US Income Tax Calculator (2026)
Estimate your 2026 federal income tax and whether you are due a refund. Enter your income and withholding to see your AGI, taxable income, tax by bracket, and bottom line.
Reviewed by Teja K, CPA ·
Box 2 of your W-2
Net profit after expenses
Assets held over one year
Leave 0 to use the standard deduction
Adjusted gross income
$0
Standard deduction
$16,100
Taxable income
$0
Estimated refund
$0
Withholding matched your liability
Total federal tax
$0
Income tax
$0
Self-employment tax
$0
Marginal rate
10%
Effective rate
0.0%
Estimate based on published IRS figures for tax year 2026. Federal only — state tax not included.
How your federal income tax is worked out
Federal income tax is not a single percentage of what you earn. It is built up in four steps, and each one reduces the figure the next step works on.
- Total income — everything you received: wages, self-employment profit, interest, dividends and capital gains.
- Adjusted gross income (AGI) — total income less above-the-line adjustments, including half of any self-employment tax.
- Taxable income — AGI less either the standard deduction or your itemized total, whichever is larger.
- Tax — your taxable income run through the progressive brackets, then reduced by any credits you qualify for.
The most common misunderstanding is what a tax bracket means. Reaching the 22% bracket does not tax all of your income at 22%. Only the dollars inside that band are taxed at that rate; everything below is still taxed at 10% and 12%. That is why your effective rate is always lower than your marginal rate.
2026 federal income tax brackets
These are the 2026 brackets, which apply to the return you file in 2027. The seven rates were made permanent by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, so only the dollar thresholds move each year with inflation.
| Rate | Single | Married filing jointly | Head of household |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10% | $0 – $12,400 | $0 – $24,800 | $0 – $17,700 |
| 12% | $12,400 – $50,400 | $24,800 – $100,800 | $17,700 – $67,450 |
| 22% | $50,400 – $105,700 | $100,800 – $211,400 | $67,450 – $105,700 |
| 24% | $105,700 – $201,775 | $211,400 – $403,550 | $105,700 – $201,775 |
| 32% | $201,775 – $256,225 | $403,550 – $512,450 | $201,775 – $256,225 |
| 35% | $256,225 – $640,600 | $512,450 – $768,700 | $256,225 – $640,600 |
| 37% | Over $640,600 | Over $768,700 | Over $640,600 |
Standard deduction for 2026: $16,100 single, $32,200 married filing jointly, $24,150 head of household.
Why you get a refund — or a bill
A refund is not a bonus. It means your employer withheld more tax from your paychecks across the year than your final liability turned out to be, so the IRS returns the difference. A balance owing means the opposite.
If you consistently receive a large refund, you have been lending money to the government interest-free all year, and adjusting your Form W-4 would put that cash in your paychecks instead. If you consistently owe, you may also be exposed to an underpayment penalty, not just the tax itself.
Self-employment is where surprises come from, because nothing is withheld at source. Freelancers and contractors pay through quarterly estimated payments, and both income tax and the 15.3% self-employment tax are due.
What this calculator does not cover
This is an estimate built on the published federal rates. It handles the situations most filers are in, but it does not model every provision in the code, and a few common ones are deliberately out of scope rather than approximated badly.
- State and local income tax — not included at all. Most states add their own tax on top.
- The Alternative Minimum Tax and the qualified business income (Section 199A) deduction.
- The new OBBBA deductions for tips, overtime, car loan interest and seniors, each of which has its own income phase-out.
- The Earned Income Tax Credit, education credits and energy credits.
- The Child Tax Credit income phase-out, and the refundable portion of that credit.
If any of those apply to you, the number above will be off — usually in your favour. That is exactly the situation where a review pays for itself.
Sources
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the 2026 federal tax brackets?
For 2026 there are seven rates: 10%, 12%, 22%, 24%, 32%, 35% and 37%. For a single filer the 10% rate covers the first $12,400 of taxable income and the 37% rate begins above $640,600. For married couples filing jointly the 10% band runs to $24,800 and 37% starts above $768,700.
What is the standard deduction for 2026?
$16,100 for single filers and married filing separately, $32,200 for married couples filing jointly, and $24,150 for heads of household. Filers aged 65 or older, or who are blind, add $2,050 if unmarried or $1,650 per qualifying condition if married.
Does reaching a higher bracket tax all of my income at that rate?
No, and this is the most common misconception about US tax. The brackets are marginal, so each rate applies only to the income inside its own band. If you are single with $70,000 of taxable income, the first $12,400 is taxed at 10%, the next slice at 12%, and only the portion above $50,400 is taxed at 22%. Your total tax is about $10,112 — an effective rate near 14%, not 22%.
Should I take the standard deduction or itemize?
Take whichever is larger. Since the standard deduction was roughly doubled in 2018 the large majority of filers are better off with it, and itemizing generally only wins when you have significant mortgage interest, state and local taxes, medical costs above the threshold, or charitable giving. This calculator picks the larger figure for you automatically.
Why do I owe tax when I had money withheld all year?
Usually because withholding was calculated on incomplete information. Common causes are a second job, a working spouse, self-employment or gig income with nothing withheld, investment income, or a Form W-4 that was never updated after a life change. Filing jointly on two incomes is a frequent culprit, because each employer withholds as though its salary were your only income.
Is this calculator accurate enough to file from?
It is accurate for the federal rules it models and uses the official IRS figures, but it is an estimate, not a return. It excludes state tax, AMT, the QBI deduction and several credits. Use it to plan and sanity-check, then have your actual return prepared properly — EvoTaxes files federal returns from $19.99.
More Free Calculators & Services
Want an expert to file it for you?
Federal and state filing from $19.99, prepared and reviewed by EvoTax professionals.