Estimate your federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare tax, and take-home pay from your wages, using the official IRS tax brackets and standard deductions for 2025 and 2026.
Take-home pay by pay period
| Period | Take-home |
|---|
How your income tax is built up
| Bracket rate | Taxable income in bracket | Tax |
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Summary
What this tax calculator does
- Works out federal income tax by bracket for single, married filing jointly, married filing separately and head of household filers.
- Applies the standard deduction (including the extra amount for age 65 or older or blind) or your own itemized total.
- Takes off pre-tax retirement and health contributions, other adjustments and any tax credits you enter.
- Adds Social Security and Medicare tax, including the Additional Medicare Tax on high wages, plus an optional flat state estimate.
- Shows your take-home pay per year, month and pay period, a bracket-by-bracket breakdown and, if you enter the tax already withheld, an estimated refund or amount owed.
How it is calculated
Income after adjustments = wages − pre-tax health and benefits − pre-tax retirement − other adjustments. Taxable income = that amount − your deduction (never below zero). Each slice of taxable income is taxed at its own bracket rate: 10%, 12%, 22%, 24%, 32%, 35% and 37%. Only the part of your income inside a bracket is taxed at that bracket’s rate.
Social Security tax is 6.2% of wages up to the yearly wage base, and Medicare tax is 1.45% of all wages. An Additional Medicare Tax of 0.9% applies to wages above $200,000 (single or head of household), $250,000 (married filing jointly) or $125,000 (married filing separately). Pre-tax retirement contributions lower income tax but not these payroll taxes; pre-tax health and benefit deductions lower both.
Worked example, 2026, single, $75,000 of wages, standard deduction of $16,100: taxable income is $58,900. Tax is $5,800 on the first $50,400 (the IRS figure for that point), plus 22% of the remaining $8,500, which is $1,870, so $7,670 in total. Social Security is $4,650 and Medicare is $1,087.50, so take-home pay is $61,592.50 a year before any state tax.
The numbers used
| Tax year | Standard deduction: single / joint / head of household | Top 37% bracket starts (single) | Social Security wage base |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $15,750 / $31,500 / $23,625 | $626,350 | $176,100 |
| 2026 | $16,100 / $32,200 / $24,150 | $640,600 | $184,500 |
The 2026 brackets and standard deductions come from the IRS inflation adjustments for tax year 2026 (IRS announcement), whose full tables are in Revenue Procedure 2025-32 (Internal Revenue Bulletin 2025-45). The 2025 brackets are on the IRS tax rates and brackets page. The Social Security wage base comes from the Social Security Administration. The extra standard deduction for age 65 or older or blind is $1,650 per box checked ($2,050 if you are unmarried) for 2026, and $1,600 ($2,000) for 2025.
Things to keep in mind
This is an estimate for wage income. It does not include self-employment tax, capital gains, the alternative minimum tax, or deductions and credits that depend on your situation, such as the senior, tips and overtime deductions introduced by the 2025 tax law. If you qualify for any of these, add them to the other adjustments, itemized deductions or tax credits fields, or use the IRS tools or a tax professional. The state and local figure is a single flat percentage that you choose, so it is only a rough guide; real state taxes have their own brackets and deductions. Enter pre-tax retirement and health amounts as the yearly total from your pay stubs. Tax laws and limits change every year. These results are estimates for general information only and are not financial, tax, investment or legal advice. Real products have fees, rules and rates that differ, so check the details with your lender, provider or a qualified adviser.
Frequently asked questions
Is 2026 the tax I will file in 2027?
Yes. Tax year 2026 covers income you earn in 2026 and is reported on the return you file in early 2027. Tax year 2025 is the return filed in 2026.
What is the difference between marginal and effective tax rate?
The marginal rate is the rate on your last dollar of taxable income, shown as the top bracket you reach. The effective rate is your total federal income tax divided by your wages, which is always lower.
Why is my take-home pay different from my pay stub?
Pay stubs also take out state tax, local tax, insurance, loan repayments and other deductions that this estimate does not know about, and withholding is only an estimate of your final tax.
Does it include state income tax?
Only if you type a rate into the optional state field. It is applied as a flat percentage of your income after adjustments.
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