Tax Bracket Calculator
Almost everyone believes a pay rise can push them into a higher bracket and leave them worse off. That is not how it works. Only the part above the line is taxed higher. This shows your bracket, the rate you actually pay, and exactly how much of a rise you keep.
Your top rate is
0%
- What you actually pay overall
- 0%
- Federal tax owed
- $0
- Left after federal tax
- $0
- Taxed after your deduction
- $0
- Room left in this band
- -
What you pay against what you keep
The green block is left after federal tax and it stays yours. The orange is federal tax owed and it does not come back.
Move it and watch
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at {v} for what you earn before tax
And what you can change
Why your own figure may differ
Where your money actually falls
Your income is not taxed at one rate. It is sliced up, and each slice is taxed at its own rate. This is your income, sliced.
| Rate | Income in this band | Tax from this band |
|---|
The same income, filed four ways
| How you file | Deduction | Tax owed | Actual rate |
|---|
Tax brackets: real examples
Three things people get wrong about brackets. Click any card to load it.
- The bracket myth
A $5,000 rise that crosses a bracket line
Earning $120,000, filing on your own. The rise pushes part of your income into the next band.
You pay $1,164 more tax and keep $3,836. You are better off, not worse. Crossing a line never costs you money.
Load this scenario in the calculator → - Marginal vs actual
Being "in the 22% bracket"
Earning $80,000 on your own.
Your next dollar is taxed at 22%, but across everything you pay about 11%. The bracket number is not what you pay.
Load this scenario in the calculator → - How you file matters
The same $120,000, four different ways
Identical income, different filing status.
The table shows all four side by side. Filing jointly on one income is markedly cheaper than filing alone.
Load this scenario in the calculator →
Common questions about tax brackets
If a pay rise moves me into a higher bracket, do I take home less?
No. This is the most common money myth there is, and it is simply wrong. Only the part of your income above the line is taxed at the higher rate. Everything below it carries on being taxed exactly as before. A pay rise always leaves you with more. This calculator shows you exactly how much of any rise you keep.
What is the difference between my marginal rate and my effective rate?
Your marginal rate is what your next dollar is taxed at - the number people mean when they say "I am in the 24% bracket". Your effective rate is what you actually pay across all your income, and it is always lower. Someone in the 24% bracket typically pays well under 20% overall.
What is the standard deduction?
An amount everyone can take off their income before any tax is worked out. For 2026 it is $16,100 filing on your own, $32,200 for a married couple filing together, and $24,150 for head of household. It means the first chunk of what you earn is not taxed at all.
Where do these numbers come from?
Straight from the IRS. The bands come from Revenue Procedure 2025-32, the document the IRS publishes each year setting them. We checked them on 2026-08-17. As a test, our numbers reproduce the IRS's own published figure for the tax at the top of the 35% band for joint filers, to the cent.
Does this include state tax?
No, this is federal only. Most states charge their own income tax on top, and a few charge none at all. Some cities add another layer. So your real deductions will usually be higher than the figure here.
Should I file jointly or separately if I am married?
Filing jointly is usually cheaper, and the comparison table on this page shows the difference on your own income. There are situations where filing separately wins, often to do with student loan repayments or large medical costs, but they are the exception.