Calendar dates are known today. SSA and CMS have published 2028 estimates, while most indexed tax and retirement amounts await final releases. Each guide identifies its own sources, assumptions and next review date.
Choose your 2028 guide
Explore illustrative 2028 federal tax brackets for all four filing statuses, with confirmed 2026 baselines, worked tax examples and a direct 2027 guide.
Read the 2028 guide →Illustrative 2028 standard deductions by filing status, age and blindness, with confirmed baselines and a separate explanation of the senior deduction.
Read the 2028 guide →Plan 2028 401(k) contributions with clearly labeled deferral and catch-up scenarios, confirmed 2026 baselines and paycheck examples.
Read the 2028 guide →Illustrative 2028 Roth IRA contribution limits and MAGI phaseouts, confirmed baselines, reduced-contribution examples and eligibility cautions.
Read the 2028 guide →2028 capital gains planning with current-law 0%, 15% and 20% rates, illustrative income thresholds, gain-stacking examples and NIIT distinctions.
Read the 2028 guide →Illustrative 2028 estate and gift exclusions from confirmed 2026 baselines, with gift-reporting examples, portability and state-tax distinctions.
Read the 2028 guide →2028 HSA and HDHP planning scenarios based on confirmed 2027 IRS limits, with age-55 catch-ups, employer contributions and eligibility examples.
Read the 2028 guide →2028 payroll planning using statutory FICA rates and SSA’s $198,900 wage-base estimate, with employee tax examples and Additional Medicare distinctions.
Read the 2028 guide →SSA estimates for 2028 Social Security payments, wage base and earnings tests, with clear COLA timing, benefit examples and retirement-age context.
Read the 2028 guide →CMS estimates for 2028 Part B premiums, Part A/B deductibles and Part D costs, with budgeting examples and the 2026 income lookback for IRMAA.
Read the 2028 guide →All 11 federal holidays for 2028, including New Year’s observance in December 2027, Veterans Day on Friday November 10, and CSV/ICS downloads.
Read the 2028 guide →All 2028 biweekly Friday pay dates: 26 in each common schedule, three-paycheck months, payroll-policy notes and downloadable CSV/ICS calendars.
Read the 2028 guide →Plan 2028 weekly, biweekly and semimonthly payroll, including the leap day, both Friday schedules, holiday distinctions and a printable calendar.
Read the 2028 guide →Know what each number represents
| Topics | Status today | Next useful milestone |
|---|---|---|
| Tax brackets, deduction, capital gains, estate/gift | Confirmed current-law rules; illustrative dollar scenarios | Confirmed 2027 baselines in autumn 2026; final 2028 figures usually autumn 2027 |
| 401(k) and Roth IRA | Illustrative contribution and income scenarios | IRS retirement releases in autumn 2026 and autumn 2027 |
| HSA | 2028 scenarios from confirmed 2027 amounts | 2028 IRS HSA release usually spring 2027 |
| Social Security and FICA wage base | SSA intermediate assumptions for 2028 | Trustees update and October 2027 announcement |
| Medicare | CMS Trustees estimates for 2028 | Trustees update and final 2028 premium notices in 2027 |
| Holidays and payroll calendars | Published observances and exact civil-calendar arithmetic | Employer and payment-provider policy confirmation |
An estimate published by an agency still differs from a final amount. Our 3% scenarios are independent editorial planning assumptions, not IRS estimates. We will replace provisional figures and their labels together on these same URLs when final publications arrive.
Choose the year that matches your decision
A federal income-tax return filed in 2028 generally reports 2027 income. The 2028 tax-year guides generally concern returns filed in 2029. Retirement contribution years, Social Security payment years and Medicare coverage years have their own timing; the year in a page title should match the decision you are making.
For example, a person preparing a 2027 return during spring 2028 needs the 2027 deduction and bracket guides. A person estimating 2028 wages can explore a clearly labeled 2028 scenario, then update the plan when the final IRS release is available. Neither situation makes a projection an authorized filing amount.
Plan around the leap year and the year boundary
The two common Friday biweekly schedules begin January 7 and January 14, 2028. Both contain 26 dates. Schedule A has three dates in March and September; Schedule B has three in June and December. February has 29 days, which matters for last-day-of-month payroll.
New Year’s Day 2028 falls on Saturday and is observed by most federal employees on Friday, December 31, 2027. The holiday-year guide includes that prior-year observance and distinguishes federal-office closures from Federal Reserve schedules. Download the CSV, ICS and printable references from any of the three calendar guides.
Method, assumptions and release timing
Financial scenarios compound 3% annually from the latest confirmed baseline, with stated rounding and statutory relationships. Agency estimates are kept separate. Calendar tables use published OPM observances and unadjusted payroll anchors.
Review autumn 2026 baseline releases; most final 2028 IRS, SSA and Medicare amounts are expected during 2027.
Primary sources: 2026 tax baselines — Rev. Proc. 2025-32 · 2026 retirement baselines — Notice 2025-67 · Confirmed 2027 HSA and HDHP limits — Rev. Proc. 2026-24 · 2026 Trustees Report, Table V.C1 — intermediate assumptions · 2026 Medicare Trustees Report, Tables V.E1–V.E3 · Published 2028 federal holiday schedule · 2026–2030 Federal Reserve holiday schedules
Frequently asked questions
Are all the 2028 figures official?
No. Calendar dates and enacted rules are confirmed; SSA and CMS figures are labeled agency estimates. Pending indexed tax and retirement amounts use clearly labeled illustrative planning scenarios.
Should I use 2027 or 2028 for a return filed in 2028?
A return filed in 2028 generally reports 2027 income. Use the 2027 guide for that tax year. The 2028 tax-year guides generally concern returns filed in 2029.
When will these pages be updated?
The editorial owner reviews autumn 2026 baseline releases, then quarterly and around relevant 2027 agency announcements. Each guide publishes its own verification date and next review deadline.