Buying new windows in 2025? The QMID requirement you’ll need for your tax credit
Energy-efficient windows can trim your utility bills, quiet street noise, and cut drafts, but in 2025 they also come with a new layer of paperwork if you want a federal tax break. The energy efficient home improvement credit is still on the table, yet the rules now hinge on a specific identifier from your window manufacturer that you will need when you file.
That identifier, a qualified product identification number, or QMID, is the key that links your purchase to the tax credit the Internal Revenue Service is willing to grant. If you are planning a window project this year, you will need to think about that number before you sign a contract, not months later when you are staring at your tax return.
How the 2025 window tax credit works now
The federal incentive you are chasing is part of the broader energy efficient home improvement credit, which applies when you install qualifying upgrades like high performance windows in your primary residence. The Internal Revenue Service explains that if you make eligible energy efficient improvements after Jan. 1, 2023, you can claim a percentage of the cost as a nonrefundable credit, subject to annual caps and category limits that apply to the overall energy efficient home improvement credit. You cannot carry any unused amount forward, so your goal is to line up the right products and documentation in the same tax year.
For windows and skylights specifically, the technical bar is high. To qualify for the federal credit, exterior residential units must meet the ENERGY STAR Most Efficient criteria, not just the standard ENERGY STAR label you might be used to seeing at home centers. That means you need to confirm that the exact model you are buying, not just the brand line, meets those performance thresholds and is being installed in an existing home you use as a residence, not a new build or rental you never occupy.
The new QMID / PIN rule you cannot ignore
The biggest change you face in 2025 is not about glass coatings or frame materials, it is about a code. The Internal Revenue Service has added a requirement for a qualified product identification number, often referred to in agency guidance as a PIN, that must be associated with the energy efficient property you are claiming. In its frequently asked questions on the energy efficient home improvement credit, the agency defines a qualified product identification number as a unique identifier that manufacturers assign to each eligible product under the rules laid out in Revenue Procedure 2024-31.
Beginning January 1, 2025, the Internal Revenue Service instructions for the energy credits form highlight this shift in the section labeled Dec, What, New, where the agency calls out Qualified manufacturer identification numbers as a new element you must provide when you claim the energy efficient home improvement credit. The same instructions, described as Dec, What, New, explain that this identifier ties your claim to specific enabling property and enabled property, which is the government’s way of saying the number connects your tax form to the exact window or skylight model that meets the law’s standards.
Where QMID fits on your tax forms
All of this new terminology ultimately lands on a familiar piece of paperwork. You claim the energy efficient home improvement credit using Form 5695, which the Internal Revenue Service has updated to reflect the new identification requirement. The latest version of Form 5695 is where you will list your qualifying energy efficient home improvements, including windows and skylights, and where you will now be expected to provide the relevant product identifier that matches what the manufacturer has registered with the government.
To navigate the details, you will want to read the 2025 instructions that accompany the form, which spell out how to handle each line and what information must be attached. The 2025 Instructions for Form 5695 make clear that you cannot claim energy efficient home improvement credits for expenditures or property placed in service after December 31, 2025, and they walk through how the new identification numbers fit into the filing process. If you need a broader context or want to confirm you are using the most current guidance, you can always start from the main Internal Revenue Service site and navigate to the energy credits section before you finalize your return.
What your window purchase must include in 2025
On the consumer side, the QMID requirement changes how you shop. It is no longer enough to ask whether a window is efficient; you now need to confirm that the manufacturer has assigned a qualified product identification number and that this number will appear on your documentation. Guidance aimed at homeowners notes that starting in 2025, the Internal Revenue Service is implementing new identification rules for the Energy Efficient Home Improvement Tax Credit, and that you will need the manufacturer’s code in order to claim the credit. That means you should ask your contractor or supplier to provide the exact model numbers and the associated identifier in writing before installation.
Consumer-focused explainers on window incentives underline the same point from a practical angle. One guide that answers common questions about the energy tax credit for new windows explains that, beginning in tax year 2023, the law was updated so homeowners could claim a percentage of qualifying window costs, and it flags that changes are coming for how you document those purchases in order to claim the credit. In 2025, that translates into a simple rule of thumb: if your quote or invoice does not list a QMID or PIN for each eligible window or skylight, you should treat that as a red flag and push for updated paperwork before you pay.
Lessons from other energy upgrades
The QMID requirement is not limited to windows, and you can learn from how it is being rolled out in other corners of the energy efficiency world. In the hearth and biomass sector, for example, industry groups have highlighted that the Internal Revenue Service has added a new QM number requirement to the biomass tax credit form, noting that IRS Adds New QM Number Requirement to Biomass Tax Credit Form and that The IRS has released the updated Form to capture that data. The pattern is clear: if you are claiming a federal energy credit in 2025, you should expect to provide a manufacturer-linked identifier, whether you are installing a pellet stove or a triple pane casement.
HVAC incentives show the same trend toward more precise documentation. A step by step guide to federal HVAC tax credits for 2025 walks homeowners through how to claim their benefits and emphasizes that you must choose qualifying equipment, such as units that are properly certified, and then follow specific filing steps that include gathering all required identifiers before you submit your return. In that context, the advice to choose your equipment carefully and keep your paperwork organized applies just as strongly to your window project as it does to a new heat pump or furnace.
How to protect your 2025 window credit
To keep your tax credit on track, you need a simple checklist that starts before installation and ends when you file. First, confirm that the windows or skylights you are considering meet the federal tax credit criteria for windows and skylights, which require that exterior residential units satisfy the ENERGY STAR Most Efficient standard. Second, verify that the manufacturer has assigned a QMID or PIN to each eligible product and that this identifier will appear on your purchase documents, along with the ENERGY STAR Most Efficient designation and the exact model numbers.
Once the project is complete, keep every scrap of documentation in a single folder, digital or physical, so you can easily pull the details when you prepare your return. When you sit down to file, review the latest Instructions for Form 5695 so you understand how the Internal Revenue Service wants you to report your energy efficient home improvements, and double check the frequently asked questions that explain how a PIN fits into your claim. If you align your shopping list, your contractor’s paperwork, and your tax forms around that one identifier, you give yourself the best chance of turning your 2025 window upgrade into a credit that actually shows up on your tax bill.
