Each box of income is taxed at its own rate. Earning more never makes your take-home pay smaller. Hover a box for details.
| Rate | Your income in this box | Tax here |
|---|
The share of income you keep, from low pay to double yours. The dot is you. Hover to explore.
Other details (children, tips, savings…) are copied from your main setup.
Official 2026 federal tax brackets and standard deductions (IRS Revenue Procedure 2025-32 — check the IRS tables yourself). Social Security tax (6.2% up to $184,500 of wages, per person) and Medicare tax (1.45%, plus 0.9% on high incomes). Self-employment tax and the 20% qualified business income deduction for self-employed people. The Child Tax Credit ($2,200 per child) and the $500 credit for other dependents. The child & dependent care credit with its new 2026 rates (up to 50% of daycare costs). The saver’s credit for retirement contributions at modest incomes — applied automatically. The Earned Income Credit for working people with modest incomes (estimated). The new 2025–2028 deductions for tips, overtime pay and car-loan interest on new US-assembled vehicles. The new $6,000 bonus deduction for people 65 and older. The new charity deduction for people who do not itemize. Student loan interest and educator expenses. State income tax for all 50 states and D.C. using published 2026 rates, plus an optional local rate. Mandatory state payroll taxes taken from paychecks in 2026 — disability and paid-family-leave contributions like California SDI, New York PFL/DBL, New Jersey UI/TDI/FLI, Washington PFML and WA Cares, and Minnesota’s new Paid Leave — shown as their own lines. State-specific breaks for 529 college savings, renters and property tax, offered as chips when your chosen state has them.
This tool is a careful estimate for planning — not official tax advice, and your real return can differ. It is built for regular working income: it does not handle capital gains rates, the alternative minimum tax, rental property, or unusual situations. State numbers use each state’s published 2026 rates and standard deductions, plus the major state-specific breaks offered as chips (529 plans, renter and property-tax relief) — but smaller or narrowly-targeted state credits (senior circuit breakers, energy credits) are skipped, so treat the state line as a close estimate. State renter and homestead credits with income-based formulas (Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota’s renter credit) are simplified. The Earned Income Credit has extra rules (age, investment income) we simplify. The daycare credit assumes the children you added are the ones in care. Local taxes are included only where you set a rate (Maryland’s average county rate is applied automatically).
taxable income = income − pre-tax savings − deductions (standard or itemized)
− tip, overtime & car-loan breaks − 65+ bonus − charity
− student loan interest − educator expenses
federal tax = each slice of taxable income × that bracket’s rate
− child & dependent credits − daycare credit − saver’s credit
− earned income credit
state tax = state taxable income (after your state’s own breaks) × state rates
− state credits (529, renter, property tax where they exist)
total tax = federal tax + Social Security & Medicare + state tax + local tax
+ mandatory state payroll taxes (disability / paid leave)
take-home = income − total tax − your own savings
Every number above updates live from the official 2026 figures listed in “What is included.”
This page shows what you owe for the whole year. A single paycheck can differ for good reasons: your employer takes out health, dental or 401(k) money each pay period; your city may add a local tax we only include if you set it; bonuses usually have a flat 22% withheld even though your real rate may be lower — the difference comes back at filing time; and if you earn above $184,500, Social Security tax stops mid-year, so late-year checks suddenly get bigger. None of these change your true yearly tax — they change when it is taken.
If the verdict above says you may owe money next April, you can spread that bill over your remaining paychecks instead. Ask your employer for a new Form W-4 (or find it in your payroll app). On line 4(c) “Extra withholding” write: the amount you would owe, divided by the number of paychecks left this year. Example: owing $1,200 with 12 paychecks left → write $100. That is the whole fix — no other lines need to change. The IRS withholding estimator can double-check it with your exact paystubs.
| Rate | Single | Married, together | Head of household |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10% | $0 – $12,400 | $0 – $24,800 | $0 – $17,700 |
| 12% | to $50,400 | to $100,800 | to $67,450 |
| 22% | to $105,700 | to $211,400 | to $105,700 |
| 24% | to $201,775 | to $403,550 | to $201,775 |
| 32% | to $256,225 | to $512,450 | to $256,200 |
| 35% | to $640,600 | to $768,700 | to $640,600 |
| 37% | above that | above that | above that |
| Standard deduction | $16,100 | $32,200 | $24,150 |
These apply to taxable income — what is left after your deductions. That is why the chart above starts counting only after the standard deduction.