{"id":159733,"date":"2026-02-18T12:43:06","date_gmt":"2026-02-18T12:43:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/159733\/"},"modified":"2026-02-18T12:43:06","modified_gmt":"2026-02-18T12:43:06","slug":"events-this-week-to-help-seniors-file-for-new-tax-deduction-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/159733\/","title":{"rendered":"Events this week to help seniors file for new tax deduction"},"content":{"rendered":"

TAMPA, Fla. \u2014Seniors across Florida could see meaningful tax savings this filing season thanks to a new deduction aimed at residents age 65 and older.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Officials say the change could translate into hundreds\u2014or even thousands\u2014of dollars back in taxpayers\u2019 pockets, but many eligible residents may not yet be aware of the benefit.<\/p>\n

What You Need To Know<\/p>\n

Anyone age 65+ is eligible for the new $6,000 tax deduction\u00a0
\n
The deduction could increase a seniors tax return from $700 to $1,500\u00a0
\n
The new senior tax deduction will be in place through the 2028 tax filing season<\/p>\n

The deduction is part of a broader push to repeal all income taxes on social security payments<\/p>\n

Under the new provision, taxpayers 65 and older can claim an additional $6,000 deduction when filing their federal returns with the Internal Revenue Service.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Depending on income and tax bracket, seniors who claim the deduction could see their refunds increase by roughly $700 to $1,500.<\/p>\n

Older adults make up more than 20%t of the state\u2019s population, meaning the combined value of additional deductions claimed by seniors statewide could exceed $29 billion, according to estimates shared by officials.<\/p>\n

To help residents understand how to claim the benefit, U.S. Representative Gus Bilirakis<\/a> is hosting a series of senior outreach fairs across the Tampa Bay region.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Bilirakis to Hold Local Senior Forums on Tax Changes, Community Resources, and Advances in Disease Research<\/a><\/p>\n

Spring Hill\u00a0–\u00a0February 18, 2026\u00a0–\u00a010:00 am\u00a0– Elks Lodge – 13383 County Line Road, Spring Hill, FL \u00a034609<\/p>\n

Citrus Springs\u00a0-February 18, 2026\u00a0–\u00a01:00 pm\u00a0– \u00a0Citrus Springs Community Springs – 1570 W. Citrus Springs Blvd. \u00a0Citrus Springs, FL \u00a034434<\/p>\n

New Port Richey\u00a0–\u00a0February 19, 2026\u00a0–\u00a09:00 am\u00a0– Kontos Event Center – 9426 Little Road, New Port Richey, FL \u00a034654<\/p>\n

Events scheduled this week take place in Pasco County, Citrus County, and Hernando County, where attendees can receive guidance on filing requirements, eligibility, and available assistance programs.<\/p>\n

Organizers say the events will also connect seniors with free tax-preparation services, offering an option for those who do not work with a private accountant or tax professional. Proper filing is essential to receiving the deduction, officials emphasize, as eligible taxpayers must claim the benefit when submitting their returns.<\/p>\n

Bilirakis said the effort is part of a broader push to increase financial relief for older Americans.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThis deduction will be up until 2028. I think we should make it permanent,\u201d Bilirakis said. \u201cMatter of fact I believe that no one should pay taxes on social security.\u201d<\/p>\n

There are no income or employment requirements tied to the new deduction; the primary eligibility condition is age.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Any taxpayer who is 65 or older and files a return can claim the additional deduction. Current provisions keep the benefit in place through 2028, giving seniors multiple filing years to take advantage of the savings.<\/p>\n

Local officials and community groups are encouraging eligible residents to verify the new deduction when preparing their taxes to ensure they do not miss the added benefit.\u00a0<\/p>\n

For more information on the Senior Fairs happening this week in Pasco, Hernando and Citrus Counties, visit here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"TAMPA, Fla. \u2014Seniors across Florida could see meaningful tax savings this filing season thanks to a new deduction…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":159654,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[15636,274,558,276,2635,2159,115,596,135,137,136,278,835],"class_list":{"0":"post-159733","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-tampa","8":"tag-app-money-tech","9":"tag-app-top-stories","10":"tag-business","11":"tag-hillsborough-county","12":"tag-jason-lanning","13":"tag-money","14":"tag-news","15":"tag-pinellas-county","16":"tag-tampa","17":"tag-tampa-headlines","18":"tag-tampa-news","19":"tag-top-stories","20":"tag-vod"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/159733","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=159733"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/159733\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/159654"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=159733"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=159733"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=159733"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}