What’s the main difference between a tax deduction and a tax credit?

The main difference between a tax deduction and a tax credit lies in how each impacts your tax liability. Deductions operate by reducing your taxable income. This means that when you claim a deduction, it decreases the amount of income that is subject to taxation, thereby lowering the overall amount of tax you owe based on your income level.

Conversely, tax credits provide a direct reduction in the amount of tax you owe. When you apply a tax credit, it reduces the tax liability dollar-for-dollar, which can provide a more significant immediate benefit in terms of reducing what you need to pay for that tax period.

Understanding this difference is important for tax planning because utilizing deductions can lower taxable income, while credits directly cut down on the actual tax bill, potentially leading to different strategies in how individuals or businesses approach tax filing and financial decisions.