How to spot fake tax deduction calculators exploiting the new tax law under the One, Big, Beautiful Bill

FS-2026-09, March 2026

The IRS warns taxpayers annually about new and evolving scams, fraud, and misleading schemes designed to steal taxpayers’ money and personal information. With recent provisions under the One, Big, Beautiful Bill changing credits, deductions, and eligibility rules, some scammers may try to trick taxpayers by making false promises about eligibility for new or expanded tax credits and deductions. It’s always best to be cautious with your financial data, especially when using tax deduction calculators and software online. Use only official, trusted sources for tax calculations and information.

When using digital tools to estimate your return, keep these guidelines in mind:

• Trust the URL: Only use sites ending in .gov for official government resources. Be wary of misspellings like irsgov.com or irs-gov.org instead of IRS.gov.
• Expect estimates, not guaranteed calculations: Taxes are complex. A legitimate calculator provides an estimate. Any tool promising a guaranteed big payday is likely a phishing attempt to trick people into revealing their personal information, such as date of birth, Social Security number, or bank account information.
• Stick to the trusted sources: Use only the official IRS website or the sites of well-known, established tax software companies. Refer to One, Big, Beautiful Bill Provisions for information about new or expanded tax credits and deductions.
• Too good to be true: Be wary of calculators or websites that guarantee a big payday or an unusually large, unexpected refund. The results from legitimate calculators dep4end entirely on the accurate information taxpayers input, and they are reliable only if that data is correct.

What to do if you spot a fake or scam

• Do not engage: Do not reply, click on links, or open suspicious messages.
• Report it: Report suspected scams to the appropriate authorities:
  • Forward scam sites and emails to mailto:phishing@irs.gov.
  • File a complaint with the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration or the Federal Trade Commission. 

More information

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