2027 Tax Changes: What Is Already Set and What Is Still Coming

Most of the big tax news for 2027 already happened. The 2025 tax law, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), made the current brackets, the 20% QBI deduction and 100% bonus depreciation permanent. So 2027 is not a cliff year. It is a year of a few scheduled changes and the usual inflation updates.

What is already set for 2027

These numbers and rules are fixed by law or already published by the IRS.

Opportunity Zones 2.0 starts January 1

This is the biggest 2027 change for investors with large capital gains. Under the new permanent program, a gain you invest in a Qualified Opportunity Fund after December 31, 2026 is deferred for up to five years from the date you invest. After five years you get a 10% basis step-up, or 30% if the fund is a qualified rural fund. Hold the fund for 10 years and the growth on it is tax-free, capped at 30 years.

The zone map changes too. New zones take effect January 1, 2027, and the current map stays in place through 2028.

The original program also has a bill coming due. Gains deferred into a fund before 2027 are taxed on December 31, 2026, and you report them on the return due April 15, 2027. We break that down, with examples, in the Opportunity Zone tax bill due in April 2027. For the rules themselves, see the Opportunity Zones guide.

The SALT cap keeps climbing, slowly

The 2025 law set the state and local tax cap at $40,000 for 2025 and $40,400 for 2026, then raises it by 1% a year through 2029. For 2027 that is $40,804. The cap shrinks by 30% of your modified adjusted gross income above $510,050, and it never falls below $10,000. In 2030 it goes back to $10,000 for everyone.

If your income is well above the phase-out, you are back at the $10,000 floor. For business owners in that spot, a pass-through entity tax election is still the main workaround.

HSA limits are already out

The IRS publishes HSA limits in the spring, so these are final. For 2027 you can put $4,500 into an HSA with self-only coverage and $9,000 with family coverage. The catch-up at 55 stays at $1,000. To contribute, your health plan needs a deductible of at least $1,750 (self-only) or $3,500 (family). The HSA strategy guide covers why this is the one account with three tax breaks.

What carries into 2027 unchanged

These rules are now permanent, so you can plan around them for 2027 and beyond:

• Tax rates stay at 10%, 12%, 22%, 24%, 32%, 35% and 37%. Only the bracket edges move with inflation.
• The 20% QBI deduction for pass-through business owners is permanent, with the wider phase-in range. See the QBI guide.
• 100% bonus depreciation applies to property acquired after January 19, 2025. See bonus depreciation and cost segregation.
• The estate and gift exemption is $15 million per person for 2026 and is indexed for inflation starting in 2027.
• The charitable rules that began in 2026 continue: itemizers deduct only gifts above 0.5% of AGI, the 37% bracket gets at most a 35% benefit on itemized deductions, and non-itemizers can deduct up to $1,000 ($2,000 joint) of cash gifts to public charities.
• Dependent care FSAs stay at $7,500 per household.

Temporary deductions that still run in 2027

Four deductions from the 2025 law apply to tax years 2025 through 2028, so 2027 is the third of four years:

Most people reading this earn above these phase-outs, so these deductions help them less than the permanent rules above.

The Saver's Match begins

Starting with the 2027 tax year, the Saver's Match replaces the Saver's Credit. The federal government deposits up to $1,000 a year (50% of the first $2,000 saved) into the retirement account of a lower-income saver. It phases out between $20,500 and $35,500 of income for single filers and $41,000 to $71,000 for joint filers. It will not apply to most high earners, but it matters for adult children and employees you may be helping.

What the IRS has not set yet

These 2027 numbers depend on inflation and are not published yet. Treat anything you see for them before the IRS release as a projection.

Projections give a sense of size. Bloomberg Tax projects a 2027 standard deduction of about $16,600 single and $33,200 joint. Social Security's trustees project a 2027 wage base of about $190,200. Forecasters expect the 401(k) employee limit to rise by $500 to $1,000. We will update this page when the official numbers come out.

What to do with this now

1. If you invested in an Opportunity Zone fund before 2027, plan the cash for the April 2027 bill now. The tax is due even though you have not sold anything. Check your estimated tax safe harbor before January 15, 2027.
2. If you have a large gain coming, look at the new OZ rules before you sell. A gain invested after December 31, 2026 gets the new five-year deferral and step-up.
3. Use 2026 limits before they reset. 401(k) deferrals have to come out of 2026 paychecks by December 31. HSA and IRA contributions for 2026 can still be made until April 15, 2027. Our list of year-end tax moves to make before 2027 goes through each deadline.
4. Set your 2027 HSA and dependent care elections during open enrollment. HSA payroll elections can use the new $4,500 / $9,000 limits.
5. Don't build a 2027 plan on projected brackets. Use the 2026 brackets for estimates and redo them when the IRS publishes 2027.

For the full 2026 picture these changes build on, read 2026 tax changes you need to know or browse the tax strategy library.

Sources

• IRS Rev. Proc. 2026-24 (2027 HSA and HDHP amounts)
• IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32 (2026 inflation adjustments)
• IRS Notice 2025-67 (2026 retirement plan limits)
• Internal Revenue Code sections 164(b)(7) (SALT cap) and 1400Z-1 / 1400Z-2 (Opportunity Zones), as amended by Public Law 119-21 (the One Big Beautiful Bill Act)
• SECURE 2.0 Act section 103 (Saver's Match)
• Bloomberg Tax 2027 projections; 2026 Social Security Trustees Report (projections only)