Tax Estimator
Enter your income, pre-tax contributions, deduction and dependents to estimate your 2026 federal income tax and refund, with the Child Tax Credit and bracket-by-bracket math applied automatically.
Interest, freelance income, etc.
$2,200 Child Tax Credit each, phasing out above $200,000 AGI.
Estimated refund
$850.00
Tax after credits
$6,350.00
Marginal rate
22%
Rate on your next dollar
Effective rate
9.2%
Tax ÷ AGI
| Adjusted gross income (AGI) | $69,000.00 |
| Standard deduction | -$16,100.00 |
| Taxable income | $52,900.00 |
| Tax before credits | $6,350.00 |
| Child Tax Credit | -$0.00 |
| Tax after credits | $6,350.00 |
How it's calculated
Gross wages plus other income, minus pre-tax contributions, gives your adjusted gross income (AGI). Subtracting your standard or itemized deduction gives taxable income, which runs through the 2026 federal brackets dollar by dollar -- the same progressive engine used by the Tax Bracket Calculator:
taxable income = (gross wages + other income − pre-tax contributions) − deduction
The Child Tax Credit is then subtracted from that bracket tax, reduced $50 per $1,000 of AGI over the phase-out threshold for your filing status. Your federal withholding paid so far is compared against the result: withholding above your tax after credits is a refund, withholding below it is an amount owed.
Worked example
The calculator's own defaults: a single filer with $75,000 in wages, $6,000 in pre-tax 401(k) contributions, the standard deduction, no dependents, and $7,200 already withheld.
| Adjusted gross income | $69,000.00 |
| Standard deduction | -$16,100.00 |
| Taxable income | $52,900.00 |
| Tax before credits | $6,350.00 |
| Estimated refund | $850.00 |
That works out to a 22% marginal rate and a 9.2% effective rate. Plug the same numbers into the calculator above and it lands on the same result to the penny; that reconciliation is checked in the site's own test suite, not just written here.
2026 federal tax brackets (single filer)
Source: IRS Revenue Procedure 2025-32 (2026 inflation adjustments) (https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-drop/rp-25-32.pdf), checked 2026-09-16. See the full table, and every filing status, on the Tax Bracket Calculator.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a tax estimator, and how accurate is it?
This tool projects your 2026 federal income tax and refund from the same inputs the IRS uses to compute your actual liability: gross wages, other income, pre-tax contributions, your deduction, and qualifying children. It's accurate for a straightforward W-2 filer taking the standard deduction, but it doesn't model every credit (education, earned income, dependent care) or every income type (capital gains get their own calculator) -- treat the number as a planning estimate, not a filed return.
What's the difference between marginal and effective tax rate?
Your marginal rate is the rate on your next dollar of taxable income -- the highest bracket you reach. Your effective rate is your total tax divided by your income, which is always lower because the first portion of every filer's income is taxed at 10%, then 12%, and so on, no matter how high their top bracket goes. See the Tax Bracket Calculator for the full breakdown by bracket.
What is the 2026 standard deduction?
For 2026, the standard deduction is $16,100 for single filers and those married filing separately, $32,200 for married filing jointly, and $24,150 for heads of household. Source: IRS Revenue Procedure 2025-32 (2026 inflation adjustments) (https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-drop/rp-25-32.pdf).
How does the Child Tax Credit phase-out work?
The 2026 Child Tax Credit is $2,200 per qualifying child, with up to $1,700 refundable. It starts phasing out at $200,000 AGI for single/head of household filers and $400,000 for married filing jointly, reduced $50 for every $1,000 (or part of $1,000) of AGI over the threshold. This calculator applies that phase-out automatically based on your filing status and AGI.
Why might my real refund differ from this estimate?
This tool doesn't model every credit or deduction -- the Earned Income Tax Credit, education credits, dependent care credit, state tax deductions beyond the standard/itemized choice, self-employment income (use the Self-Employment Tax Calculator for that), or capital gains (use the Capital Gains Tax Calculator). It also assumes you're using the current year's withholding pattern for the full year. For an exact number, use IRS Free File, tax software, or a preparer.
This is an estimate from the inputs you enter and the published rates above, not tax advice, and this site is not affiliated with the IRS, any state revenue department, or the Social Security Administration. Real tax bills involve credits, deductions and filing details this tool can't model -- see the Terms.