2024 AMT Exemption
For 2024, the AMT Exemption is $133,300 (Exemption, joint returns or surviving spouses), $85,700 (Exemption, unmarried individuals), $66,650 (Exemption, married individuals filing separate returns) and 2 more figures below.
| Item | Joint returns or surviving spouses | Unmarried individuals | Married individuals filing separate returns | Estates and trusts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exemption | $133,300 | $85,700 | $66,650 | $29,900 |
| Exemption phaseout threshold | $1,218,700 | - | - | - |
A dash is a figure this site has not published for that row, not an amount of zero.
Effective 2024-01-01Source: Rev. Proc. 2023-34 (IRS)Verified 2026-08-29
Compared with 2023
| Item | 2023 | 2024 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exemption, joint returns or surviving spouses | $126,500 | $133,300 | +$6,800 (+5.4%) |
| Exemption, unmarried individuals | $81,300 | $85,700 | +$4,400 (+5.4%) |
| Exemption, married individuals filing separate returns | $63,250 | $66,650 | +$3,400 (+5.4%) |
| Exemption, estates and trusts | $28,400 | $29,900 | +$1,500 (+5.3%) |
| Exemption phaseout threshold, joint returns or surviving spouses | $1,156,300 | $1,218,700 | +$62,400 (+5.4%) |
Who it applies to
All taxpayers who are subject to the alternative minimum tax, including individuals, married couples, and estates and trusts.
What changed this year, and why
For taxable years beginning in 2024, the IRS has increased the alternative minimum tax (AMT) exemption amounts and phaseout thresholds to reflect inflation adjustments under Internal Revenue Code section 55.
Common questions
- What does the AMT exemption do?
- The AMT exemption reduces the amount of alternative minimum taxable income that is shielded from the AMT. It is one component of the AMT calculation under Internal Revenue Code section 55. The exemption phases out for taxpayers with alternative minimum taxable income above certain thresholds.
- What is the phaseout threshold for joint filers?
- The exemption begins to phase out when alternative minimum taxable income exceeds $1,218,700 for joint returns or surviving spouses. The exemption is reduced dollar for dollar above this threshold until it reaches zero.
- How does the 2024 exemption compare to 2023?
- The exemption amount for 2024 is higher than the 2023 amount for every filing status. For joint returns or surviving spouses, the 2023 exemption was $126,500 and the 2024 exemption is $133,300.
Every amount on this page is a published figure rather than yours. The AMT exemption phase-out headroom takes the number you enter and works it out against them, showing which published figure it used.
What the alternative minimum tax actually is
The alternative minimum tax (AMT) is a parallel tax system that runs alongside the regular income tax. It targets taxpayers who benefit from tax preferences - such as favorable income treatment or special deductions - that would otherwise allow them to pay little or no regular tax despite having high economic income. The AMT imposes a floor on these benefits, ensuring that anyone with substantial income pays at least a minimum level of tax. You calculate your AMT on Form 6251 and pay it only to the extent it exceeds your regular tax liability. The tax is reported and paid with your annual return.
The AMT is a separate tax that is imposed in addition to your regular tax. It applies to taxpayers who have certain types of income that receive favorable treatment, or who qualify for certain deductions, under the tax law.
Instructions for Form 6251 (2024), Alternative Minimum Tax - Individuals (IRS)
When you have to file Form 6251
You must attach Form 6251 to your tax return if any one of four conditions applies. First, you file if the tentative AMT on line 7 exceeds the credit limit on line 10, meaning you actually owe additional tax. Second, you must file if you claim any general business credit and either Part I line 6 or line 25 of Form 3800 is more than zero. Third, filing is required if you claim the qualified electric vehicle credit, the personal-use portion of the alternative fuel vehicle refueling property credit, or the prior-year minimum tax credit. Fourth, you must attach the form when the combined total of lines 2c through 3 is negative and line 7 would exceed line 10 without taking those negative amounts into account. Even if you ultimately owe no AMT, meeting any of these tests means the form must accompany your return.
Attach Form 6251 to your return if any of the following statements are true. 1. Form 6251, line 7, is greater than line 10. 2. You claim any general business credit, and either line 6 (in Part I) of Form 3800 or line 25 of Form 3800 is more than zero. 3. You claim the qualified electric vehicle credit (Form 8834), the personal-use part of the alternative fuel vehicle refueling property credit (Form 8911), or the credit for prior year minimum tax (Form 8801). 4. The total of Form 6251, lines 2c through 3, is negative and line 7 would be greater than line 10 if you didn’t take into account lines 2c through 3.
Instructions for Form 6251 (2024), Alternative Minimum Tax - Individuals (IRS)
How the exemption is taken away as income rises
The AMT exemption phases out as alternative minimum taxable income (AMTI) rises above a threshold. For 2024, the phaseout begins at $1,218,700 for married filing jointly or qualifying surviving spouse. Once AMTI exceeds that level, the exemption is reduced by multiplying the excess by a percentage rate shown on the exemption worksheet. If your AMTI reaches certain high levels - $952,150 for single or head of household, $1,751,900 for joint or surviving spouse, or $875,950 for married filing separately - the exemption is reduced to zero and you cannot claim any exclusion. The worksheet walks through the calculation: you enter the base exemption amount for your filing status, subtract the phaseout threshold from your AMTI, apply the reduction rate, and subtract the result from your base exemption. If the result is zero or less, your exemption is zero.
Note. If Form 6251, line 4, is equal to or more than $952,150 if single or head of household, $1,751,900 if married filing jointly or qualifying surviving spouse, or $875,950 if married filing separately, your exemption is zero.
Instructions for Form 6251 (2024), Alternative Minimum Tax - Individuals (IRS)
The two AMT rates and where the second one starts
For 2024, non-corporate taxpayers pay AMT at one of two rates. The lower rate of 26% applies to the first $232,600 of taxable excess (the amount on line 6), or $116,300 if married filing separately. Once taxable excess exceeds that bracket threshold, the rate jumps to 28% on the additional amount. To compute the tax in the higher bracket, you multiply the full line 6 amount by 28% and then subtract a fixed dollar amount - $4,652 for most filers, or $2,326 if married filing separately - from the result. That subtraction is the mathematical equivalent of applying 26% to the first slice and 28% only to the excess above it.
All other Form 1040-NR filers, don’t complete Part III. Instead, if Form 6251, line 6, is $232,600 or less ($116,300 or less if married filing separately), figure the amount to enter on line 7 by multiplying line 6 by 26% (0.26). Otherwise, figure the amount to enter on line 7 by multiplying line 6 by 28% (0.28) and subtracting $4,652 ($2,326 if married filing separately) from the result.
Instructions for Form 6251 (2024), Alternative Minimum Tax - Individuals (IRS)
How each figure was verified
Each number below was read from a stored copy of the document named beside it, and checked to occur word for word in the quoted sentence. The digest is of that stored text.
Rev. Proc. 2023-34 (IRS)
- Exemption, joint returns or surviving spouses
Joint Returns or Surviving Spouses $133,300
- Exemption, unmarried individuals
Unmarried Individuals (other than Surviving Spouses) $85,700
- Exemption, married individuals filing separate returns
Married Individuals Filing Separate Returns $66,650
- Exemption, estates and trusts
Estates and Trusts $29,900
- Exemption phaseout threshold, joint returns or surviving spouses
For taxable years beginning in 2024, the amounts used under § 55(d)(2) to determine the phaseout of the exemption amounts are: Threshold Phaseout Amount Complete Phaseout Amount Joint Returns or Surviving Spouses $1,218,700 $1,751,900