IRS Publication 1136 – IRS Forms, Instructions, Pubs 2026 – The IRS Publication 1136, known as the Statistics of Income (SOI) Bulletin for Fall 2025, offers a deep dive into key tax data and trends. Released quarterly by the IRS’s Statistics of Income Division, this edition (Volume 45, Number 2) focuses primarily on partnership returns for Tax Year 2023. Whether you’re a tax professional, policymaker, researcher, or simply curious about U.S. tax statistics, this bulletin provides valuable insights into the evolving landscape of partnerships, income distribution, and economic sectors. In this SEO-optimized article, we’ll explore the highlights, key statistics, and implications of the Fall 2025 SOI Bulletin.
What is IRS Publication 1136?
IRS Publication 1136 is the official quarterly bulletin from the Statistics of Income (SOI) Division of the Internal Revenue Service. It compiles and analyzes data from various tax and information returns filed with the IRS, offering descriptive statistics and special studies on the U.S. tax system. The Fall 2025 issue, released in December 2025, emphasizes partnership returns, drawing from Form 1065 and related schedules. This publication is essential for understanding tax trends, as it includes historical comparisons and sector-specific breakdowns using the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS).
The bulletin is prepared under the direction of experts like Wayne Kei, Chief of the Data Dissemination Section, and features contributions from analysts such as Ron DeCarlo, Tuba Ozer-Gurbuz, and Nina Shumofsky. It’s designed for students, policymakers, and tax administrators, with data sourced from a stratified probability sample of over 46,000 returns to represent the full population of active partnerships.
Key Highlights from the Fall 2025 SOI Bulletin
The core article in this edition, “Partnership Returns, Tax Year 2023,” reveals significant growth and shifts in the partnership landscape. Partnerships filed over 4.5 million returns in 2023, marking a 1.7% increase from the previous year, while the number of partners surged by 5.0% to more than 30.2 million. This growth underscores the increasing role of partnerships in the U.S. economy, particularly in sectors like finance and real estate.
Notable trends include:
- Dominance of Limited Liability Companies (LLCs): LLCs made up 72.7% of all partnerships, continuing their lead for over two decades.
- Sector Leadership: The real estate and rental leasing sector accounted for 50.7% of partnerships and 32.8% of partners, while finance and insurance led in financial metrics, holding 63.5% of pass-through income.
- Financial Shifts: Total assets rose 9.1% to $57.3 trillion, but total receipts fell 4.4% to $12.0 trillion, and pass-through income decreased 17.9% to $2.1 trillion.
These findings highlight economic pressures, such as declining receipts in real estate amid higher interest rates and market fluctuations.
Detailed Statistics on Partnership Returns for Tax Year 2023
The bulletin provides granular data across entity types, sectors, and financial metrics. Below are key tables summarizing the most important figures.
Number of Partnerships and Partners by Entity Type
| Entity Type | Partnerships (2023) | % of Total | Change from 2022 | Partners (2023) | Change from 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Limited Liability Companies (LLCs) | 3,300,000+ | 72.7% | +1.7% | N/A | N/A |
| Limited Partnerships | 443,000 approx. | 9.7% | N/A | 34.2% of total | N/A |
| Domestic General Partnerships | 542,540 | 11.9% | +0.4% | N/A | N/A |
| Total | 4,575,280 | 100% | +1.7% | 30,239,463 | +5.0% |
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Financial Metrics by Key Sectors
| Sector | Total Assets (2023) | Change from 2022 | Total Receipts (2023) | Change from 2022 | Pass-Through Income (2023) | Change from 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finance and Insurance | $34.3 trillion | +11.2% | $3.0 trillion | -0.4% | $1.3 trillion | -3.8% |
| Real Estate and Rental Leasing | $11.8 trillion | +4.5% | $877.9 billion | -22.2% | $116.4 billion | -71.7% |
| All Industries | $57.3 trillion | +9.1% | $12.0 trillion | -4.4% | $2.1 trillion | -17.9% |
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Income Allocations by Partner Type
| Partner Type | Allocation (2023) | Change from 2022 |
|---|---|---|
| Partnerships | $635.5 billion | -37.5% |
| Corporations | $583.1 billion | N/A |
| Individuals | $547.4 billion | N/A |
Partnerships as partners received the largest share for the 12th consecutive year, though with a sharp decline.
Electronic filing reached 95.8% of returns, covering 98.1% of partners and 98.0% of assets, showing a strong shift toward digital submissions.
Implications for Taxpayers, Policymakers, and Businesses
The data in the Fall 2025 SOI Bulletin has broad implications. For taxpayers, it illustrates how partnerships—especially LLCs—continue to be a popular structure for business due to pass-through taxation, where profits and losses flow directly to partners without entity-level taxes. Policymakers can use these insights to assess the impact of laws like the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015, which centralized partnership audits.
Businesses in finance and real estate should note the contrasting trends: asset growth amid declining receipts, potentially signaling economic challenges. Researchers will appreciate the sampling methodology, with coefficients of variation provided to gauge data reliability. Overall, the bulletin underscores the resilience of partnerships, with average annual growth of 2.9% from 2014 to 2023.
How to Access IRS Publication 1136?
You can download the full PDF of the Fall 2025 SOI Bulletin directly from the IRS website at https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p1136.pdf. For historical data or additional tables, visit the SOI Tax Stats webpage, where selected historical tables from prior bulletins are available online. The IRS also publishes upcoming releases, with the next Winter 2026 issue scheduled for February 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. What is the main focus of the Fall 2025 SOI Bulletin?
The primary article analyzes partnership returns for Tax Year 2023, covering growth in filings, partners, and financial metrics.
2. How many partnerships filed returns in 2023?
Over 4.5 million, a 1.7% increase from 2022.
3. Why is pass-through income important?
It represents profits/losses passed to partners, who report them on personal returns, avoiding double taxation.
4. Where can I find more SOI Bulletins?
Check the IRS’s SOI Tax Stats page for all issues dating back to 1981.
In summary, the IRS Publication 1136 Fall 2025 edition is a crucial resource for anyone interested in U.S. tax statistics. By highlighting trends in partnerships, it provides actionable insights into the economy’s health and tax system’s dynamics. Stay informed by exploring the full bulletin and related IRS resources.