Income Tax Calculator

Q: What does a negative result mean?

If the result card turns red and says "Estimated Federal Tax Owed," it means your withholding and payments were not enough to cover your tax bill. You may need to pay the difference when you file.

Q: What does a positive result mean?

If the result card turns green and says "Estimated Federal Refund," it means you paid more in withholding and estimated payments than you owe. The IRS will send the extra money back to you.

Q: Where do I find my W-2 Box 1 and Box 2 amounts?

Your employer gives you a W-2 form each January. Box 1 shows your total taxable wages. Box 2 shows how much federal income tax was already taken out of your paychecks.

Q: Should I pick standard deduction or itemized deductions?

Most people save more with the standard deduction . If your itemized expenses (mortgage interest, state taxes, charitable gifts, etc.) add up to more than the standard deduction, choose itemized. The calculator will automatically use whichever option saves you more money.

Q: What is the 401(k) contribution limit?

For 2025 , the base limit is $23,500. If you are age 50 or older, you can add $7,500 more. If you are age 60 to 63, the catch-up amount is $11,250 instead. These limits increase slightly for 2026.

Q: What is the Additional Medicare Tax?

If your wages and self-employment earnings exceed $200,000 (single) or $250,000 (married filing jointly), you owe an extra 0.9% Medicare tax on the amount above that threshold.

Income Tax Calculator

Updated Sep 1, 2026 By Jehan Wadia

Introduction

This free Income Tax Calculator helps you estimate your federal tax refund or the amount you owe for the 2025 or 2026 tax year. Just enter your income, filing status, deductions, and credits, and the tool calculates your tax. It uses the latest IRS tax brackets, standard deduction amounts, and credit rules to give you a clear picture of where your money goes.

The calculator covers W-2 wages, self-employment income, 401(k) contributions, the Child Tax Credit, and more. It also shows your effective tax rate, marginal tax bracket, and a simple breakdown of your total tax bill. Whether you file as single, married filing jointly, head of household, or another status, this tool adjusts all numbers to match your situation.

Use it to plan ahead, check your withholding, or see how changes in income or deductions affect what you owe. No sign-up is needed, and your data stays right here in your browser.

How to Use Our Income Tax Calculator

Enter your income, filing details, and deductions below. The calculator will estimate your federal tax, effective tax rate, and whether you can expect a refund or owe money.

Tax Year: Pick the tax year you want to estimate. Choose 2025 for taxes filed in 2026, or 2026 for taxes filed in 2027.

Filing Status: Select how you plan to file. Your options are Single, Married Filing Jointly, Married Filing Separately, Head of Household, or Qualified Widow(er). This changes your tax brackets and standard deduction.

Age: Enter your age. If you are 65 or older, you get a higher standard deduction.

Legally Blind: Check this box if you are legally blind. This adds an extra amount to your standard deduction.

Wages (W-2 Box 1): Enter your total wages from your W-2 form. This is your main job income before taxes.

Federal Tax Withheld (Box 2): Enter the federal income tax your employer already took out of your paychecks. Find this on your W-2.

State Tax Withheld (Box 17): Enter the state income tax your employer withheld from your pay.

Local Tax Withheld (Box 19): Enter any local taxes withheld from your pay. Put zero if none apply.

Other Taxable Income: Enter any extra taxable income such as interest, dividends, or other earnings not on a W-2.

Self-Employment Income: Toggle this on if you earn money from a business or freelance work. Enter your net self-employment income after business expenses. This adds self-employment tax to your estimate.

Estimated Tax Payments Made: If you are self-employed, enter any quarterly estimated tax payments you already sent to the IRS.

Spouse Information: If you file Married Filing Jointly, a spouse section will appear. Fill in your spouse's age, wages, withholding, and other income the same way you did for yourself.

Deduction Method: Choose Standard Deduction or Itemized Deductions. Most people use the standard deduction. If you itemize, enter your total itemized amount. The calculator will use whichever option saves you more money.

Pre-Tax 401(k) Contributions: Enter how much you put into a traditional 401(k) this year. This lowers your taxable income. The calculator applies the yearly contribution limit based on your age.

Children Under 17 (CTC): Enter the number of your children under age 17. Each qualifying child gives you up to a $2,000 Child Tax Credit.

Other Dependents (ODC): Enter the number of other dependents you claim, such as older children or qualifying relatives. Each one gives you a $500 credit.

Other Tax Credits: Enter the dollar amount of any other tax credits you qualify for, such as education credits or electric vehicle credits.

State + Local Tax Rate: Enter your estimated combined state and local income tax rate as a percentage. The calculator uses this to give you a rough state tax estimate.

Click Calculate to see your results. Click Reset to clear all fields and start over.

What Is an Income Tax Calculator?

An income tax calculator helps you estimate how much federal tax you owe or how big your refund will be. You enter basic information like your wages, filing status, and deductions. The calculator then uses the official IRS tax brackets to figure out your tax bill. It compares that bill to the taxes already taken out of your paycheck. If you paid more than you owe, you get a refund. If you paid less, you owe money. For a focused look at which bracket your income falls into, our Tax Bracket Calculator shows the exact breakdown.

How Federal Income Tax Works

The United States uses a progressive tax system. This means you do not pay one flat rate on all your income. Instead, your income is split into chunks called tax brackets. Each chunk is taxed at a different rate. The first chunk is taxed at the lowest rate (10%), and each chunk after that is taxed at a higher rate, up to 37%. Only the money in each chunk gets that chunk's rate. So even if you are in the 22% bracket, not all of your income is taxed at 22%.

Key Terms You Should Know

Gross income is all the money you earned before anything is taken out. Adjusted gross income (AGI) is your gross income minus certain deductions like 401(k) contributions. Taxable income is your AGI minus your standard or itemized deduction. This is the number the IRS actually taxes.

The standard deduction is a set dollar amount the IRS lets you subtract from your income. For 2025, it is $15,000 for single filers and $30,000 for married couples filing jointly. If you are 65 or older or legally blind, you get an extra amount added on. Itemized deductions let you list specific expenses like mortgage interest and charitable gifts instead of taking the standard deduction. You should pick whichever one is higher. If you own a home and want to understand your mortgage interest deduction, our Mortgage Calculator can show you how much interest you pay each year.

Filing Status

Your filing status affects your tax brackets, standard deduction, and credit limits. The five options are Single, Married Filing Jointly, Married Filing Separately, Head of Household, and Qualifying Widow(er). Married Filing Jointly usually gives the best tax rates and highest deduction. Head of Household is for unmarried people who pay more than half the cost of keeping up a home for a qualifying dependent.

Tax Credits vs. Deductions

A deduction lowers the amount of income that gets taxed. A tax credit directly lowers your tax bill, dollar for dollar. Credits are more valuable. The Child Tax Credit gives you up to $2,000 per child under 17. Up to $1,700 of that can be refunded to you even if you owe no tax. The Other Dependent Credit gives $500 per dependent who does not qualify for the Child Tax Credit.

Self-Employment Tax

If you work for yourself, you pay self-employment tax in addition to income tax. This covers Social Security and Medicare. The rate is 15.3% on 92.35% of your net self-employment income. The good news is you can deduct half of that tax from your income when calculating AGI. Use our Self Employment Tax Calculator to see exactly how much SE tax you owe.

Marginal vs. Effective Tax Rate

Your marginal tax rate is the rate on the last dollar you earned. Your effective tax rate is the total tax you owe divided by your total income. The effective rate is always lower than the marginal rate because of how the bracket system works. Your effective rate gives you a better picture of what you actually pay overall.

Formulas used

Adjusted Gross Income (AGI)

\text{AGI} = \text{Gross Income} - \text{401(k) Contributions} - \tfrac{1}{2}\,\text{SE Tax}

Taxable Income

\text{Taxable Income} = \max\!\left(0,\; \text{AGI} - \text{Deduction}\right)

Federal Income Tax (Marginal Brackets)

T_{\text{fed}} = \sum_{i=1}^{n} r_i \times \bigl[\min(\text{Taxable},\, H_i) - L_i\bigr]^{+}

Self-Employment Tax

\text{SE Tax} = 0.9235 \times \text{SE Income} \times 0.029 \;+\; \min\!\bigl(0.9235 \times \text{SE Income},\; \text{SS Base} - \text{W-2 Wages}\bigr)^{+} \times 0.124

Additional Medicare Tax

T_{\text{addMed}} = 0.009 \times \max\!\bigl(0,\; \text{Medicare Wages} + \text{SE Net Earnings} - \text{Threshold}\bigr)

Child Tax Credit (after phase-out)

\text{CTC} = \max\!\left(0,\; 2000n_{\text{child}} + 500n_{\text{other}} - 50 \times \left\lceil \frac{\text{AGI} - \text{Threshold}}{1000} \right\rceil \right)

Total Federal Liability

\text{Liability} = \max(0,\; T_{\text{fed}} - \text{Credits}) + \text{SE Tax} + T_{\text{addMed}}

Refund or Amount Owed

\text{Refund} = \text{Withholding} + \text{Est. Payments} + \text{ACTC} - \text{Total Liability}

Frequently asked questions

What does a negative result mean?

If the result card turns red and says "Estimated Federal Tax Owed," it means your withholding and payments were not enough to cover your tax bill. You may need to pay the difference when you file.

What does a positive result mean?

If the result card turns green and says "Estimated Federal Refund," it means you paid more in withholding and estimated payments than you owe. The IRS will send the extra money back to you.

Where do I find my W-2 Box 1 and Box 2 amounts?

Your employer gives you a W-2 form each January. Box 1 shows your total taxable wages. Box 2 shows how much federal income tax was already taken out of your paychecks.

What if I have more than one W-2?

Add up the Box 1 amounts from all your W-2 forms and enter the total in the Wages field. Do the same for Box 2 (federal withheld), Box 17 (state withheld), and Box 19 (local withheld).

Should I pick standard deduction or itemized deductions?

Most people save more with the standard deduction. If your itemized expenses (mortgage interest, state taxes, charitable gifts, etc.) add up to more than the standard deduction, choose itemized. The calculator will automatically use whichever option saves you more money.

What is the SALT cap?

SALT stands for State and Local Taxes. If you itemize, the IRS caps your deduction for state and local taxes at $10,000 per return. Enter your itemized total after applying this cap.

What is the 401(k) contribution limit?

For 2025, the base limit is $23,500. If you are age 50 or older, you can add $7,500 more. If you are age 60 to 63, the catch-up amount is $11,250 instead. These limits increase slightly for 2026.

What counts as an Other Dependent?

An other dependent is someone you support who does not qualify for the Child Tax Credit. This includes children age 17 or older, elderly parents, or other qualifying relatives. Each one gives a $500 non-refundable credit.

How is self-employment tax calculated?

The calculator multiplies your net self-employment income by 92.35%, then applies a 15.3% tax rate (12.4% for Social Security up to the wage base, plus 2.9% for Medicare). Half of the SE tax is then deducted from your income to lower your AGI.

What is the Additional Medicare Tax?

If your wages and self-employment earnings exceed $200,000 (single) or $250,000 (married filing jointly), you owe an extra 0.9% Medicare tax on the amount above that threshold.

What should I enter for the state tax rate?

Enter your estimated combined state and local income tax rate as a percentage. For example, if your state rate is 5% and you have no local income tax, enter 5. If you live in a state with no income tax (like Texas or Florida), enter 0.

Does the state tax estimate replace filing a state return?

No. The state number shown is a rough estimate using a flat rate on your taxable income. Every state has its own brackets, deductions, and rules. You still need to file a separate state tax return if your state requires one.

What is the difference between marginal rate and effective rate?

Your marginal rate is the tax rate on your last dollar of income. Your effective rate is your total federal tax divided by your total gross income. The effective rate is always lower and shows what you actually pay overall.

What are estimated tax payments?

If you are self-employed or have income without withholding, the IRS expects you to pay taxes quarterly throughout the year. Enter the total of any quarterly payments you already made in the Estimated Tax Payments field.

What if I have both W-2 wages and self-employment income?

Enter your W-2 wages in the Wages field and toggle on the self-employment section to enter your net business income. The calculator coordinates both, including sharing the Social Security wage base between them so you are not double-taxed.

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