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The rules for the 2018 tax year in the United States I expect will change significantly due to the passage of Public Law 115-97, the so-called "tax cuts and jobs act". There are some vague guides to how various provisions might affect me as a taxpayer, but specific information seems to be lacking (short of reading the 1000-page legislation). Since I am not a tax attorney, understanding 1000 pages of new tax code would be difficult for me.

Ideally, I would like to see the forms and instructions for the 2018 1040 ahead of time, so that I could compute for myself by reading the instructions filling in the form what has changed. That way I can plan ahead for making charitable contributions, limiting my income or taking other steps to manage my taxes.

Is there any way I can get the forms and instructions for 2018 right now so I can begin financial planning for the 2018 tax year?

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    Given that 2017 IRS forms and publications were being revised through January 2018, I'm not sure what to suggest other than reviewing any IRS issued guidance: irs.gov/newsroom/tax-reform
    – Morrison Chang
    Apr 9, 2018 at 16:23

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I realize it's probably silly to point this out but congress passed the law containing all the changes, not the IRS. The IRS isn't even a party to the process. With that in mind, the IRS really doesn't even know what's contained in that 1000-page law and will spend significant resources this year parsing it in to 2018 forms and instructions.

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The 2018 tax forms, which are expected to receive considerable changes based on the tax reform law, have not been developed yet, and a release date has not been announced.

Before the new 2018 tax forms are released, however, it is likely that early draft revisions of the new forms will be posted to the IRS Draft Forms page. Of course, anything posted there is subject to change, but if you are curious it will give you an idea of what to expect.

The IRS is currently in 2017 tax return season, and I wouldn’t expect much work on the 2018 forms until this season is over.

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The IRS has released 2018 estimated tax forms (1040-ES) and instructions, which contain considerable information about how the changes will affect your 2018 taxes.

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