Tax year 2026
The 2026 form, and everything the IRS has released for it.
The 2026 page 1 keeps its shape: the same identifying block, the same Parts I, II and III, the same line numbers — including the two payment lines the IRS added for 2025. Below are the official documents, the 2026 rate schedule, the changes worth knowing, and the deadlines that go with a calendar year ending December 31, 2026.
The 2026 form is still a draft. The IRS has posted it marked DRAFT — NOT FOR FILING, and the final approved version usually lands at the end of the year. Use this page to plan; file only the approved form.
The documents
Straight from irs.gov
- DraftForm 1041 (2026)irs.gov · PDFThe 2026 page 1 as the IRS has released it so far. Marked DRAFT — NOT FOR FILING.
- DraftSchedule I (Form 1041) 2026irs.gov · PDFAlternative minimum tax for estates and trusts, with the 2026 exemption figures.
- FinalForm 1041-ES (2026)irs.gov · PDFEstimated tax for tax year 2026, including the 2026 rate schedule used below.
- FinalForm 1041 (2025)irs.gov · PDFThe last approved page 1 — the facsimile on this site follows it line for line.
- FinalInstructions for Form 1041 (2025)irs.gov · PDFThe line-by-line instructions that accompany the approved form.
- ReferenceAbout Form 1041irs.govThe IRS landing page: current form, instructions, schedules and related publications.
What the 2026 tax costs
Estates and trusts get no standard deduction and no wide 10% band. The brackets below are compressed into their first sixteen thousand dollars, which is why a modest year of income can reach the top rate.
2026 tax rate schedule
Estates and trusts, applied to taxable income on line 23.
| Over | But not over | The tax is |
|---|---|---|
| $0 | $3,300 | 10% |
| $3,300 | $11,700 | $330.00 + 24% |
| $11,700 | $16,000 | $2,346.00 + 35% |
| $16,000 | no limit | $3,851.00 + 37% |
Source: 2026 Form 1041-ES · of the amount over the lower figure
What changed
- The payment block is unchanged
Both payment lines were added for 2025, not for 2026. Line 25b — the first instalment of a section 1062 net tax liability, taken from Form 1062 — is already on the approved 2025 page.
Section 1062 came from P.L. 119-21 and lets the tax on gain from selling qualified farmland to qualified farmers be paid in four annual instalments. The 2025 instructions added page 1 line 25b and Schedule G, Part II, line 18c to report it, and lines 28 and 29 compare payments against lines 24, 25a, 25b and 27. The 2026 draft carries both lines unchanged, and almost every estate and trust leaves them blank.
- The brackets move up
The compressed rate schedule is indexed each year, so the 37% band begins a little higher than it did for 2025.
For 2026 the top rate starts at $16,000 of taxable income, and the 35% band at $11,700. The exact figures are printed in the 2026 Form 1041-ES and reproduced on this page.
- Page 1 otherwise holds its shape
Same three parts, same line numbers, same Item A through G block at the top. Nothing was renumbered.
That is why the 2025 facsimile and the whole line-by-line walkthrough on this site still map onto the 2026 page: lines 1 through 30e sit where they sat, payment block included, and nothing was renumbered.
- Alternative minimum tax figures
The draft Schedule I carries the 2026 AMT exemption and the point at which it disappears.
The 2026 draft uses $31,400 as the exemption and $167,600 as the level at which it is fully phased out. Below $31,400 of alternative minimum taxable income, no alternative minimum tax is due.
The 2026 calendar
April 15, 2027
The 2026 return is due
For an estate or trust on a calendar year. A fiscal-year entity files on the 15th day of the fourth month after its year ends.
September 30, 2027
Extended due date
A Form 7004 request adds five and a half months. It moves the filing date, never the payment date.
April 15 · June 15 · September 15, 2026
First three estimated instalments
For tax year 2026, paid with Form 1041-ES.
January 15, 2027
Fourth estimated instalment
The last quarterly payment for the 2026 tax year.
The 2026 page, line by line
Full explanationsEvery line on the 2026 page, named in plain words. Items A through G at the top are unchanged: type of entity, name and EIN, date created, the charitable-boxes line, return status, and the section 645 election.
Part I · Income
- Line 1Interest the estate or trust earned
- Line 2aDividends received
- Line 2bThe part of the dividends taxed at lower rates
- Line 3Profit from a business the estate or trust runs
- Line 4Gains from selling investments or property
- Line 5Rent, royalties and income from other entities
- Line 6Farm income
- Line 7Gains taxed like ordinary income
- Line 8Anything that does not fit above
- Line 9Everything the entity earned this year
Part II · Deductions
- Line 10Interest the entity paid
- Line 11State and local taxes on the entity
- Line 12Trustee and executor fees
- Line 13Gifts to charity
- Line 14Legal, accounting and tax preparation bills
- Line 15aOther costs of administering the estate or trust
- Line 15bA loss carried in from an earlier year
- Line 16What it cost to run the estate or trust
- Line 17Income after costs
- Line 18Income paid out to beneficiaries
- Line 19Relief for estate tax already paid on the same dollars
- Line 20The special deduction for business income
- Line 21The small fixed allowance that replaces a standard deduction
- Line 22Everything deducted against the entity’s own income
- Line 23What the estate or trust is actually taxed on
Tax & payments
- Line 24The tax on the taxable income, plus any extras
- Lines 25a–25bDeferred tax payment lines
- Line 26Everything already paid during the year
- Line 27Charge for paying too little during the year
- Line 28What you still owe
- Line 29What was overpaid
- Line 30a–30bWhere the overpayment goes