Internal Revenue Service (IRS) · United States (federal)
Form 5695: Residential Energy Credits
Current revision: Tax year 2025 (checked on irs.gov, Oct 28, 2026)
Fill in IRS Form 5695 for solar and home energy credits. The credits ended for spending after 2025; on 2026 returns it is mainly for clean energy carryforwards.
Filling needs no account. Downloading, printing or sending the completed form needs a free account — 3 downloads a month, no watermark.
Page reviewed
Form
5695
- Issued by
- Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
- Applies in
- United States (federal)
- Edition
- Tax year 2025
Official source
PDFBetter is not affiliated with, endorsed by or acting for Internal Revenue Service (IRS). We open the form from irs.gov, and you fill it in our editor. Check the issuer's instructions before you file.
What it is
What Form 5695 is for
Form 5695 claims the residential clean energy credit (solar, wind, geothermal, battery storage, fuel cells) and the energy efficient home improvement credit. The 2025 instructions say neither credit is available for expenditures made after December 31, 2025 (and, for home improvements, property placed in service after that date). The PDF on irs.gov is the 2025 edition. The 2026 draft instructions are retitled “Carryforward of Residential Energy Credit”: on a 2026 return you can only claim an unused residential clean energy credit carried forward from earlier years.
Form 5695 deadlines, 2027 filing season
File 2026 return (with Form 5695 for any carryforward) Source: irs.gov
Extended 2026 return with Form 5695 Source: irs.gov
Dates already move past weekends and DC holidays, as the IRS rule says. Checked against irs.gov on October 28, 2026. See the full 2027 tax calendar.
Fill it here
From irs.gov to your filled copy
- 1
Fetched from irs.gov
The agency's own, current PDF — not a retyped copy.
- 2
Opens in the editor
Fillable fields work as they are; on a flat page you type with text boxes.
- 3
Your filled copy
Download, print, sign or send it — the original stays untouched.
Who files it
- Homeowners who installed solar panels, solar water heating, small wind, geothermal heat pumps or battery storage by the end of 2025
- People who made qualifying energy efficiency improvements to their main home in 2025
- Anyone with an unused residential clean energy credit to carry forward
- Condominium or cooperative owners with a share of qualifying association costs
What you need
- Receipts and installation-completion dates for each item
- Qualified manufacturer identification numbers (QMIDs) for specified property placed in service in 2025
- Any utility subsidies received (they reduce your cost)
- Last year's Form 5695, line 16, for a carryforward
- Home energy audit report, if you claim one
Line by line
How to fill out Form 5695
- 1
Lines 1–6 — clean energy property
Enter costs for solar electric, solar water heating, small wind, geothermal heat pump and qualifying battery storage property. Line 6b applies the 30% rate.
- 2
Lines 7–11 — fuel cells
Fuel cell property must be installed in your main home. The credit is 30% of cost, limited by the kilowatt capacity on line 10.
- 3
Lines 12–16 — carryforward and limit
Add last year's carryforward on line 12, apply the tax-liability limit on line 14, and enter the credit on Schedule 3 (Form 1040), line 5a. Line 16 is the amount you carry forward.
- 4
Lines 17–26 — home improvements
Answer the main-home questions, then enter insulation, doors, windows, central air, water heaters, furnaces, panelboards and energy audits, with the QMID for each specified item where the line asks for it.
- 5
Lines 27–32 — annual limits
Line 28 caps most improvements at $1,200; heat pumps, heat pump water heaters and biomass stoves and boilers on line 29 have a separate $2,000 limit. Line 32 goes to Schedule 3 (Form 1040), line 5b.
Common Form 5695 mistakes
- Claiming either credit for spending after December 31, 2025, when the 2025 instructions say they ended.
- Leaving out the QMID for specified home improvement property placed in service in 2025.
- Not reducing the cost by a utility subsidy that wasn't included in income.
- Claiming the home improvement credit for a home under construction or a home that isn't your main home.
- Forgetting to file Form 5695 to carry an unused clean energy credit forward.
Where to send it
Attach Form 5695 to your Form 1040, 1040-SR or 1040-NR. A 2026 return claiming a carryforward is due April 15, 2027 (October 15, 2027 with an extension). Paper return addresses: https://www.irs.gov/filing/where-to-file-paper-tax-returns-with-or-without-a-payment. A paper return needs a handwritten signature.
Filing rules change. Confirm the address or portal on irs.gov before you send.
Form 5695: questions people ask
Which year is this Form 5695 for?
The PDF on irs.gov today is for tax year 2025. The 2026 draft instructions on irs.gov/draft-tax-forms show that the 2026 form only carries forward an unused residential clean energy credit.
Can I claim a solar or home improvement credit for 2026?
Not for new spending. The 2025 instructions say you can't claim the residential clean energy credit for expenditures made after December 31, 2025, or the energy efficient home improvement credit for expenditures or property placed in service after that date. See IRS Fact Sheet 2025-05 at irs.gov/EnergyCreditFAQs.
When is a cost treated as paid?
The instructions treat costs as paid when the original installation is completed, so the completion date, not the invoice date, decides the year.
What is a QMID?
A four-character qualified manufacturer identification number. For specified property placed in service in 2025, you must enter it to claim the energy efficient home improvement credit.
What if my tax is too low to use the clean energy credit?
The unused residential clean energy credit carries forward. File Form 5695 even in a year when you can't use any of it, as the 2026 draft instructions note.