Updated October 2026.
Short answer: no. The federal tax credit for wood and pellet stoves was part of the Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit (Internal Revenue Code section 25C). The IRS states that the credit "will not be allowed for any property placed in service after December 31, 2025." A wood stove installed in 2026 does not qualify for this federal credit, whoever sells it to you.
What the credit was
For stoves placed in service from 2023 through 2025, the credit was 30 percent of qualified costs. Biomass stoves and boilers had to have a thermal efficiency rating of at least 75 percent. The credit for them was capped at 2,000 dollars per year, a limit shared with qualified heat pumps and water heaters. It was claimed on IRS Form 5695, Part II.
The end date comes from the tax law signed on July 4, 2025 (Public Law 119-21). The IRS lists the credit's dates and rules on its Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit page, and explains the 2025 change in its FAQs on the 2025 law.
Why you may still see the credit advertised
Some stove websites still show banners from 2023 to 2025. If a listing promises a federal credit on a stove you will install in 2026, that promise is out of date, and you would find out at tax time. We would rather tell you now.
If your stove went in from 2023 to 2025
A stove placed in service in 2023, 2024 or 2025 was claimed on the return for the year it was placed in service, with Form 5695, and only if the stove, the installation and the home met all of the IRS conditions. The 75 percent efficiency rating is one of them; the IRS page lists the rest.
Several Buck stoves are listed below the 75 percent line: the 2026 Model 21 and 21ZC at 70 percent, and the previous-generation Model 74 and 74ZC at 73 percent and Model 81 at 69.8 percent.
What can still help with the cost in 2026
- State, county and utility programs. Some states, air-quality districts and utilities run wood stove change-out programs for replacing an old, uncertified stove with an EPA-certified one. These programs are local, change often and usually require the old stove to be taken out of service, so check with your state energy office or local air district before you buy.
- Burning less wood. A more efficient stove turns more of each load into heat. Buck lists its 2026 catalytic stoves at 77 to 80 percent efficiency.
Buck's 2026 wood heating stoves
The credit is gone, but the efficiency it rewarded still matters. Buck lists its 2026 wood heating stoves, from the Model 21 to the Model 91, at these efficiencies:
- Model 91: catalytic, 80 percent
- Model 81C: catalytic, 80 percent
- Model 74C and ZC74C: catalytic, 77 percent
- Model 21 and 21ZC: non-catalytic, 70 percent
If you are choosing between them, our Buck Stove sizing guide puts them side by side.
This article describes the federal credit as published by the IRS. It is not tax advice. Your own situation depends on your return, so confirm with a tax professional. Questions about the stoves themselves: call (708) 765-6925.
