Introduction
Your Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) is one of the most important numbers on your tax return. It is your total income minus certain deductions the IRS lets you take before you figure your taxes. The IRS uses your AGI to decide if you qualify for tax credits, deductions, and other benefits. Banks and lenders may also ask for it when you apply for a loan.
This free AGI calculator helps you estimate your Adjusted Gross Income step by step. Enter your income from wages, self-employment, capital gains, dividends, interest, rental income, and other sources. Then enter your above-the-line deductions, such as student loan interest, IRA contributions, and HSA contributions. The calculator applies IRS caps and phaseout rules automatically and shows you exactly how your AGI is computed.
Whether you are filing as single, married filing jointly, married filing separately, head of household, or qualifying surviving spouse, this tool adjusts its rules to match your filing status. Use it to plan ahead, check your numbers, or simply learn how AGI works.
How to Use Our AGI Calculator
Enter your income and deductions below. The calculator will subtract your above-the-line deductions from your total gross income and give you your estimated adjusted gross income (AGI).
Filing Status: Pick the filing status that matches your tax return. Choose Single, Married Filing Jointly, Married Filing Separately, Head of Household, or Qualifying Surviving Spouse.
Wages, Salaries & Tips: Enter the total pay from your job. You can find this number in box 1 of your W-2 form. If you need to convert between pay periods, try our salary calculator or hourly to salary calculator.
Self-Employment / Business (Net): Enter your net business profit after expenses. This is the amount from your Schedule C. You can also use our self-employment tax calculator to estimate the taxes on this income.
Capital Gains (Net): Enter your combined net gains from selling stocks, property, or other assets. Our capital gains tax calculator can help you estimate the tax owed on these gains.
Ordinary Dividends: Enter the total ordinary dividends you received. This amount is on your 1099-DIV form. Use our dividend calculator to project future dividend income or our dividend yield calculator to evaluate your investments.
Taxable Interest: Enter interest earned from bank accounts, bonds, or other sources.
Rental Income (Net): Enter your rental income after subtracting rental expenses. Our rental property calculator can help you analyze your rental investment returns.
Unemployment Compensation: Enter any taxable unemployment benefits you received.
Taxable Social Security: Enter only the taxable portion of your Social Security benefits. Our Social Security calculator can help you estimate your benefits.
Alimony Received: Enter alimony you received under a divorce agreement finalized before January 1, 2019.
Other Taxable Income: Enter any other taxable income not listed above.
Educator Expenses: Enter unreimbursed classroom expenses if you are a teacher. The limit is $300.
Student Loan Interest Paid: Enter interest you paid on qualified student loans. The limit is $2,500, and this deduction phases out at higher income levels. Use our student loan calculator to see how your payments break down between principal and interest.
IRA Contribution Deduction: Enter your deductible traditional IRA contributions. The limit is $7,000, or $8,000 if you are age 50 or older. Check the boxes if you are 50 or older or if you have a workplace retirement plan. If you are considering a Roth account instead, see our Roth IRA calculator.
HSA Contributions: Enter your Health Savings Account contributions. Select whether you have self-only coverage (limit $4,300) or family coverage (limit $8,550). Our HSA calculator can help you plan your contributions and tax savings.
Self-Employed Health Insurance: Enter health insurance premiums you paid as a self-employed person. This field only appears when you enter self-employment income. The deduction cannot be more than your net self-employment income.
SEP / SIMPLE / Qualified Plan: Enter contributions to a SEP, SIMPLE, or other qualified retirement plan. The limit is 25% of your net self-employment income, up to $70,000. Our retirement calculator can help you set long-term savings goals.
Alimony Paid: Check the box to confirm your divorce agreement was finalized before January 1, 2019. Then enter the alimony you paid.
Penalty on Early Withdrawal of Savings: Enter any penalty you were charged for withdrawing savings early, as shown on your 1099-INT or 1099-OID.
Moving Expenses (Active Military): Check the box to confirm you are an active-duty member of the Armed Forces. Then enter your moving expenses.
Tuition & Fees Deduction: Enter qualified tuition and fees you paid. The limit is $4,000. Check current tax rules to confirm this deduction is available.
Press Calculate to see your estimated AGI, a full breakdown of your income and deductions, step-by-step math, and visual charts. Press Start Over to reset all fields to their default values.
What Is Adjusted Gross Income (AGI)?
Adjusted Gross Income, or AGI, is a number the IRS uses to figure out how much tax you owe. You find it by adding up all the money you earned in a year, then subtracting certain deductions. These are called "above-the-line" deductions because they come off your income before almost anything else on your tax return.
How to Calculate AGI
The formula is simple: AGI = Total Gross Income − Above-the-Line Deductions. Your gross income includes wages, self-employment earnings, capital gains, dividends, interest, rental income, and other taxable money. From that total, you subtract qualifying deductions like student loan interest, IRA contributions, HSA contributions, and educator expenses.
Why AGI Matters
Your AGI affects almost everything on your tax return. It decides whether you qualify for many tax credits and deductions. A lower AGI can mean a smaller tax bill. Many state tax returns also start with your federal AGI. Banks and lenders may ask for it too when you apply for a loan. Your AGI is also the starting point for calculating your Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI), which determines eligibility for additional benefits like Roth IRA contributions and premium tax credits.
Above-the-Line Deductions
Above-the-line deductions lower your income before you choose the standard deduction or itemized deductions. You can claim them even if you take the standard deduction. Common ones include:
- Student loan interest – up to $2,500 per year, with income phaseouts.
- Traditional IRA contributions – up to $7,000, or $8,000 if you are 50 or older.
- HSA contributions – up to $4,300 for self-only or $8,550 for family coverage.
- Educator expenses – up to $300 for teachers who buy classroom supplies.
- Self-employed health insurance premiums – limited to your net self-employment income.
- SEP, SIMPLE, or qualified retirement plan contributions – up to 25% of net self-employment income or $70,000. If you also contribute to a workplace 401(k), those contributions do not appear here but still affect your overall tax picture.
- Alimony paid – only for divorce agreements finalized before January 1, 2019.
Caps and Phaseouts
Many deductions have dollar limits called caps. Some also have income phaseouts, meaning the deduction shrinks or disappears as your income rises. For example, the student loan interest deduction phases out for single filers with income between $85,000 and $100,000. If you file as Married Filing Separately, you cannot claim it at all. This calculator applies those caps and phaseouts for you automatically.
AGI vs. Taxable Income
AGI is not the final number you pay taxes on. After you find your AGI, you subtract either the standard deduction or your itemized deductions to get your taxable income. Think of AGI as a stop along the way — it is the starting point for the rest of your return. Once you know your taxable income, you can use our tax bracket calculator to see which federal brackets apply, or try our income tax calculator to estimate your total tax liability. You can also check your effective tax rate to understand what percentage of your income actually goes to taxes, and use our take-home pay calculator to see how much of your paycheck you keep after all withholdings.