Income Tax Calculator

Taxable income = gross income - pre-tax deductions - the standard deduction. The tax is not one rate on the whole amount. Each band taxes only the part of the income that falls inside it, and the bands are added up. So a person in the 22 percent bracket pays 10 percent on the first slice, 12 percent on the next and 22 percent only on what is left above that. Effective rate = total tax / gross income. Marginal rate = the rate of the highest band reached. This is an estimate, not tax advice. It covers the federal figures listed and nothing else: credits, itemized deductions, capital gains, the Alternative Minimum Tax and local taxes all change the answer. Check the current figures at irs.gov.

Does being in the 22 percent bracket mean I pay 22 percent of my income?

No, and this is the most expensive misunderstanding in personal finance. The 22 percent applies only to the dollars above that bracket's floor. Everything below is taxed at 10 and 12 percent. Someone earning 75,000 dollars sits in the 22 percent bracket and pays an effective rate closer to 11 percent.

Can a raise leave me worse off?

Not through the brackets. Only the dollars above the line are taxed at the higher rate, so more gross pay is always more take-home pay. Losing an income-tested benefit is a real cliff, but the tax table itself has none.

Which year are these numbers?

The built-in table is the 2025 federal one, including the standard deduction for each filing status. The IRS adjusts every figure for inflation each year, so if you need a different year, look the figures up at irs.gov and paste them into the table box on the form. The calculation runs on whatever is in that box.

What is not included here?

Social Security and Medicare, state and local income tax, tax credits such as the Child Tax Credit, itemized deductions above the standard amount, capital gains rates and self-employment tax. For a paycheck figure that includes payroll and state tax, use the take-home pay calculator.

Should I take the standard deduction?

Most people do, because it takes nothing to claim and most households have less than that in deductible expenses. Itemizing only helps if mortgage interest, state and local taxes up to the cap, and charitable giving together come to more than the standard amount. If they do, replace the deduction figure in the table box with your itemized total.