What this calculator does
Find out which 2026 federal tax bracket you're in, and how close you are to the next one. A tax bracket is a band of income taxed at one rate. There are seven bands, from 10% up to 37%. Your bracket is the band your last dollar of taxable income lands in.
The calculator shows the tax from each band and your average rate. It also shows two numbers people often want. One is how much more you could earn before the next rate starts. The other is how much you'd need to cut to drop a band. You can also test a raise or bonus to see what it would add. For a full return with credits and a refund, use the income tax calculator. This page is an estimate, not tax advice.
Where it's used
Why this math matters outside the classroom:
- Planning a raise. A single worker with $53,900 of taxable income sees that a $10,000 raise stays in the 22% band and adds $2,200 of tax.
- Sizing a 401(k) contribution. Someone $3,500 into the 22% band finds that a $3,500 pre-tax contribution saves $770 and brings the last dollar back to 12%.
- Timing a Roth conversion. A retiree checks the room left before the next band so a conversion is taxed at the current rate, not a higher one.
- Economics classes. Students tax each slice of income at its own rate and add the pieces to see why the average rate is lower than the top rate.
Grade level and standards: Grades 7–8; Common Core State Standards for Mathematics 7.RP.A.3. © Copyright 2010. National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and Council of Chief State School Officers. All rights reserved.
How to use it
- Choose your 2026 filing status.
- Pick whether you'll enter gross income (the calculator takes off the standard deduction) or taxable income you already know.
- Enter the income. Add an extra amount if you want to test a raise, a bonus or a side job.
- Read your bracket, the room left before the next one and the table of all seven bands.
What the inputs mean
- The income you'll enter
- Taxable income is what's left after deductions. It's on line 15 of Form 1040. If you pick gross income, the calculator subtracts the 2026 standard deduction for your filing status. If you itemize, or get extra deductions for age 65 or blindness, enter your taxable income instead.
- Income for the year
- All ordinary income for the year: wages, salary, bonuses, interest and taxable retirement withdrawals. Long-term capital gains and qualified dividends have their own lower rates and aren't covered here.
- Extra income to test (optional)
- Any amount you're thinking of adding. The calculator adds it on top of your income and shows the extra federal tax. Social Security, Medicare and state tax aren't included.
Formula and method
taxable income = gross income − standard deduction (never below zero) tax = Σ (bracket rate × your income inside that bracket) room to next bracket = next bracket's starting point − taxable income cut to drop a bracket = taxable income − this bracket's starting point tax on extra income = tax with the extra − tax without it
In the formulas, Σ means "add up". The 2026 standard deduction is $16,100 for single filers and married people filing separately. It's $24,150 for heads of household and $32,200 for married couples filing jointly.
Each rate applies only to the slice of income inside its band. Earning more never leaves you with less money after federal income tax. Only the dollars above a band's starting point pay the higher rate.
The room to the next bracket is the gap between your taxable income and where the next band starts. Extra income up to that amount is taxed at your current rate. The cut to drop a bracket works the other way. It's how far you are into your current band.
For single filers in 2026, the bands start at $0, $12,400, $50,400, $105,700, $201,775, $256,225 and $640,600 of taxable income. The table under the result shows the bands for the filing status you choose.
Worked example
A single filer has $70,000 of gross income in 2026 and takes the standard deduction.
- Taxable income: $70,000 − $16,100 = $53,900.
- 10% on the first $12,400 = $1,240. 12% on the next $38,000 = $4,560. 22% on the last $3,500 = $770.
- Total tax: $1,240 + $4,560 + $770 = $6,570.
- The last dollar is in the 22% band. The next band, 24%, starts at $105,700, so $105,700 − $53,900 = $51,800 more fits.
- This filer is $53,900 − $50,400 = $3,500 into the 22% band.
- Average rate on taxable income: $6,570 ÷ $53,900 = 12.19%. On gross income: $6,570 ÷ $70,000 = 9.39%.
Result: The filer is in the 22% bracket and owes about $6,570. A $10,000 raise would add $2,200 of federal tax, all at 22%. A $3,500 pre-tax 401(k) contribution would bring the last dollar back to 12%.
Understanding the result
Your bracket tells you what the next dollar costs. In the 22% bracket, $1,000 more income adds $220 of federal tax. A $1,000 deduction saves $220.
The room before the next bracket is useful for planning. It tells you how much extra income, such as a Roth conversion or a bonus, stays at today's rate.
Your average and effective rates are always lower than your bracket. That's because the lower bands and the standard deduction cover the first part of your income.
Assumptions and limitations
- It uses the 2026 federal brackets and standard deductions published by the IRS in Rev. Proc. 2025-32.
- All income is treated as ordinary income. The gross-income option takes off the basic standard deduction only.
- No credits are applied, and amounts aren't rounded until they're shown. Below $100,000, the IRS tax table works in small bands of income, so your return may differ by a few dollars.
- This is an estimate for planning, not tax advice. Check the IRS instructions or ask a tax professional before acting on it.
- Long-term capital gains, qualified dividends, the alternative minimum tax and the net investment income tax aren't included.
- Some deductions and credits shrink as income rises, so a raise can cost a little more than your bracket rate suggests. State income tax and payroll taxes aren't included either.
Frequently asked questions
What tax bracket am I in?
It's the rate of the band your last dollar of taxable income falls in. A single filer with $53,900 of taxable income in 2026 is in the 22% bracket, because that band runs from $50,400 to $105,700.
Does moving into a higher bracket mean all my income is taxed more?
No. Only the dollars above the new band's starting point pay the higher rate. Everything below is taxed exactly as before. So a raise always leaves you with more money after federal income tax.
What's the difference between my bracket and my effective rate?
Your bracket, or marginal rate, is the rate on your next dollar. Your effective rate is your total tax divided by your income. In the example, the bracket is 22% but the effective rate on gross income is about 9.4%.
How can I stay in a lower bracket?
Lowering taxable income is what moves you. Pre-tax contributions to a traditional 401(k), a deductible IRA or an HSA all do that. The "cut needed to drop" figure shows how much it would take.
Are the 2026 brackets different from 2025?
Yes. The IRS raises the starting points each year for inflation, so the same income may fall in a lower band. The rates themselves, 10% to 37%, stayed the same.
How this calculator is checked
Method: Progressive bracket calculation with the 2026 rate tables and standard deduction from IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32 (figures in src/lib/finance/tax-2026.ts); tests check the published base amounts at bracket edges. The calculation is covered by automated tests with known reference values and edge cases. Last updated 2026-10-26. Found a problem? Tell us.
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