Income tax calculator
Put in a year’s income and see every tax taken from it: federal brackets, Social Security and Medicare, self-employment tax and your state, printed line by line like an adding-machine tape.
Ask about these numbers
An AI explainer reads the figures on this page and answers in plain English. Your question and inputs are sent to it only when you press Ask; nothing is stored.
What the calculator does, in order
It follows the same sequence as Form 1040. Wages, self-employment profit, interest and capital gains add up to total income. Pre-tax 401(k) or HSA contributions and half of any self-employment tax come off to give adjusted gross income. Then it subtracts the larger of the standard deduction or your itemized total, plus the new senior deduction and the 20% qualified business income deduction where they apply.
The rest is taxable income. Ordinary income runs through the brackets; long-term gains and qualified dividends sit on top and are taxed at 0%, 15% or 20%. Credits then reduce the tax directly. Payroll taxes (6.2% Social Security up to $184,500 of wages in 2026, plus 1.45% Medicare) are added separately because they are never affected by deductions.
Want to see why a raise never pushes all your income into a higher bracket? The bracket explainer lets you pour income into the brackets and watch.
2026 at a glance
| Figure | Single | Married joint |
|---|---|---|
| Standard deduction | $16,100 | $32,200 |
| 10% bracket ends | $12,400 | $24,800 |
| 22% bracket starts | $50,401 | $100,801 |
| 37% bracket starts | $640,601 | $768,701 |
| 0% long-term gains up to | $49,450 | $98,900 |
| Child tax credit | $2,200 per child | |
| Social Security wage base | $184,500 | |
Source: IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32 and the Social Security Administration. Full 2026 bracket tables.
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Questions people ask
How much federal income tax will I owe?
Start with total income, subtract adjustments such as half of self-employment tax to get adjusted gross income, subtract the standard deduction ($16,100 single or $32,200 married filing jointly for 2026), then run what is left through the seven brackets from 10% to 37%. Credits such as the child tax credit come off the result. The calculator above does each of those steps and shows them on the tape.
Is this calculator for 2026 or 2025?
Both. Choose 2025 if you are preparing the return you file by April 15, 2026, and 2026 to plan the current year or adjust your withholding. Brackets, standard deductions and Social Security limits switch with the year.
Does it include state tax?
Yes, if you pick a state. It uses a simplified model of each state’s 2026 brackets, standard deduction and exemptions. It does not include city or county income taxes such as New York City, Philadelphia or Maryland counties.
What is the difference between effective and marginal tax rate?
Your marginal rate is the bracket your last dollar of taxable income falls in. Your effective rate is total federal income tax divided by total income. Because only the dollars inside each bracket are taxed at that bracket’s rate, the effective rate is always lower than the marginal rate.
How accurate is the estimate?
For wage earners and sole proprietors taking the standard deduction it is usually within a few dollars of the tax-table result. It does not handle the earned income credit, education credits, alternative minimum tax, or passive-activity rules, so treat it as a planning number, not a filed return.