Income tax is more involved than most people realize, and more of it changes from one year to the next than ever makes the news. This guide collects what a Colorado taxpayer needs to know for the 2026 tax year: what is new, what quietly changed, and the rules that apply to just about everybody, written in plain English by people who prepare returns for a living.
It is not a do-it-yourself manual and it is not the whole tax code. It is the part worth reading.
Contents
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What’s new8 topics
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IRS matters4 topics
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AI tax prep2 topics
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Individual tax11 topics
- Tax Code for High Earners
- Itemized Deductions vs. the Standard Deduction
- Personal Casualty and Theft Losses
- The Box 2 Bermuda Triangle
- The Earned Income Tax Credit
- New for 2025–2028: Deductions for Tips, Overtime, Seniors, and Car Loans
- Marketplace Health Insurance: Why 2026 Could Bring a Surprise Bill
- Charitable Giving: The Federal Rules
- Gambling and Sports Betting: Winnings, Losses and the W-2G
- Cancellation of Debt: When Forgiven Debt Is Income
- The Digital Asset Question on Every Return
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Retirement5 topics
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Real estate5 topics
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Family, education & estate9 topics
- Education Tax Credits
- Gift and Estate Taxes
- Summer Day Camp Counts: The Child and Dependent Care Credit
- When a Loved One Dies: Final Returns and Inherited IRAs
- The Child Tax Credit and the New Trump Accounts
- Who Counts as a Dependent
- The Kiddie Tax: When a Child’s Investment Income Is Taxed at the Parents’ Rate
- Household Employees: The Nanny Tax
- Education Beyond the Credits: 529s, Student Loans and Forgiveness
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Small business5 topics
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Colorado5 topics
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Tax law & planning3 topics
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Getting started3 topics
Articles open on the publisher’s site, where each one is kept up to date.
The printed edition arrives in January 2027.
A 48-page magazine you can read in the living room, with the same topics as this site, organized for tax season. Copies are free from the tax professionals and credit unions that sponsor an edition for their clients and members.
Tax practices and member organizations interested in sponsoring a custom-cover edition can write to 1040@taxshop.tax.