Watching Your Wallet: Changes for 2026 tax filing season

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- The 2026 tax filing season features significant changes -- that could mean more money in your pocket.

Experts warn the biggest mistake you can make this year is short-cutting the process.

"There are literally hundreds or thousands of dollars that if you make a mistake, you leave off," says Mark Steber with Jackson Hewitt.

From new individual tax deductions and child/family credits to retirement and investment changes, Steber says it's critically important to keep up with your documents.

He says once you've gathered your documents, find someone who knows tax laws and file early.

"There's no good reason to wait until later unless you absolutely have to," Steber said. "Do it early so you're not scrambling at midnight on the 15th just to get it done, and you make a mistake and delay your refund or worse, you leave something off and you never get the amount of money you're due."

The standard deduction is larger this year, depending on your filing status and age.

"Standard deduction is up," Steber said. "Child credit is up. The refundable portion of the child credit is up. Tax rates have leveled out a little bit, so there's a lot of statutory changes, then there's the tax law changes."

Steber adds that life changes drive an even bigger impact on your return.

"The list goes on and on, and all have tax impact," he said. "Some good, some you need to do carefully, but all of them can cost you money if you do them wrong."

He went on to say it's important to beware of scams.

Stay vigilant when it comes to tax prep offers. If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

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