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Tax

Federal tax calculator 2025–2026

Estimate how much federal tax you owe by year and filing status. Brackets apply after the standard deduction — not to your full gross income. Add withholding to see refund vs owed.

Your details

Tax yearFederal return year. Brackets and standard deduction amounts change by tax year.
Determines which tax brackets and standard deduction amount apply to your return.
Wages, salary, and other ordinary income before taxes. Add interest and capital gains under Advanced.
$
Optional. W-2 withholdings or estimated payments. Enter only to estimate a refund or balance due — leave at $0 to see tax liability without withholding.
$
AdvancedOptional investment income, dependents, and credits. Credits may phase out at higher incomes. Long-term gains use preferential rates.
Taxable interest (for example bank, bonds, or 1099-INT). Taxed as ordinary income.
$
Gains on assets held one year or less. Taxed as ordinary income at your marginal rate.
$
Gains on assets held more than one year. Taxed at preferential 0%, 15%, or 20% rates based on taxable income.
$
Qualifying children for the Child Tax Credit — must be under 17 at the end of the tax year.
Dependents who don't qualify for the Child Tax Credit — may qualify for the Credit for Other Dependents.
Qualified tuition and fees for higher education. May qualify for the American Opportunity or Lifetime Learning Credit — applied against tax owed in the breakdown.
$

Federal tax owed

$7,670

Add taxes already paid to estimate a refund or balance due.

Breakdown
Federal tax liability$7,670
Effective rate10.2%
Marginal rate22.0%
Income split$67,330 take-home
Tax 10.2%Take-home 89.8%
Standard deduction
$16,100
Taxable income
$58,900
Tax before credits
$7,670
Tax by bracket

How your liability stacks across federal brackets (ordinary and long-term gains).

How this federal tax estimate is built

This page is an educational US federal income tax model for tax years 2025 and 2026. It is not Form 1040, not tax software, and not a substitute for a preparer. The goal is to show how brackets after the standard deduction, optional investment income, and a few credits combine into a liability — and how that compares to withholding.

Inputs the model actually uses

You enter wages, tax year, and filing status. Under Advanced you may add interest, short-term gains, long-term gains, dependents, and education expenses. Taxes already paid is withholding or estimates, not a second tax.

Gross income in this tool is wages plus those optional Advanced items. Taxable ordinary income is that gross (excluding long-term gains, which use their own rates) minus the standard deduction for your status and year. For 2026, single is $16,100 and married filing jointly is $32,200. Those amounts are the same tables published on This year — tax.

Worked example (2026, single, wages only)

Suppose wages are $75,000, filing status single, tax year 2026, Advanced left at zero, withholding $0.

  1. Standard deduction: $16,100
  2. Taxable income: $75,000 − $16,100 = $58,900
  3. Ordinary brackets on $58,900:
    • 10% on the first $12,400 → $1,240
    • 12% on the next $38,000 (through $50,400) → $4,560
    • 22% on the remaining $8,500 → $1,870
  4. Tax before credits: $7,670
  5. Effective rate: $7,670 ÷ $75,000 ≈ 10.2%. Marginal rate: 22%.

Only the last slice is taxed at 22%. The first dollars still used 10% and 12%. That is the whole point of a progressive system, and it is why “I got a raise into a higher bracket so all my pay is taxed more” is usually wrong.

Credits and refund vs owed

Credits in this model are nonrefundable estimates: child tax credit and other dependent credit from the counts you enter, plus a simplified American Opportunity / Lifetime Learning style education credit with MAGI phase-outs. They reduce tax after brackets; they cannot push the result below zero here.

If you enter taxes already paid, the page subtracts that from liability. Paid more than tax → estimated refund. Paid less → amount owed. Leave withholding at $0 if you only want the tax number.

What this page does not do

  • State or local income tax
  • FICA (Social Security and Medicare) — use take-home pay
  • Itemized deductions — use itemize vs standard
  • AMT, NIIT, QBI, self-employment tax, or every Form 1040 schedule

If you need the filing number, confirm against IRS instructions or a professional. For the bracket story in prose, read how federal tax brackets work.

Frequently asked questions

Read the full bracket guide

How do I estimate federal taxes?

Enter wages, tax year, and filing status. The calculator subtracts the standard deduction, applies federal tax brackets to taxable income, then optional credits. Add withholding under taxes already paid to estimate a refund or amount owed. This is an educational estimate, not a filed return.

Are tax brackets after deductions?

Yes. Federal tax brackets apply to taxable income after you subtract the standard deduction (or itemized deductions on a real return). They do not apply to your full gross wages. In this tool, wages (plus optional Advanced income) minus the standard deduction is what fills the 10%, 12%, 22% buckets.

Are tax brackets after the standard deduction?

Yes. For most filers the path is: gross income → minus the standard deduction for your status and year → remaining taxable income runs through progressive brackets. Crossing into a higher bracket only raises the rate on dollars inside that bracket, not on income already taxed at lower rates.

How is federal income tax calculated?

Start with wages (and optional interest, short-term gains, and long-term gains under Advanced). Subtract the standard deduction for your filing status and year. Ordinary taxable income is taxed by progressive brackets. Long-term capital gains use preferential 0%/15%/20% rates stacked on top. Optional credits then reduce tax owed (nonrefundable in this model).

What is the difference between marginal and effective tax rate?

Marginal rate is the tax on your last dollar of income. Effective rate is total tax divided by total income (including investment income entered under Advanced). Effective rate is usually lower because lower brackets and preferential LTCG rates still apply to earlier dollars.

What can I enter under Advanced?

Interest income and short-term capital gains (taxed as ordinary income), long-term capital gains (preferential rates), children under 17 and other dependents for credit estimates, and education expenses for American Opportunity or Lifetime Learning style credits with MAGI phase-outs.

Does this include state or local taxes?

No. This tool estimates US federal income tax only, using the standard deduction. State taxes, FICA, AMT, and itemized deductions are not included.

Which tax years are supported?

The calculator supports 2025 and 2026 with IRS bracket thresholds, standard deductions, and long-term capital gains thresholds for those years. It does not model 2023 or 2024. Select 2025 or 2026 to compare estimates.

How much federal tax do I owe?

Enter wages, year, and filing status. The result is estimated federal income tax. Add taxes already paid (W-2 withholding or estimates) to see an estimated refund or amount owed. Leave withholding at $0 if you only want the tax number.

Is this the IRS tax calculator?

No. This is an independent educational federal tax estimator for 2025 and 2026. It is not the IRS withholding estimator, Tax Withholding Estimator, or tax-filing software, and it does not file a return.

Can I estimate taxes if I am married filing jointly?

Yes. Choose Married filing jointly (or another status) and the matching standard deduction and brackets for that year. This is still federal income tax only — it does not add state tax.

Compare this

Two paths, same math — pick the number that matches the decision.

This year (2026)

All limits

Standard deduction (single)$16,100Standard deduction (joint)$32,200SALT cap (most filers)$40,400

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