Is solar worth it after the federal tax credit?

For most US homeowners with $100+ monthly electric bills and 5+ years remaining at the property, yes. Typical 10 kW system: $25K–$32K installed, drops to $17K–$22K after the 30% federal 25D credit. Payback ranges 7–11 years in high-rate sunny states (CA, AZ, NV, MA, NJ, NY); 12–18 years in low-rate states. ROI improves substantially in states with strong net-metering (FL, TX still 1:1 retail rate via investor-owned utilities) and erodes in NEM 3.0 markets like California. Adding a battery (additional $10K–$18K, also 30% credit-eligible) materially improves economics in net-metering-poor states.