What are the 2025 additional standard deduction amounts for seniors and the blind?
Executive summary
For tax year 2025, the plain extra standard deduction for being age 65 or older or blind is $2,000 for single filers/head of household and $1,600 for each qualifying spouse in married filings; blindness doubles the per‑person extra so a single blind taxpayer could add $2,000 for blindness plus $2,000 for age if both apply (sources reporting these numbers include Kiplinger, Jackson Hewitt and IRS guidance) [1] [2] [3]. Separate from that long‑standing extra amount, several sources report a new, temporary “senior bonus” deduction (effective 2025–2028) of up to $6,000 per qualifying individual that stacks on top of the ordinary additional standard deduction but phases out by income (reported by multiple advisory outlets) [4] [5] [6].
1. What the statute keeps — the classic “additional” amounts
The IRS has long allowed taxpayers who are age 65 or older or who are blind to add an extra amount to the basic standard deduction; for 2025 that extra is being reported as $2,000 for single filers or heads of household and $1,600 for each qualifying individual in married filing statuses, and blindness entitles the taxpayer to the same additional amount (so the amounts add together if someone is both 65+ and blind) [1] [2] [3].
2. What changed in 2025 — the temporary senior bonus layered on top
Multiple tax outlets and preparer sites describe a separate, temporary “senior bonus” created by 2025 legislation that provides up to an additional $6,000 for qualifying individuals age 65+ (or $12,000 for married couples if both qualify). That bonus is distinct from the classic extra standard deduction and is reported as subject to income phaseouts and to be effective only through 2028 [5] [6] [7].
3. How the two deductions interact in practice
Authors at Kiplinger and other preparers explain that taxpayers can claim the ordinary additional deduction (age/blindness) and also claim the new senior bonus when eligible, so the total extra reduction can be substantially larger in 2025 than prior years — e.g., a single 65+ filer could add $2,000 (classic ASD) plus up to $6,000 (bonus) where the bonus is available, on top of the base standard deduction [1] [6] [8].
4. Income limits, phaseouts and complexity — the important caveats
Coverage about the bonus repeatedly notes phaseouts by modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) and some preparers flag complicated eligibility tests; sources warn the $6,000 bonus is not automatic for all seniors and may be reduced or lost at higher MAGI levels [5] [6] [7]. The classic additional amounts for age or blindness are not phased out by income in the same way and remain available when you meet the age/blindness test [3].
5. Filing mechanics and doubled amounts for blindness or two spouses
IRS guidance clarifies that the standard deduction you report is the base standard deduction plus any additional amounts for age and/or blindness; when both spouses qualify, each gets the per‑person add‑on and blindness or age can be claimed separately for each spouse (the practical effect is the per‑person extra is doubled for two qualifying spouses) [3] [1].
6. Where reporting differs and why readers should verify
Media and tax‑prep sites converge on the $2,000/$1,600 figures for 2025 but differ in presentation and in emphasis on the bonus deduction; some outlets combine the totals into headline “total standard deduction” examples that assume the bonus applies, which can give the impression the higher totals are universal when they are conditional on MAGI and other rules [9] [4] [10]. Readers must distinguish the stable, IRS‑defined additional amount (age/blindness) from the new, temporary bonus reported by advisors.
7. What the IRS sources say and what they don’t
The IRS topics and publications explain the additional deduction for age and blindness and how to determine who is “65” or “blind” for tax purposes, but the IRS snippets in the provided set do not include a direct table showing the 2025 dollar amounts for the additional standard deduction; instead those dollar figures are being reported by tax outlets and preparers that cite the law and IRS instructions [3] [1] [2]. Available sources do not mention a single IRS page in this set that explicitly prints the $2,000/$1,600 values as a standalone IRS announcement (not found in current reporting).
8. Practical takeaway for taxpayers
If you are 65 or older or blind, plan on adding the ordinary additional standard deduction — reported as $2,000 for single/HOH and $1,600 per spouse for married returns in 2025 — and then check whether you qualify for the temporary senior bonus (up to $6,000) that may further reduce taxable income but phases out by MAGI; consult the official IRS forms/instructions or a tax preparer to determine your exact entitlement and how the phaseout affects your return [1] [5] [6].
Limitations: This summary relies on IRS topic guidance and reporting from tax publications and preparers in the provided set; some outlets combine or extrapolate totals that assume the bonus deduction applies, and the explicit IRS‑published table for 2025 additional amounts is not present among the supplied IRS snippets [3] [1].