QSBS Exclusion 2026: Founders Can Exclude $15 Million

If you're a startup founder who has held C-corp stock for five or more years, 2026 brought you some of the best news in tax law history. On July 4, 2025, President Trump signed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) into law, and one of its most founder-friendly provisions permanently raised the Section 1202 QSBS exclusion from $10 million to $15 million per taxpayer, per issuer. At the federal long-term capital gains rate of 23.8%, that's an extra $1.19 million in federal tax savings compared to the old limit.This isn't a small tweak. For founders, early employees, and angel investors holding qualifying stock, the expanded $15 million QSBS exclusion cap can mean the difference between walking away from an exit largely whole and handing nearly a quarter of your gains to the IRS. Understanding exactly how it works, who qualifies, and how to multiply the benefit across your family is worth every minute of your time.