Income Tax Calculator
Full federal + state income tax estimate — wages, pre-tax 401(k)/HSA, standard or itemized deduction, child + dependent credits, FICA. Returns total tax burden, effective rate, and take-home pay.
Result
- Gross income (wages + other)$75,000.00
- Pre-tax contributions (401k + HSA)− $0.00
- AGI (adjusted gross income)$75,000.00
- Deduction (standard, single)− $16,100.00
- Taxable income$58,900.00Note
- Federal tax (before credits)Marginal rate: 22%$7,670.00
- Child + dependent credit$2,000 per child under 17, $500 per other dependent.$0
- Federal tax (after credits)$7,670.00Note
- State tax (CA)Estimated using CA's top marginal rate (13.3%) — actual liability typically lower due to state brackets + deductions. Local taxes (NYC, SF SDI, etc.) not included.$7,834.00
- FICA (SS + Medicare)SS: $4,650.00 (6.2% to $184,800.00 wage cap) · Medicare: $1,088.00 (1.45%)$5,738.00
- TOTAL tax burden$21,241.00Borderline
- Effective tax rateTotal tax ÷ gross income — your "all-in" rate.28.32%
- Take-home pay (annual)$53,759.00good
- Take-home per paycheck (biweekly)$4,480.00 per month$2,068.00
How to use this calculator
- Pick your tax year (defaults to 2026 — IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32) and filing status.
- Enter annual gross wages (pre-tax W-2 amount) and any other taxable income (interest, dividends, side income).
- Subtract pre-tax 401(k) and HSA contributions — these reduce AGI before tax brackets apply.
- Pick standard deduction (auto-applied for your status) OR itemized if your itemized total exceeds the standard.
- Enter qualifying children under 17 (CTC $2,000 each) and other dependents (ODC $500 each). Phaseout starts at $200K single / $400K MFJ.
- Select your state — uses top marginal rate as an estimate. No-income-tax states (TX/FL/WA/NV/SD/AK/WY/TN/NH) are at the top of the list.
- Read the breakdown: gross → AGI → taxable → fed tax → credits → state → FICA → total → take-home.
About this tool
This is the unified calculator for the question "how much income tax will I actually owe (or be refunded)?" — federal + state + FICA + credits in one place, returning total tax burden and take-home pay. Walks the four IRS brackets (10/12/22/24/32/35/37 percent) for your filing status, subtracts standard or itemized deduction, applies child + other-dependent credits with phaseout, computes Social Security and Medicare (including the additional Medicare surcharge above $200K single / $250K MFJ), and estimates state tax using each state's top marginal rate. For exact federal bracket-by-bracket detail, see the Tax Bracket Calculator. For paycheck-level analysis (biweekly with withholding rounding), see the Take-Home Pay Calculator. For W-4 optimization, see the W-4 Optimizer.
What this calculator does
Estimates 2026 US federal income tax using the IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32 bracket amounts, standard deduction, and filing status. Handles single, married filing jointly, married filing separately, and head of household. Does not handle state income tax, Social Security/Medicare payroll taxes, or credits.
How it works — the formula
Taxable income = Gross − (Standard deduction OR Itemized) − Above-the-line deductions
Tax = Sum of (bracket rate × amount in that bracket)Progressive marginal tax system. Each dollar of income is taxed at the bracket it falls in, not a single flat rate. This produces the "effective rate" (total tax / gross income) which is always lower than the marginal rate (rate on the last dollar earned).
Worked examples
- Inputs:
- gross = $75,000, standard deduction = $15,750, taxable = $59,250
- Output:
- Federal tax ≈ $7,865 (effective rate 10.5%, marginal rate 22%)
10% on first $11,925 + 12% on $11,925 to $48,475 + 22% on remaining. Marginal rate is 22% (the bracket the last dollar lands in); effective rate is 10.5% (total tax over gross income).
- Inputs:
- gross = $150,000, standard deduction = $31,500, taxable = $118,500
- Output:
- Federal tax ≈ $17,027 (effective rate 11.4%, marginal rate 22%)
MFJ brackets are approximately double single brackets. The 12% band extends to $96,950 for MFJ vs $48,475 for single, sheltering more income at lower rates.
2026 US federal tax brackets (IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32)
The IRS publishes updated bracket amounts every fall for the following tax year, indexed to inflation. The 2026 brackets are set out below.
| Rate | Single | MFJ | HoH |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10% | $0 – $11,925 | $0 – $23,850 | $0 – $17,000 |
| 12% | $11,925 – $48,475 | $23,850 – $96,950 | $17,000 – $64,850 |
| 22% | $48,475 – $103,350 | $96,950 – $206,700 | $64,850 – $103,350 |
| 24% | $103,350 – $197,300 | $206,700 – $394,600 | $103,350 – $197,300 |
| 32% | $197,300 – $250,525 | $394,600 – $501,050 | $197,300 – $250,525 |
| 35% | $250,525 – $626,350 | $501,050 – $751,600 | $250,525 – $626,350 |
| 37% | $626,350+ | $751,600+ | $626,350+ |
2026 standard deductions
The standard deduction is a flat amount subtracted from gross income before calculating tax. Since the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 nearly doubled it, over 90% of filers take the standard deduction rather than itemizing.
| Filing status | Standard deduction | Additional (65+ or blind) |
|---|---|---|
| Single | $15,750 | +$2,000 per condition |
| Married Filing Jointly | $31,500 | +$1,600 per condition per spouse |
| Married Filing Separately | $15,750 | +$1,600 per condition |
| Head of Household | $23,625 | +$2,000 per condition |
Marginal vs effective tax rate
One of the most consistently misunderstood tax concepts is marginal vs effective rate. The marginal rate is the tax rate on your last dollar earned — the bracket your top dollar falls in. The effective rate is your total tax owed divided by your total income.
A single filer with $100,000 gross income is IN the 22% bracket (marginal rate 22%) but pays only about 13% of total income in federal tax (effective rate 13%). See the Tax Bracket Calculator to identify your bracket, and the Take-Home Pay Calculator to see what actually lands in your bank account. The confusion "I got a raise and it pushed me into a higher bracket so I take home less" is mathematically impossible under a progressive bracket system — only the incremental income above the bracket threshold is taxed at the higher rate.
This distinction matters for planning decisions. Marginal rate answers "what is my tax on the next dollar of income (or deduction)?" — the right rate for Roth vs Traditional 401(k) decisions and charitable-giving analysis. Effective rate answers "what percentage of my income goes to federal tax?" — useful for budget planning.
Standard vs itemized deduction
Every taxpayer chooses each year between the standard deduction and itemized deductions. Itemized includes state and local taxes (SALT) up to $10,000 (raised to $40,000 for MFJ 2025-2029 under recent legislation), mortgage interest, charitable donations, and certain other items.
For most filers, the standard deduction ($15,750 single, $31,500 MFJ in 2026) exceeds available itemized amounts. Only about 10% of filers itemize in the post-TCJA era, mostly high-income households in high-tax states with large mortgages and substantial charitable giving.
A useful strategy for those on the itemization threshold: "bunching" charitable donations into alternating years (donate 2 years worth in year 1, take standard in year 2) can increase total deductions over a multi-year period.
Above-the-line deductions worth knowing
Above-the-line deductions reduce taxable income regardless of whether you itemize. They are worth knowing because they can significantly reduce tax owed for people who otherwise take the standard deduction.
- Traditional 401(k) / 403(b) / 457 contributions (up to $23,500 employee in 2026, +$7,500 catch-up 50+, +$11,250 age 60-63 super catch-up)
- Traditional IRA contributions (up to $7,000, +$1,000 catch-up 50+, subject to income phase-outs for those with employer plans)
- HSA contributions (up to $4,300 single / $8,550 family in 2026 for HDHP participants)
- Self-employed health insurance premiums (100% deductible from self-employment income)
- Half of self-employment tax
- Student loan interest up to $2,500 (subject to income phase-outs)
- Educator expenses up to $300
- Alimony paid on pre-2019 divorce agreements
Tax credits (better than deductions)
Credits reduce tax owed dollar-for-dollar, unlike deductions which reduce taxable income. A $1,000 credit saves $1,000 in tax; a $1,000 deduction saves $220 in tax at the 22% marginal bracket.
The largest credits for 2026: Child Tax Credit ($2,000 per qualifying child under 17, with $1,700 refundable and income phase-outs above $200K single / $400K MFJ), Earned Income Tax Credit (up to $8,046 for families with 3+ kids, income-limited), Saver's Credit (up to $2,000 for retirement contributions by low-income earners), American Opportunity Credit ($2,500 per eligible student for college), Lifetime Learning Credit ($2,000 for adult education).
Non-refundable credits can only reduce tax to zero — any excess is lost. Refundable credits (EITC, portion of CTC) can produce a tax refund exceeding your withholding. Check IRS Publication 970 for education credits and Publication 596 for EITC.
Limitations
- Federal income tax only — state and local income taxes not included. Add state tax separately.
- Payroll taxes (Social Security 6.2%, Medicare 1.45%) not included in this calculation.
- Tax credits (Child Tax Credit, Earned Income Tax Credit, education credits) not modeled — these reduce tax owed dollar-for-dollar.
- Alternative Minimum Tax not modeled. Affects some high earners with specific deduction patterns.
- Above-the-line deductions (HSA, IRA, student loan interest, self-employed health premiums) can meaningfully reduce taxable income and are not modeled.
Tax calculations are estimates. This calculator does not provide tax advice — consult a CPA or Enrolled Agent for return preparation. Actual tax owed depends on specific facts including credits, above-the-line deductions, and situations not modeled here.
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