Stop chasing dollars that already died.

IRC 25C and 25D are closed for property placed in service after Dec 31, 2025. A 2025 deposit does not save a 2026 install. If they say the IRS will send you a check, walk. A named state or utility rebate can still be real.

30D, 25E, and 45W are closed for vehicles acquired after Sept 30, 2025 unless you already had a binding contract and a payment by that date. No IRS time-of-sale report = no credit.

Dead since 2010. Bills in Congress are not money. Check your state housing finance agency for real local help.

SAVE was vacated March 10, 2026. The one-time wipeout was blocked by the Supreme Court. PSLF is still alive and free at StudentAid.gov. Anyone charging a fee to restore SAVE is selling a corpse.

Real 2025–2028 deductions, not a payroll holiday. Tips: up to $25,000, listed occupations, MAGI phaseout $150k/$300k. Overtime: the extra half only, cap $12,500 ($25,000 joint). Claimed on Schedule 1-A when you file.

No enacted 2026 recovery rebate. Unclaimed-property ads dressed up as stimulus are the usual swap. Search free at unclaimed.org.

Free at SSA.gov/extrahelp. 2026 income limits $23,940 / $32,460. A “Medicare rebate card” that charges shipping is not Extra Help.

Not the dead 25C tax credit. HOMES/HEAR are state-run. Your state may pay less, or nothing. If the ad does not name the state program, treat it as bait. energy.gov/cmei/scep/home-energy-rebates-program

Closed for property placed in service after June 30, 2026. That date has passed. Even when live, most suburban homes failed the census-tract test.

That was always a builder credit, and it is closed for homes acquired after June 30, 2026.

Applies to people who began work on or before Dec 31, 2025. Form 8850 is no longer in use.

$2,200 per qualifying child for 2026, ACTC up to $1,700. Ads promising a $3,000 monthly CTC are recycling 2021. This is a tax credit on your return, not a Treasury paycheck.

The extra ARPA/IRA savings ended Dec 31, 2025. The 400% FPL cliff is back. You will likely pay more in 2026 if you still qualify.

New vehicle, final assembly in the United States, loan after Dec 31, 2024. Leases and used cars: $0. Cap $10,000. MAGI phaseout $100k/$200k.

Not a rebate. Your money, if a state is holding it. Search free at unclaimed.org. Anyone who wants an upfront fee to “release your Treasury rebate” is the ghost.

2026 cap $2,560,000. A deduction, not a rebate. “This truck is free” is a ghost. SUV cap $32,000.