How the "big, beautiful bill" affects your 2026 taxes
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Kansas Citians dodged a 2026 tax hike when Congress passed the One Big, Beautiful Bill Act, which locks in the 2017 projected tax cuts and adds temporary breaks, but the savings vary widely by county across the metro.
The big picture: The Tax Foundation pegs the average U.S. cut at $3,752 in 2026.
- Its estimates compare 2026 under the new law with a scenario in which the 2017 cuts would have expired, so taxpayers may not see much of a change.
How it works: Larger average tax cuts tend to show up where incomes and itemized deductions are higher or where more filers benefit from new provisions, including deductions for tips and overtime, a senior deduction and an expanded child care tax credit.
Zoom in: On the Kansas side, Johnson County filers are projected to receive an average cut of $5,344 in 2026. Wyandotte County filers are estimated to get an average cut $2,115.
- In Missouri, Platte County leads with an estimated average cut of $4,104. Cass County is projected at $3,240, Clay County at $3,138 and Jackson County at $3,039.
Reality check: The big bill also made some steep cuts to social spending on food benefits and Medicaid, but those mostly don't kick in until 2027 and 2028. For many lower-income Americans, those cuts will outweigh any benefits of these tax breaks.
The bottom line: In the KC area, projected 2026 tax cuts are largest in Johnson County and smallest in Wyandotte County, with the Missouri-side counties landing in between.