Tax Calculator 2026

How many taxes are we adding up?

"How much tax do I owe?" is not one question in the United States — it is four. Most tools answer only the first one and quietly skip the rest, which is why their number never matches your paycheck or your refund. This page stacks all four layers into a single calculation, so the bottom line behaves like the real thing:

1. Federal income tax. Seven progressive brackets for 2026, from 10% to 37%, with a separate bracket table for each of the five filing statuses. Source: IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32.
2. FICA payroll tax. 6.2% for Social Security on wages up to $184,500 in 2026, plus 1.45% for Medicare with no cap — and 0.9% more for high earners. A W-2 worker who counts income tax alone understates the real burden by 7.65%, because FICA comes out of every paycheck no matter what.
3. Self-employment tax. 1099 and freelance income has no employer splitting the bill, so you carry the full 15.3% yourself, figured on 92.35% of net self-employment income; half of it comes back as an AGI deduction. Enter self-employment income under Advanced options and the whole chain runs automatically.
4. State tax. The nine states with no income tax count as zero automatically. Everywhere else, the rate field is yours: enter a rate you have looked up, and the results page labels that figure "your input" rather than our estimate.

For the deep math — every bracket boundary, marginal vs. effective rates, the full bracket-by-bracket breakdown — see the 2026 income tax calculator. This page stays focused on the fast answer: what you owe in total, and whether April brings a refund or a bill.

Refund or balance due: withholding decides

Tax is what you owe; withholding is what you have already paid; your refund is just the difference. If you remember one sentence from this page, make it that one.

• Every payday, your employer withholds federal tax based on your Form W-4; the total accumulates in box 2 of your W-2.
• Withholding above your total tax means the difference comes back to you; withholding below it means you pay the balance by April 15.
• A big refund is not a win. It means too much was withheld every month — an interest-free loan you gave the IRS and only got back at year-end. The ideal is a refund or balance due close to zero.
• Owing too much can cost extra: the IRS charges interest on under-withholding. The general safe harbor is total withholding plus estimated payments covering 90% of this year's tax, or 100% of last year's (110% if AGI topped $150,000).
• Refund huge every year, or a big bill every year? Ask your employer for a fresh Form W-4 — a five-minute fix that takes effect with your next paychecks.

What's new for tax year 2026

| Item | 2026 amount | Source | |---|---|---| | Standard deduction (single / married filing separately) | $16,100 | IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32 | | Standard deduction (married filing jointly / surviving spouse) | $32,200 | same | | Standard deduction (head of household) | $24,150 | same | | Social Security wage cap | $184,500 | SSA 2026 COLA announcement (Federal Register, 2025-11-03) | | New OBBB deductions | Senior $6,000 per person; tips up to $25,000; overtime premium up to $12,500; car loan interest up to $10,000 | IRS OBBB page (accessed 2026-08-27) |

All four OBBB deductions are above-the-line — you can claim them on top of the standard deduction — but each has an income cap and starts phasing out above it. The IRS has not finalized the phase-out mechanics, so this calculator takes the conservative route: above the threshold it denies the deduction and tells you so, which means you might still qualify for part of it. The full rules and field-by-field notes are on the income tax calculator page.

Which inputs move your result the most

1. Filing status. On the same $100,000 of income, a married couple filing jointly pays thousands less than a single filer — MFJ brackets and the standard deduction are each nearly twice as wide.
2. Pre-tax contributions. Every additional $1,000 into a 401(k) cuts this year's federal tax by $220 in the 22% bracket — the highest-value legal tax break most workers have.
3. Self-employment income. On the same $50,000, a self-employed worker carries about $3,800 more payroll tax than a W-2 employee — the employer half a W-2 worker never sees — though half comes back as an AGI deduction.
4. Your state. The gap between a no-income-tax state and a high-rate one can run to four figures on the same salary. The nine states with no income tax on wages — Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, and Wyoming — count as zero automatically; everywhere else, the rate you enter decides the state line.
5. Withholding. It does not change what you owe, only whether April brings a check or a bill — and whether under-withholding interest starts accruing.

How to use this tax calculator

The page opens pre-filled with a $75,000 single filer as a worked example, so there is a result on screen before you touch anything. Then make it yours:

1. Type your total income into Annual gross income (W-2 wages; self-employment income has its own field under Advanced options).
2. Choose your Filing status — all five are built in — and your State. The nine no-income-tax states count as zero automatically; everywhere else the rate field is yours to fill. Look up your rate at your state's revenue department or on last year's return, or leave it blank for a federal-only total. State tax is approximated as your rate × federal taxable income — state tax bases and deduction rules differ — and the results page labels the figure "your input."
3. Enter your Federal tax already withheld (box 2 of your W-2) — this is the field that switches the headline between refund and balance due. Leave it blank and you see your total tax instead.
4. Have 401(k) contributions, tips, overtime, car loan interest, or a 65th birthday behind you? Open Advanced options and fill them in for a result closer to your real return.
5. Read the results: the headline is your refund or balance due (or total tax), followed by take-home pay, federal income tax with its effective rate, FICA, state tax with its source label, total tax, and your marginal bracket. Expand Federal bracket breakdown to see how much each bracket contributed.

Frequently asked questions

The questions people actually type about their taxes — refund timing, surprise balances, paycheck withholding. Short answers here; the sections above carry the full detail.

How much tax do I owe on $75,000 a year?

Single, standard deduction, no other adjustments: about $7,670 of federal income tax plus $5,738 of FICA for 2026 — roughly $13,408 in federal total, an effective rate of 17.9% against a 22% marginal bracket. State tax is extra: zero in the nine no-tax states; enter your rate elsewhere to see the combined figure.

How do I estimate my tax refund?

Refund = total withholding − total tax. Enter your income, filing status, and state above, then put box 2 of your W-2 into Federal tax already withheld — the headline instantly becomes your estimated refund or balance due. Mid-year with no W-2 yet? Scale up the year-to-date withholding figure on a recent paystub.

Why do I owe taxes this year?

Four common causes: you changed jobs or worked two at once (each employer withholds as if it were your only income); both spouses work but the W-4 skipped the two-jobs checkbox; you have 1099 income with nothing withheld; or your W-4 no longer matches reality. Owing is fine — chronic under-withholding interest is the part to avoid.

Is a big tax refund a good thing?

No. A refund is just your own money returned, without interest. A $3,000 refund means about $250 too much was withheld every month. Want more take-home pay? File a fresh W-4 with your employer to trim withholding, and aim for a refund and balance due that are both close to zero.

What percentage of my paycheck goes to taxes?

On $75,000 single, federal income tax plus FICA comes to about 17.9% before state tax. The share climbs with income — the 2026 brackets run from 10% to 37% — but those are marginal rates. Your effective rate (total tax ÷ total income) is always lower, because lower portions of income are taxed at lower rates. The results show both.

Does this tax calculator include state taxes?

Yes. The nine states with no income tax on wages — Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, and Wyoming — count as zero automatically. Everywhere else, enter your own rate and it is included in the total, clearly labeled as your input rather than our estimate.

What happens if I can't pay the taxes I owe?

IRS interest and a late-payment penalty accrue from the April deadline, compounding monthly. Even short on cash, file on time — the failure-to-file penalty is far heavier than the failure-to-pay one — then request an installment plan directly on IRS.gov. Chronic under-withholding accrues interest too; the safe harbors are listed above.

How accurate is this calculator?

The federal brackets and standard deduction were checked line by line against IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32, and the FICA cap comes from the SSA's official announcement. Not included: tax credits (CTC/EITC), itemized deductions, preferential capital-gains rates, and local taxes; OBBB phase-outs use a conservative rule. Treat results as planning estimates; file using IRS forms or a tax professional.

Sources: IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32 (2026 tax brackets and standard deduction; verified against the original text on 2026-09-21); SSA 2026 COLA announcement (Federal Register, 2025-11-03; $184,500 Social Security wage cap); IRS OBBB page (accessed 2026-08-27). More tools in the finance calculators hub.

Disclaimer: This calculator provides informational estimates only — it is not tax, financial, or legal advice. Figures are based on the sources above as of the dates shown. For decisions about your own return, consult a licensed tax professional.