one-person business meets. Two of these are paired on purpose.

FigureValueYearChanges when
llc annual report fee louisiana
SCHEDULED CHANGE ALREADY IN STATUTE: $30 through 2026-09-30, $35 from 2026-10-01.
$30statutory, with a change already scheduled on a known date
llc annual report fee michigan
A RARE SCHEDULED STEP DOWN: $25 through 2027-09-30, then $15.
$25statutory, with a change already scheduled on a known date
llc annual report no report states
AL, AZ, DE, MO, NM, OH, SC.
7a count of states – it moves when any legislature acts

Research figures we track (40)

Not government figures – measured statistics from named studies, each on its own publication cycle. They are here because pages depend on them and a stale study figure is as wrong as a stale tax figure.

FigureValueYearChanges when
acli avg new individual policy face 2024
A mean per NEW INDIVIDUAL POLICY.
$209,000annual study by a named third party
acli death benefits paid 2024
Industry-wide dollar flow, not per family.
$88.5 billionannual study by a named third party
acli individual voluntary termination 2024
TWO BASES, both published: 5.8% by face amount (lapse 4.7 + surrender 1.1) and 7.9% by policy count (6.6 + 1.3).
5.8%annual study by a named third party
bls employer life access private 2025
Published as a triple: 59% access / 58% participation / 98% take-up (private industry).
59%annual survey, published on the publisher’s own cycle
ce income outlay gap 75plus
THE FINDING: by 75+ the average household spends essentially everything it receives.
$9992024annual survey, published on the publisher’s own cycle
ce median outlay 65 74
CE is annual; the 2025 microdata release supersedes it.
$50,0682024annual survey, published on the publisher’s own cycle
ce spending mean 55 64
CE PUMD cohort figure; annual republication by BLS
$83,1022024unclassified – we have not yet established what moves this figure
ce spending mean 65 74
CE PUMD cohort figure; annual republication by BLS
$64,2322024unclassified – we have not yet established what moves this figure
ce spending mean 75 plus
CE PUMD cohort figure; annual republication by BLS.
$54,9152024unclassified – we have not yet established what moves this figure
ce spending median 55 64
CE PUMD cohort figure; annual republication by BLS
$63,3232024unclassified – we have not yet established what moves this figure
ce spending median 65 74
CE PUMD cohort figure; annual republication by BLS.
$50,0682024annual survey, published on the publisher’s own cycle
ce spending median 75 plus
CE PUMD cohort figure; annual republication by BLS.
$41,5482024unclassified – we have not yet established what moves this figure
family caregivers decade increase pct45 percentannual study by a named third party
family caregivers high intensity pct44%annual study by a named third party
family caregivers in debt pct23%annual study by a named third party
family caregivers total63 millionannual study by a named third party
gray divorce median duration first29 yearsannual study by a named third party
gray divorce median duration remarriage18 yearsannual study by a named third party
gray divorce multiple men pct8.5%annual study by a named third party
gray divorce rate 65plus 19901.8annual study by a named third party
gray divorce rate women 65plus 20236.7annual study by a named third party
life cost overestimate multiple 2025
Only meaningful with all four assumptions: $250,000 face, 20-year, level term, self-described healthy, ages 18-30.
10-12 timesannual survey, published on the publisher’s own cycle
life households with coverage 2022
SCF is triennial: 2022 is the latest wave and the 2025 wave publishes around 2026-27.
56.0%triennial survey – the Survey of Consumer Finances runs every three years
life median face value covered households 2022
Denominator is households REPORTING COVERAGE, not all households.
$150,000triennial survey – the Survey of Consumer Finances runs every three years
life need gap adults 2026
Two components published separately (29% own none and say they need it; 9% own some and need more) and they must NOT be merged into one figure on refresh.
99 millionannual survey, published on the publisher’s own cycle
life ownership rate barometer 2026
THE DENOMINATOR IS THE CLAIM: the survey frame is adults 18-75 who are at least partly responsible for household financial decisions, NOT US adults.
52%annual survey, published on the publisher’s own cycle
nfda cremation rate
A PROJECTION.
63.4%2025unclassified – we have not yet established what moves this figure
scf cash value life ownership 2022
NOT AN OWNERSHIP RATE: it counts cash value life insurance held as an asset and excludes term life entirely.
16.1%triennial survey – the Survey of Consumer Finances runs every three years
scf mean 35 44
SCF cohort figure; next wave 2025, published ~2026
$87,0712022unclassified – we have not yet established what moves this figure
scf mean 45 54
SCF cohort figure; next wave 2025, published ~2026.
$194,7002022unclassified – we have not yet established what moves this figure
scf mean 55 64
SCF cohort figure; next wave 2025, published ~2026.
$306,4042022unclassified – we have not yet established what moves this figure
scf mean 65 74
SCF cohort figure; next wave 2025, published ~2026.
$310,6512022unclassified – we have not yet established what moves this figure
scf mean 75
SCF cohort figure; next wave 2025, published ~2026
$194,1292022unclassified – we have not yet established what moves this figure
scf mean under 35
SCF cohort figure; next wave 2025, published ~2026
$24,3832022unclassified – we have not yet established what moves this figure
scf median 35 44
SCF cohort figure; next wave 2025, published ~2026
$9,4002022unclassified – we have not yet established what moves this figure
scf median 45 54
SCF cohort figure; next wave 2025, published ~2026.
$20,2802022unclassified – we have not yet established what moves this figure
scf median 55 64
SCF cohort figure; next wave 2025, published ~2026.
$16,6002022unclassified – we have not yet established what moves this figure
scf median 65 74
SCF cohort figure; next wave 2025, published ~2026
$5,5002022unclassified – we have not yet established what moves this figure
scf p90 retirement accounts 55 64
SCF is TRIENNIAL, not annual.
$915,000triennial survey – the Survey of Consumer Finances runs every three years
scf share zero retirement 55 6443.0%triennial survey – the Survey of Consumer Finances runs every three years

Document and service prices we track (12)

Published consumer prices we cite on comparison pages. They are vendor-set, change without notice, and we take no commission on any of them.

FigureValueYearChanges when
lawdepot pro annual$155.88vendor-set; changes without notice
lawdepot trial monthly$49vendor-set; changes without notice
legalzoom basic will$129vendor-set; changes without notice
legalzoom premium attorney renewal
Also embedded in calculator JavaScript on 5 pages, which a content-level refresh cannot reach.
$199vendor-set; changes without notice
legalzoom pro will$149vendor-set; changes without notice
trustandwill membership annual$49vendor-set; changes without notice
trustandwill trust individual$499vendor-set; changes without notice
trustandwill will individual
Also embedded in calculator JavaScript on 5 pages, which a content-level refresh cannot reach.
$199vendor-set; changes without notice
willmaker all access$219vendor-set; changes without notice
willmaker plus$149vendor-set; changes without notice
willmaker renewal annual$39.99vendor-set; changes without notice
willmaker starter$109vendor-set; changes without notice

What this register does not yet do

The same generation that guarantees the census also exposes the gaps, so they are published rather than hidden.

  • 30 of these figures are embedded inside calculator JavaScript as well as in prose. A content-level refresh cannot see them, so updating those pages means editing the calculator code. It is the known weak point in our own refresh machinery.
  • 31 figures carry no movement class yet — shown above as “unclassified”. We track the number and its source but have not established what causes it to change, so it cannot be scheduled for re-checking.
  • 5 figures are tracked but not currently used by any page.

Publishing the weaknesses of a reference page is unusual and it is deliberate. A register whose gaps are visible can be checked; one whose gaps are invisible just looks complete.

Cite this data

The underlying figures belong to the IRS, the Social Security Administration, CMS, the Federal Reserve, the BLS and the named studies and vendors listed against each row — cite them, with the year. What is ours is the register itself: the movement classes, the source-and-date discipline, and the honest account of what it does not yet cover. That is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 with a link.

Suggested citation: “Retirement and tax numbers we keep current,” Clear Money Guide, 2026, clearmoneyguide.com/retirement-numbers/.

Limits. Figures are as read on the dates recorded in our register and each row’s own source page carries that date. This page is a reference, not advice, and a figure alone rarely answers a question — the pages linked from each section are where the rules around them live. Where a figure is disputed, superseded or unverified we say so on the page that uses it rather than smoothing it here.

State-variable classes. Two more crosses where the answer depends on where you live: paid family leave by state and pay-transparency disclosure duties, each carrying all 51 jurisdictions including the ones with no law.

Federal capital-gains components. The 20% top long-term rate and the 3.8% net investment income tax are both tracked here and combined with each state’s own top rate at capital gains tax by state — note the federal thresholds are the IRS’s tax-year-2025 figures, the latest published.

For institutions. The figures above sit behind eleven guides built to print as handouts — each printed copy carries the licence and the address to re-check it at.

For anyone citing these figures. The newsroom explains why this register exists and how to use it — including the rule that a bare count of states without a law should never be lifted without its confirmed-absent / not-found split.

Reusing any of this? One licence covers all of it — free to reuse, adapt and republish, including commercially, with attribution. No permission needed. Figures we quote from the IRS, SSA, BLS or a state agency belong to their publishers and should be cited to them, with the data year.

One demographic figure sits behind a great deal of retirement commentary: 10,000 boomers turning 65 every day. We traced it, and it holds — but the original carried a nineteen-year window that closes around 2030, and the expiry date is what repetition drops.

These are the numbers the rules set. For where a household actually stands against everyone else, the retirement savings percentile calculator ranks a balance within its age cohort, computed from Federal Reserve survey microdata.

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