# Income tax calculator for 2026 federal returns

Source: https://taxbracketsdesk.com/tax-calculators/income-tax-calculator
Publisher: Tax Brackets Desk (taxbracketsdesk.com), independent editorial site
Topic: Tax Calculators and Salary Examples
Last updated: 2026-09-23

> This income tax calculator estimates 2026 federal income tax by subtracting adjustments and the larger of your standard or itemized deduction, applying the 10% to 37% brackets for your filing status, and then taking off the Child Tax Credit and other credits. A married couple with $140,000 of wages and two children owes about $8,740.

## Key facts

- Tax year the calculator uses: 2026 (returns filed in 2027)
- Example: joint, $140,000 wages, two children: $8,740 federal income tax
- Child Tax Credit per child, 2026: $2,200
- Standard deduction, 2026: $16,100 single, $32,200 joint, $24,150 head of household
- Includes Social Security and Medicare?: No; see the paycheck calculator

## Calculator

On this page, in your browser. It asks for:

- Filing status (single, married filing jointly, married filing separately, head of household, qualifying surviving spouse)
- Wages (Form W-2 box 1, all jobs)
- Other ordinary income: interest, non-qualified dividends, taxable retirement income, net business profit
- Adjustments to income (Schedule 1 Part II), such as deductible IRA contributions and student loan interest
- Itemized deductions (Schedule A), 0 to use the standard deduction
- Number of age 65+ or blind boxes checked (0 to 4)
- Schedule 1-A deductions after phaseouts: qualified tips, overtime premium, car loan interest, senior deduction
- Qualifying children under 17 with a valid SSN
- Other dependents

and returns:

- Adjusted gross income
- Deduction used (standard or itemized)
- Taxable income
- Tax before credits
- Marginal rate (top bracket reached)
- Child Tax Credit and credit for other dependents applied
- Refundable additional child tax credit
- Federal income tax after credits and effective rate on total income

Estimates federal income tax only. Social Security and Medicare tax, self-employment tax, the separate rates on qualified dividends and long-term gains, the alternative minimum tax, state tax and credits other than the Child Tax Credit are not included.

## What the income tax calculator does

The income tax calculator estimates your federal income tax for tax year 2026 using the brackets, standard deduction and credit amounts in IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32. It follows the Form 1040 order: income, adjustments, deduction, tax from the brackets, then credits.

It answers one question: how much federal income tax will I pay for the year? Payroll taxes, state tax and whether you get a refund are separate questions, covered by the other tools in our [tax calculator hub](https://taxbracketsdesk.com/tax-calculators).

## Inputs: what to enter and where to find it

- **Filing status.** It sets both the bracket table and the standard deduction. Married couples compare joint and separate results only in unusual cases; joint filing is lower for most.
- **Wages.** Use Form W-2 box 1, which already leaves out pre-tax 401(k) deferrals. Before year end, use year-to-date wages from a pay stub scaled to 12 months.
- **Other ordinary income.** Interest, retirement distributions and net self-employment profit. Keep qualified dividends and long-term capital gains out; they use separate 0%, 15% and 20% rates.
- **Adjustments.** Schedule 1 items such as student loan interest (up to $2,500) and the deduction for half of self-employment tax.
- **Itemized deductions.** Enter your Schedule A total only if it may beat the standard deduction; otherwise leave it at zero.
- **Schedule 1-A deductions.** Qualified tips (up to $25,000), the overtime premium (up to $12,500, or $25,000 joint), car loan interest (up to $10,000) and the $6,000 senior deduction, each after its income phaseout.
- **Dependents.** Children under 17 with a valid Social Security number count for the $2,200 Child Tax Credit; other dependents count for $500.

## Formula with the 2026 tax tables

The calculator taxes each slice of taxable income at the rate for that slice. The dollar edges below are the 2026 figures; they apply to returns filed in the 2027 season.

| Rate | Single | Married filing jointly | Head of household |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 10% | $0 to $12,400 | $0 to $24,800 | $0 to $17,700 |
| 12% | $12,401 to $50,400 | $24,801 to $100,800 | $17,701 to $67,450 |
| 22% | $50,401 to $105,700 | $100,801 to $211,400 | $67,451 to $105,700 |
| 24% | $105,701 to $201,775 | $211,401 to $403,550 | $105,701 to $201,750 |
| 32% | $201,776 to $256,225 | $403,551 to $512,450 | $201,751 to $256,200 |
| 35% | $256,226 to $640,600 | $512,451 to $768,700 | $256,201 to $640,600 |
| 37% | Over $640,600 | Over $768,700 | Over $640,600 |

2026 federal brackets used by the income tax calculator (taxable income)

Married filing separately uses the single bands through 32%, then 35% up to $384,350 and 37% above. Full tables for every status, with the tax at the top of each band, are on our [2026 IRS tax brackets](https://taxbracketsdesk.com/federal-tax-brackets/tax-brackets-2026-irs) page.

### How credits are applied

The Child Tax Credit and the $500 credit for other dependents shrink by $50 for each $1,000 (or part of $1,000) that modified AGI exceeds $200,000, or $400,000 on a joint return, per Schedule 8812. Only up to $1,700 per child of any unused credit can come back as a refund, and only if earned income is above $2,500.

## Worked example: how much federal tax will a family of four pay?

A married couple filing jointly earns $140,000 in combined W-2 box 1 wages, has no other income, and has two children aged 6 and 10 with Social Security numbers. They take the standard deduction.

1. AGI: $140,000.
2. Taxable income: $140,000 minus the $32,200 joint standard deduction equals $107,800.
3. 10% on the first $24,800: $2,480.
4. 12% on the next $76,000 (up to $100,800): $9,120.
5. 22% on the last $7,000: $1,540. Tax before credits: $13,140.
6. Child Tax Credit: 2 x $2,200 = $4,400, with no phaseout because AGI is under $400,000.
7. Federal income tax after credits: $8,740, or 6.2% of income.

### Can I include the new deductions?

Yes. Suppose $6,000 of the couple's wages is the premium portion of FLSA overtime pay (the extra pay above the regular rate) reported on Form W-2 box 12 with code TT. That amount goes on Schedule 1-A, taxable income falls to $101,800, tax before credits falls to $11,820, and tax after credits becomes $7,420, a saving of $1,320.

The saving equals the deduction times the couple's 22% top rate. Our [no tax on overtime deduction](https://taxbracketsdesk.com/new-tax-law/no-tax-on-overtime-deduction) page explains which part of overtime pay qualifies.

## What the federal income tax calculator leaves out

The calculator is built for wage earners and simple returns. These items can raise or lower the real figure:

- Social Security and Medicare taxes on wages, and self-employment tax on business profit.
- The 0%, 15% and 20% rates on qualified dividends and long-term gains, and the 3.8% net investment income tax.
- The Earned Income Tax Credit, education credits, the child and dependent care credit and the saver's credit.
- The alternative minimum tax and the 0.9% Additional Medicare Tax.
- State and local income tax.

To see only the bracket split for a known taxable income, or to compare 2025 with 2026 rates, use the [tax bracket calculator](https://taxbracketsdesk.com/tax-calculators/tax-bracket-calculator). For a higher-income worked example, see [tax on a $200,000 salary](https://taxbracketsdesk.com/tax-calculators/tax-on-200000-salary).

## Which year's brackets does the calculator use?

It uses tax year 2026 figures, released by the IRS on October 9, 2025. The 2027 brackets and standard deduction are not yet announced as of September 2026; the IRS usually publishes them in October or November, and this page will add them once they are official.

## Common questions

### How much federal income tax will I owe on $60,000?

A single filer with $60,000 of wages and the standard deduction owes $5,020 in 2026 federal income tax. A married couple filing jointly on the same income owes $2,840 before any credits.

### Does the income tax calculator include the Child Tax Credit?

Yes. It applies $2,200 per qualifying child under 17 and $500 per other dependent, reduces them above $200,000 of AGI ($400,000 joint), and shows any refundable portion separately.

### Is federal income tax figured on gross pay?

No. It is figured on taxable income, which is gross income minus pre-tax deductions, adjustments and your standard or itemized deduction.

### Why is my effective rate so much lower than my bracket?

Only the income inside each band is taxed at that band's rate, and the standard deduction is taxed at 0%. A $140,000 joint household in the 22% bracket pays about 9.4% of income before credits.

### Should I itemize in the calculator?

Enter itemized deductions only if they exceed $16,100 single or $32,200 joint for 2026. The calculator uses whichever is larger.

## Sources

- [Rev. Proc. 2025-32 (tax year 2026 inflation adjustments)](https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-drop/rp-25-32.pdf)
- [Publication 505, Tax Withholding and Estimated Tax](https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p505.pdf)
- [Schedule 8812 (Form 1040), Credits for Qualifying Children and Other Dependents](https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f1040s8.pdf)
- [Child Tax Credit](https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/individuals/child-tax-credit)