What Trump's New Tax Law Means for Upper-Middle-Class Families in 2025

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5 days ago

President Trump signed his 'One Big Beautiful Act' (OBBA) into law and Americans will see sweeping changes to their finances as a result. The final bill includes a senior bonus to help offset Social Security taxes, tax breaks for service industry employees, a bigger Child Tax Credit, but will also make Trump's Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (TCJA) permanent and cut funding for Medicaid and Medicare, per the Center for American Progress.
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While the bill has been touted as a way to offer financial relief to Americans, it doesn't exactly give much help. 'This thing is mostly smoke and mirrors for upper middle class families (that $117,000 to $150,000 range),' said finance expert Andrew Lokenauth with Be Fluent in Finance. 'You're not getting hammered, but you're not winning either.'
Here's what Trump's new tax law really means for the upper-middle class, according to tax and finance experts.
Increased Standard Deduction
The standard deduction is rising to $15,000 for single filers, an increase of $400 and $30,000 for married couples, which is an increase of $800 per the IRS.'This is a big win for families in this income bracket who don't itemize deductions,' said Peter Diamond, a federally licensed tax, accounting, real estate and structure and certified bankability expert.'Most upper middle class taxpayers don't exceed the itemization threshold, especially with the SALT (state and local taxes) cap still in place. The increased standard deduction gives them a bigger automatic write-off, reducing taxable income and simplifying filing,' he explained.However, according to Lokenauth, that change could cost some taxpayers more. 'If you're in that $120,000 to $150,000 income zone, especially with a mortgage, the loss of personal exemptions and caps on SALT means you're probably paying more now than you did before 2018,' he added.
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Expanded Child Tax Credit
The Child Tax Credit was a big talking point for Trump and Vice President Vance. The credit boosted from $2,000 per qualifying child to $2,220 beginning in 2026, per CNBC. Parents must earn $200,000 a year or less or joint filers up to $400,000. 'That means many families in the $117,000 to $150,000 range, who were previously phased out of this credit, now qualify again,' Diamond said. 'For a family with two children, that's up to $4,000 in tax credits, which directly reduces the tax bill dollar-for-dollar.'However, the new revisions are not as good as they seem, Lokenauth said.
'We got the credit — but the alternative minimum tax (AMT) and phaseouts on other things like education credits basically neutralized any real benefit,' he explained. 'The math got messier, not cleaner.'
SALT Deduction Cap Remains
While there are ways the upper middle class can get a small break, the State and Local Tax deduction cap will not offer relief, according to Diamond.
'The $10,000 cap remains, which hits high-tax states hard,' he said. 'Families in this income range often pay well over $10,000 in combined property and state income taxes, but they can only deduct up to that cap. While some benefits elsewhere may offset this, it's still a frustrating limitation for many.'
Mortgage Interest Deduction
Previously under the TCJA you could deduct mortgage interest up to $1 million in debt, but it's now been reduced to $750,000.
'For a lot of upper middle class buyers in expensive housing markets (California, D.C. suburbs, New York burbs), this wipes out a big deduction you probably relied on,' Lokenauth explained.'A friend who bought in Westchester with a $900K mortgage was shocked to learn that only a portion of his interest was deductible. He said it cost him over $3,000 in missed tax savings in his first year alone,' he added.
20% QBI Deduction Extended
The Qualified Business Income (QBI) deduction — allowing up to a 20% deduction on pass-through business income — has been extended.'This doesn't help W-2 earners, but for anyone in this income range with a side business, real estate rentals or 1099 income, it's a powerful tool. Structuring income the right way could significantly lower their taxable income,' Diamond said.Having an upper middle class income sounds great on paper, but it's not the comfortable salary needed to live after taxes and cost of living.'If you're making around $125,000, you're probably seeing some benefit from the current system — lower marginal rates, bigger standard deduction — but you're also losing more in deductions. Especially if you own a home or pay a lot in local taxes,' Lokenauth said.However, knowing the tax codes is beneficial and can work to your advantage, Diamond explained. 'The truth is, wage earners will always pay the most in taxes, while asset owners often pay the least. That's how the system is designed — but when you understand the code, you can use it to your advantage instead of being crushed by it,' he added.
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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: What Trump's New Tax Law Means for Upper-Middle-Class Families in 2025