50 Ways To Get Tax-Free Cash Or Benefits –And Leave The IRS Behind From everyday perks to little-known exemptions, here are 50 ways that the U.S. tax code lets you keep more of your money. From everyday perks to little-known exemptions, here are 50 ways that the U.S. tax code lets you keep more of your money.you’re still wrestling with your 2025 income tax return or have finished this time-consuming and annoying task, you might be feeling right now thatis taxable. Indeed, the tax code defines gross income very broadly as “all income from whatever source derived.”from current gross income as what it includes. Knowing what isn’t taxable could make you feel a tad better and in some cases help you reduce your tax burden, by, for example, angling to get more of your compensation in nontaxable benefits or rearranging your investments to make more of the income they produce tax free. Here are 50 examples of money you can receive without them counting as gross income. Some are little known, while others are so much a part of our everyday lives that you might take them for granted., employers spent an average of $26,993 to cover each worker with a family and the value of those premiums is generally not included in gross income, even though it may show up as a number on your Form W-2.Similar to health insurance, employer-paid long-term care coverage is generally excluded from income. Also great? Benefits may also not be taxable subject to certain limits.Employer-provided dependent care assistance is not taxable up to $5,000 per year , assuming you meet the requirements.—including tuition, fees, books and student loan repayment assistance–can be excluded from income. But be aware that coverage amounts over $50,000 are included in your taxable income, with the imputed income based on your age.If you receive tangible personal property—not cash or gift cards—for things like length of service or safety achievements, you may be able to exclude its value from income. If your employer provides access to a gym on the business premises for employees and their families, the value may be excluded. Off-site memberships? Usually taxable.Small perks that are too minor to track—like occasional snacks or limited personal use of a company phone—are consideredis Latin for "you're not getting a real gift." Okay, it really means "of minimum importance" or "trifling,” which, quite frankly, sounds worse. But if your employer provides you with something so small that it would be unreasonable to account for it, the value is not considered income, and it’s not taxable.Discounts on goods or services your employer sells in the normal course of business may be excluded, within limits. Qualified transportation benefits can be excluded from income. There’s a monthly cap, indexed for inflation. In 2026, it’s $340.A car provided for business use isn’t taxable. Warning: Once you mix business and personal use, some or all of the value of the car may be taxable, depending on the circumstances.Frequent flyer miles earned from travel are generally not taxed. However, miles received as compensation may be taxable.While this is a big dollar item, to be fair, this is more “not taxable yet” than “not taxable ever.” Contributions that you or your employer make to retirement plans are generally excluded from income now and taxed later when you take distributions. .In most cases, property you receive as a gift, bequest, or inheritance is not included in your taxable income. Assuming there is no business purpose or other non-donative intent, funds that you receive through personal fundraising campaigns are generally treated as gifts. That means you can offer your gratitude, but no services, products, or perks in return. You can generally exclude gain from the sale of your primary residence if you meet the ownership and use tests. A partial exclusion may still be available in certain situations.A rebate from a manufacturer or dealer isn’t income—it’s treated as a reduction in the purchase price, like a coupon. Depending on the item, that may affect your basis, but it doesn’t create taxable income.If you have a gain on a personal foreign currency transaction due to exchange rates, you generally don’t have to report it unless it exceeds $200. A child’s earned income, like wages, is generally taxed at their own rate, which means income below the filing threshold—theearned income + $450, up to a maximum of $15,000 for 2026–may not be taxable. .Forgiven debts usually count as income . But if your federal student loans are forgiven because you have worked for 10 years for a charity or government while making qualified student loan payments, the forgiven amount isn’t taxed.Provided the money is used for permitted educational purposes, the accumulated earnings in a 529 college savings account aren’t taxable when withdrawn.You may be able to exclude interest from certain U.S. savings bonds if they are used for qualified education expenses. One key rule: The bond owner must have been at least 24 years old when the bond was issued.The tax code allows university employees to exclude qualified undergraduate tuition reductions for employees, their spouses and their children. The tax benefit typically doesn’t extend to graduate school.If you’re eligible, contributions to your HSA, whether made by you, your employer, or even a family member, are not included in income. And distributions used for qualified medical expenses are tax-free. If you paid the premiums on an accident policy, the benefits you receive are generally not taxable. If your employer paid the premiums, that result may be different.Because contributions to Roth plans are made with after-tax dollars, qualified withdrawals are tax-free. You can also withdraw your original contributions to a Roth IRA at any time tax-free, but the earnings in the account are taxable and may be subject to a penalty, too, if they’re withdrawn before you’re 59½ or before the account has been open for five years.Used primarily by the rich, this is a way to raise cash without selling an appreciated asset and recognizing taxable capital gains. Assuming those assets are held until death, the appreciation is never taxed–a strategy known as “Buy, Borrow, Die.”Under section 1202 of the tax code, up to $10 million or $15 million of gains from the sale of Qualified Small Business Stock may be partially or fully excluded from income.Disability and education benefits paid under laws administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs are generally tax-exempt. Social Security Disability Insurance benefits are paid to workers who become disabled and meet work credit requirements. Even though it’s called “disability,” it’s technically part of Social Security insurance, and it’s taxed the same way as retirement benefits, meaning only sometimes.Supplemental Security Income is different–it’s a needs-based program for low-income elderly or disabled individuals. SSI benefits are never subject to federal income tax.Amounts received for job-related injuries or illnesses under a workers’ compensation statute are not taxable. But there is a twist. If you receive workers’ compensation and SSDI, your SSDI benefits may be reduced. But that reduced amount is still treated as Social Security benefits—and is partly taxable in line with the Social Security rules.Medicare is a federal health insurance program that mainly covers people based on age and specific health conditions. It is available to those aged 65 or older, regardless of income, as well as to some younger individuals with disabilities.Canceled debt is usually taxable. However, debts canceled in a bankruptcy, or those canceled to the extent you’re insolvent, aren’t taxable.Some reimbursements from your insurer—especially for medical expenses or property losses—may be excluded from income, depending on the circumstances.State and local tax refunds are not taxable, unless you originally received a federal tax benefit from deducting these state and local taxes .Nicknames for new, temporary deductions under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act President Trump signed last July have led some taxpayers to believe that there really is no tax on tips, no tax on overtime, and no tax on Social Security. To be clear, those things are still reportable and taxable. What has changed is that theythat reduce—and in some cases, eliminate—your taxable income.