Pro Calculator Lab

Calculator

Income Tax Calculator

Estimate 2026 United States federal income tax from ordinary income, deductions, credits, and withholding. This V1 calculator is federal only and does not model state tax, capital gains, AMT, or tax-return preparation.

Trust and methodology

How this calculator is reviewed

Calculation type
2026 US federal individual income-tax estimate
Jurisdiction
United States federal only
Applicable rule year
2026
Calculation rules
income-tax-v1
Engine version
Income Tax Engine V1
Last reviewed
2026-08-01

This is an educational 2026 US federal income-tax estimate from user-entered ordinary-income assumptions, not tax, legal, financial, accounting, payroll, or return-preparation advice.

Primary sources

Known limitations

  • State, local, city, foreign, and Canada income taxes are not included.
  • Capital gains, qualified dividends, net investment income tax, alternative minimum tax, and self-employment tax are excluded.
  • Payroll withholding calculation, employer payroll taxes, penalties, interest, and estimated-payment safe harbors are outside V1.
  • Named credit eligibility, credit phaseouts, filing-status eligibility, dependent rules, age or blindness additions, and detailed itemized deduction rules are not determined.
  • This calculator does not prepare, file, or review tax returns.

Found a calculation issue, outdated source, accessibility problem, or unclear assumption? Contact us.

Enter federal tax details

Defaults are examples only, not recommendations. Enter annual amounts in dollars.

Filing status
$
$
$

Qualified-dividend tax rates are not modeled.

$

Self-employment tax and business schedules are excluded.

$
$
Advanced deductions, credits, and payments
$

Enter one total. The calculator does not determine eligibility.

Deduction method
$
$
$

Include federal withholding and estimated federal tax payments only.

Methodology

How This Income Tax Estimate Works

The locked engine treats supported income fields as ordinary taxable income, subtracts user-entered above-the-line deductions, applies the selected deduction method, and uses 2026 federal ordinary-income brackets for the selected filing status.

Nonrefundable credits can reduce estimated tax to zero but not below zero. Refundable credits and federal withholding or estimated payments then affect the estimated balance due or refund. The calculator does not prepare a tax return or determine eligibility for filing statuses, deductions, or credits.

Federal only

State, city, and local income taxes are not calculated. Canada and payroll withholding are also outside this annual income-tax V1.

Ordinary income

Wages, taxable interest, ordinary dividends, taxable retirement income, and other entered income are treated as ordinary income.

Rule version

Methodology version us-federal-income-tax-2026-v1; source review date 2026-08-04.

Worked Examples

Single filer, standard deduction

A single filer with $60,000 of wages and the 2026 standard deduction has $43,900 of taxable income in the locked test vector.

Federal income tax
$5,020.00
Marginal rate
12%
Effective rate
8.366667%

Withholding comparison

With the same $5,020.00 estimated federal tax, $5,000.00 of federal withholding leaves an estimated $20.00 balance due. $7,000.00 of withholding produces an estimated $1,980.00 refund.

Balance due example
$20.00
Refund example
$1,980.00

Credits and withholding

In the locked credits vector, $1,000.00 of nonrefundable credits, $2,000.00 of refundable credits, and $3,000.00 of withholding produce an estimated $980.00 refund.

Estimated tax after credits
$2,020.00
Estimated refund
$980.00

Scope and Limitations

  • Only tax year 2026 United States federal ordinary-income calculations are supported.
  • State, city, local, foreign, and Canada income taxes are excluded.
  • Capital gains, qualified dividends, AMT, NIIT, self-employment tax, payroll withholding, penalties, and interest are excluded.
  • Filing-status eligibility, dependent rules, age or blindness additions, detailed itemized deductions, and named credit eligibility are not determined.
  • Results are estimates and are not tax, legal, financial, accounting, or return-preparation advice.

Income Tax Calculator FAQ

What does this income tax calculator include?

It estimates 2026 United States federal individual income tax using ordinary income, the selected filing status, the 2026 standard deduction or one user-entered itemized total, user-entered credits, and user-entered federal withholding or payments.

Does it include state or local income tax?

No. State, city, county, and local income taxes are outside V1. The result is federal only.

Does it calculate capital gains or qualified dividends?

No. All supported income fields are treated as ordinary income. Capital gains, qualified dividends, net investment income tax, and special investment rules are excluded.

How do deductions work?

You can use the 2026 standard deduction, enter one itemized deduction total, or let the engine use the larger of those two values. It does not determine whether specific deductions are allowed.

How do credits work?

You can enter total nonrefundable credits and total refundable credits. The calculator applies those totals mathematically, but it does not determine eligibility, phaseouts, or named credit rules.

Is the result my final tax return or refund?

No. The result is an educational estimate. A real return can depend on forms, eligibility, special income, deductions, credits, payments, penalties, and rules outside this calculator.

Why does withholding change balance due or refund?

Federal withholding and estimated payments are compared with the estimated federal tax after credits. More entered payments can move the estimate from balance due to refund.

Does this calculate paycheck withholding?

No. This is an annual federal income tax estimator. Use the Salary / Take-Home Pay Calculator for federal payroll withholding estimates.

What tax year is supported?

V1 supports tax year 2026 using the locked 2026 federal ordinary-income bracket and standard-deduction rules.

Does it support Canada?

No. Canada federal, provincial, CPP, CPP2, EI, and payroll calculations are not included in this US federal V1 calculator.

Related calculators

Related tax and finance tools

Use these tools for separate estimates that can affect income, borrowing, and purchase planning.

Browse calculator library
This calculator provides a 2026 United States federal income-tax estimate from user-entered ordinary-income assumptions. It is not tax, legal, financial, accounting, payroll, or return-preparation advice. Read the full disclaimer.