Unrecognized Tax Benefits
Meta Platforms, Inc. Unrecognized Tax Benefits increased by 8.3% to $17.82B in Q1 2026 compared to the prior quarter. Year-over-year, this metric grew by 11.3%, from $16.01B to $17.82B. Over 5 years (FY 2020 to FY 2025), Unrecognized Tax Benefits shows an upward trend with a 13.6% CAGR. This increase may warrant attention — for this metric, lower values are generally preferred.
Analysis
How to read this metric
A decrease generally signals the resolution of tax audits or the expiration of statutes of limitations, while an increase suggests new tax planning risks.
Detailed definition
This represents the cumulative amount of tax benefits from uncertain tax positions that have not been recognized in the...
Peer comparison
Standard for multinational corporations; peers with complex global tax structures often carry significant balances in this category.
unrecognized_tax_benefitsHistorical Data
| Q2 '21 | Q3 '21 | Q4 '21 | Q1 '22 | Q2 '22 | Q3 '22 | Q4 '22 | Q1 '23 | Q2 '23 | Q3 '23 | Q4 '23 | Q1 '24 | Q2 '24 | Q3 '24 | Q4 '24 | Q1 '25 | Q2 '25 | Q3 '25 | Q4 '25 | Q1 '26 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Value | $9.07B | $9.33B | $9.81B | $9.77B | $10.05B | $10.55B | $10.76B | $10.93B | $10.99B | $11.22B | $11.67B | $12.08B | $12.91B | $14.13B | $15.13B | $16.01B | $16.78B | $16.98B | $16.45B | $17.82B |
| QoQ Change | — | +2.9% | +5.1% | -0.4% | +2.9% | +5.0% | +2.0% | +1.6% | +0.5% | +2.1% | +4.0% | +3.5% | +6.9% | +9.5% | +7.1% | +5.8% | +4.8% | +1.2% | -3.1% | +8.3% |
| YoY Change | — | — | — | — | +10.8% | +13.1% | +9.7% | +11.9% | +9.4% | +6.4% | +8.5% | +10.5% | +17.5% | +25.9% | +29.6% | +32.5% | +30.0% | +20.2% | +8.7% | +11.3% |
Unrecognized Tax Benefits at Other Companies
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Meta Platforms, Inc.'s unrecognized tax benefits?
- Meta Platforms, Inc. (META) reported unrecognized tax benefits of $17.82B in Q1 2026.
- How has Meta Platforms, Inc.'s unrecognized tax benefits changed year-over-year?
- Meta Platforms, Inc.'s unrecognized tax benefits increased by 11.3% year-over-year, from $16.01B to $17.82B.
- What is the long-term trend for Meta Platforms, Inc.'s unrecognized tax benefits?
- Over 5 years (2020 to 2025), Meta Platforms, Inc.'s unrecognized tax benefits has grown at a 13.6% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), from $8.69B to $16.45B.
- What does unrecognized tax benefits mean?
- The amount of potential tax savings that the company has not yet claimed because the outcome is uncertain.