Illustration of the 2026 tip deduction — a server holding a tip tray with cash and receipts
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Tip Deduction 2026: Who Qualifies for the $25K Break?

Who qualifies for the new $25,000 federal tip deduction? The tip deduction 2026 is an above-the-line deduction for workers in customarily tipped jobs — waiters, bartenders, stylists, rideshare drivers and roughly 70 other IRS-listed occupations — worth up to $25,000 of qualified tips for tax years 2025 through 2028, subject to income phaseouts. For decades,…