US Federal Income Tax Calculator

Taxable income = Gross income − max(Standard deduction, Itemised deductions)
Tax = Σ (taxable income falling within each bracket × that bracket rate)
Effective rate = Tax / Gross income

• Filing statussingle, married filing jointly, married filing separately, or head of household; each has its own deduction and bracket widths
• Marginal ratethe rate on your next dollar of income, which is the top bracket you reach
• Effective ratewhat you actually pay across all brackets, always lower than the marginal rate

• Bracket thresholds and the standard deduction are inflation-adjusted by the IRS every year, and the rate schedule itself changes with legislation. The example names tax year 2024 explicitly because the figures are only valid for that year; the tool applies the schedule for the year it is set to.
• This covers federal income tax alone. Social Security and Medicare payroll tax of 7.65% sits on top and is calculated on gross wages before any deduction, so a paycheck estimate needs both.
• Long-term capital gains and qualified dividends use a separate 0/15/20% schedule stacked on top of ordinary income rather than mixed into these brackets. Feeding investment income into an ordinary bracket calculation overstates the tax.
• The result is liability, not a refund or a bill. What you owe in April is liability less withholding and estimated payments, which is why two people with identical income can see wildly different April outcomes.
• Credits and deductions behave differently. A $2,000 deduction saves $2,000 times your marginal rate; a $2,000 credit saves $2,000 flat, and refundable credits can pay out below zero liability.