What changed
What ended
The 30% credit on solar panels, solar water heaters, small wind, geothermal heat pumps, fuel cells, and home batteries (3 kWh and up).
The date that matters
Installed, not signed. The IRS says you claim it for the year the property is installed, not merely purchased, and nothing placed in service after Dec 31, 2025 qualifies. A 2025 deposit does not save a 2026 install.
What a 2026 ad still says
“30% back from the IRS if you sign this week,” “federal solar rebate,” “the government pays for your panels.” Any quote that subtracts a federal 30% from a 2026 install is pricing in money that does not exist.
What can still be real
A named state, city, or utility incentive, or net metering. If the ad cannot name the program, treat it as bait.
Questions people ask
Can I still claim the solar credit if I signed in 2025 but install in 2026?
Per the IRS, the credit is not available for property placed in service after Dec 31, 2025, and it is claimed for the year of installation. A signed contract alone does not keep it alive.
Does the IRS send a check for solar?
No. Even when 25D was live it was a nonrefundable credit on your return. It was never a check.
Got a specific ad or quote?
Paste it into the free checker. It returns Alive, Dead, or Changed with the IRS or DOE source, and says unknown when it can’t tell. If you want a person to read one ad against current law and write back with the statute, that’s the $9 sourced check.
Source
IRS: Residential Clean Energy Credit. Checked Oct 15, 2026.