Estimate federal income tax, then compare it with withholding and payments to see a projected refund or amount owed.
The example shows the required inputs. Replace only the values that apply to you.
Federal ordinary-income planning estimate. Payroll details, refundable credits, self-employment tax, investment surtaxes and state tax can change the filed return.
IRS 2025 and 2026 rate schedules reviewed August 6, 2026
Income included in this planning estimate
Subtract eligible above-the-line amounts entered by you
Use the larger entered itemized amount or standard deduction
Apply each progressive band to taxable income
Subtract simple credits, never below zero
Federal ordinary-income estimate before withholding
Projected refund or amount owed = federal withholding + estimated payments − estimated federal tax after deductions and credits.
Choose the year and filing status, enter gross income and federal withholding, then add adjustments, deductions, credits or estimated payments only when they apply. The standard deduction is filled automatically unless your entered itemized amount is higher.
A positive payment difference is shown as a projected refund; a negative difference is shown as a projected amount owed. The result is a planning estimate, not a completed tax return.
Result: $9,210 estimated federal income tax. If $10,500 was withheld and no estimated payments were made, the planning difference is a $1,290 refund before items outside this simplified model.
Tax law depends on facts this tool cannot collect. Do not use the result as the sole basis for filing, withholding or payment decisions.
No. Federal brackets are marginal: only the layer of taxable income inside the higher bracket receives the higher rate.
The calculator now compares estimated tax with entered withholding and payments, but a filed return can include refundable credits, payroll corrections, other taxes, phaseouts and income categories that are not modeled here.
Yes. The 2026 schedules and standard deductions use IRS Revenue Procedure 2025-32 as modified after the 2025 federal tax law changes.
Use a worked example or read about a rule that affects the result.
Follow one single-filer example through adjustments, the standard deduction, three marginal brackets, and the final planning estimate.
Read the guide →Understand why your top bracket, total tax divided by taxable income, and total tax divided by gross income answer different questions.
Read the guide →Map the three income layers to a federal tax calculator and see why using gross pay in every field can materially overstate tax.
Read the guide →Compare the two deduction paths without simply adding them together or assuming the larger raw total is automatically allowable.
Read the guide →Turn annual salary into per-paycheck federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare and estimated take-home pay.
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