For the nine months ended September 30, 2026, Meta’s effective tax rate was 2%, versus the 21% statutory rate, on $53.5 billion of pretax income and a $1.03 billion tax provision. Most of the reduction came from Treasury Notice 2026-7, issued February 18, which provided relief from the corporate alternative minimum tax on previously capitalized U.S. R&D costs; Meta recognized an $8.03 billion tax benefit in the first quarter, partly offsetting a $15.93 billion charge from the third quarter of 2025. Without that benefit, the nine-month provision would have been about $9.06 billion, roughly 17% of pretax income by a Fortune calculation, and Meta expects a fourth-quarter 2026 rate of 15-17% absent changes. Separately, Meta faces scrutiny over reportedly classifying its data centers as experimental, which reportedly allowed it to receive the federal research and experimentation credit. Democratic senators wrote to Zuckerberg on October 13 requesting answers by Halloween about Meta’s federal tax filings.
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Related tickers and likely impact
META
• NeutralMeta Platforms
Relevance: low
| Market | US stocks |
|---|---|
| Sector | Communication Services |
| Industry | Interactive Media & Services |
| Market cap | $1.7T |
| Close on 10/22/2026 | 648.85 |
| Change that session | -6.98% |
Impact is scored by AI from the headline and may be wrong. It is not investment advice.
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