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Tax bracket calculator

Enter your income and filing status to see your 2026 federal income tax, your marginal and effective rate, and how much of your income lands in each bracket.

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StockEducation Editorial Team · Updated · 9 min read · How we check our tools

The calculator

Find your 2026 tax bracket

Output Calculated from your inputs

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Tax year 2026Federal · Educational

Your 2026 income assumptions

Estimate ordinary federal income tax and see exactly how taxable income fills each bracket.

$
$
Simplified estimate for deductible pre-tax amounts entered by you.
$
Estimated 2026 ordinary federal income tax
$—

Estimate of 2026 ordinary federal income tax: entered income less adjustments and the selected deduction, then tax stacked across brackets. Effective rate uses gross income. Deduction eligibility is not checked. Credits, payroll/state taxes, capital-gain rates, AMT, NIIT and special deductions are excluded. Full method · IRS 2026 tables.

Taxable income and bracket information will appear here.
Taxable income$—
Marginal rate—
Effective rate—
Deduction used$—
After federal tax & pre-tax amounts$—
Scope: Ordinary federal income tax only. No credits, payroll tax, state tax, capital-gain rates, AMT, NIIT or special deductions.
How your taxable income fills the brackets
BracketIncome in bracketTax from bracket

Educational estimate only. Tax year 2026 rules shown. Returns filed in 2027 can involve credits, special income, additional deductions and other provisions not modeled here.

How to use it (three steps)

Choose your filing status, enter your income and anything you pay in before tax, such as 401(k) contributions, pick the standard deduction or enter your itemized deductions, then press Calculate federal tax brackets. Not sure what to try? Load an example.

  1. 1Choose your filing status and enter your income and pre tax contributions
  2. 2Press Calculate and read your marginal and effective rates
  3. 3Add a $5,000 401(k) contribution and see the tax saved

Your result in words

2026 federal estimate

Your result will appear here once the calculator runs.

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    Quick answer

    What tax bracket am I in for 2026?

    Your bracket is the rate on your next dollar of taxable income, not all of it. A single filer earning $100,000 takes off the $16,100 standard deduction, leaving $83,900 of taxable income. The first $12,400 is taxed at 10%, the next $38,000 at 12% and the rest at 22%. That puts them in the 22% bracket, but their total federal income tax is $13,170, an effective rate of 13.2%.1

    Taxable income$83,900
    Tax$13,170
    Bracket22%
    Effective rate13.2%

    Checked against IRS · see sources

    Key takeaways
    • Layers. Each bracket taxes only the income inside it.
    • Bracket. The rate on your next taxable dollar of taxable income.
    • Effective rate. Total tax ÷ gross income; zero when no tax is estimated.
    • Example. Single, $100,000: $13,170, 22% bracket, 13.2% effective.
    • Raises. A higher bracket never cuts your take home pay.
    • Saving before tax. It comes off your top rate: $10,000 saves $2,200 at 22%.

    How brackets fillTax at different incomesWhat is left outTest yourself

    Part 1 of 3 · How it works

    How do tax brackets work?

    The U.S. taxes income in layers. Each layer has its own rate, and moving into a higher bracket only raises the rate on the dollars inside it.

    1

    How does $100,000 fill the brackets?

    Federal tax by bracket, single filer, $100,000 income, 2026

    Total: $13,170. Only the top $33,500 is taxed at 22%.
    2

    Will a raise push me into a higher bracket and cut my pay?

    No. Only the dollars above the bracket line are taxed at the higher rate. A raise always leaves you with more after federal income tax, never less.

    3

    What are the 2026 brackets?

    2026 federal income tax brackets for single filers (taxable income)
    RateTaxable income up to
    10%$12,400
    12%$50,400
    22%$105,700
    24%$201,775
    32%$256,225
    35%$640,600
    37%Above $640,600

    Source: IRS. Married filing jointly brackets are double for most rates. The 2026 standard deduction is $16,100 single, $32,200 married filing jointly and $24,150 head of household.2

    The rule

    Your bracket is the rate on your next taxable dollar. Your effective rate is what you really pay.

    Marks Part 1 done

    Part 2 of 3 · Tax at different incomes

    How much federal tax do I pay at different incomes?

    The effective rate rises slowly because every filer pays the low rates on their first dollars.

    4

    What do single filers pay?

    2026 federal income tax, single filer, standard deduction
    IncomeTaxBracketEffective rate
    $50,000$3,82012%7.6%
    $75,000$7,67022%10.2%
    $100,000$13,17022%13.2%
    $150,000$24,73424%16.5%
    $250,000$51,30432%20.5%

    All figures from this calculator on October 15, 2026. Effective rate = tax ÷ gross income.

    5

    How much does filing status change it?

    A lot. At $100,000, a married couple filing jointly pays $7,640, not $13,170, because their deduction and brackets are about twice as wide. A head of household earning $80,000 pays $6,348.

    6

    How do 401(k) contributions cut my tax?

    Money you put into a traditional 401(k) comes off the top of your income, at your highest rate. A single filer earning $100,000 who contributes $10,000 pays $10,970 instead of $13,170, saving $2,200. Contribute the 2026 maximum of $24,500 and the tax drops to $7,780.

    The rule

    Saving before tax takes money off your top bracket, so it saves the most tax per dollar.

    Marks Part 2 done

    Part 3 of 3 · What is left out

    What does this tax bracket calculator leave out?

    The calculator covers ordinary federal income tax only. Your full tax bill has more parts.

    7

    What is not included?

    • Tax credits, such as the child tax credit, which cut your tax directly.
    • Payroll taxes for Social Security and Medicare, and state and local income tax.
    • Capital gains rates. Long term gains and qualified dividends use separate 0%, 15% and 20% rates.
    • AMT, the net investment income tax and special deductions.
    Your turn

    See how a stock sale is taxed. The stock profit after tax calculator stacks a gain on top of your income and shows the federal, NIIT and state tax.

    Open the after tax calculator Free, no signup.
    The rule

    Use the bracket to make decisions. Use tax software or a professional to file.

    Marks Part 3 done

    Mistakes to avoid

    Three mistakes to avoid, and what to do instead

    Thinking a raise can cost you money

    Only the dollars above a bracket line are taxed at the higher rate. A raise never lowers your take home pay through brackets alone.

    Confusing marginal and effective rates

    Your marginal rate applies to the next taxable dollar; your effective rate is tax divided by gross income. With zero taxable income, both displayed rates are zero.

    Ignoring pre tax contributions

    401(k) and HSA contributions lower taxable income now. They are often the simplest tax move available.

    Quick check

    Three quick questions and one why

    0 of 3 answered

    1. A single filer has $60,000 of taxable income in 2026. What is their bracket?

    Answer: C, 22%.The 12% bracket ends at $50,400, so the dollars from $50,400 to $60,000 are taxed at 22%.

    2. You move from the 22% bracket into the 24% bracket. Which dollars are taxed at 24%?

    Answer: B, only the dollars above the 24% line.Each rate applies only to the income inside its bracket.

    3. In the 22% bracket, about how much federal income tax does a $1,000 traditional 401(k) contribution save?

    Answer: C, about $220.The contribution comes off your top dollars, which are taxed at 22%.
    Why: why is my effective rate so much lower than my bracket?

    Your first dollars are taxed at 10% and 12%, and the standard deduction is not taxed at all. The higher rate only touches your top slice, so the average across all your income is lower.

    Common questions

    Tax Bracket Calculator FAQ

    What is the difference between marginal and effective tax rate?

    Marginal is the rate on your next dollar of taxable income. Effective is your total tax divided by your income. This calculator uses gross income for the effective rate.

    Should I take the standard deduction or itemize?

    Itemize only if your deductions, such as mortgage interest, state and local taxes and charity, add up to more than your standard deduction. Enter them to compare.

    Is this for the tax return I file in 2027?

    Yes. It uses the 2026 tax year rules, which apply to returns filed in early 2027.

    Does this include state tax?

    No. It estimates federal income tax only.

    Can I save or share my numbers?

    Yes. Save my numbers keeps your inputs on this device, and Copy link to these numbers creates a link that opens the calculator with them and nothing else.

    Next steps

    You know your bracket. Now learn how your investments are taxed.

    A free account saves your course progress and opens the $1,000,000 practice simulator, where you can watch real U.S. stocks rise and fall with virtual money before any of your own is at stake.

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    Tax brackets on one card, and where to go next
    1. Step 1 · DoneHow tax brackets work
      See it on one card
      1. Layers. Each bracket taxes only the income inside it.
      2. Bracket. The rate on your next taxable dollar of taxable income.
      3. Effective rate. Total tax ÷ gross income; zero when no tax is estimated.
      4. Example. Single, $100,000: $13,170, 22% bracket, 13.2% effective.
      5. Raises. A higher bracket never cuts your take home pay.
      6. Saving before tax. It comes off your top rate: $10,000 saves $2,200 at 22%.
    2. 2
      Step 2 · NowTax on a stock sale

      See what a gain costs on top of your income.

      Open the after tax calculator Free, no signup.
    3. 3
      Step 3Follow the learning path
      The learning pathFree

      Learn the rest in the right order

      Lessons, videos, tools and quizzes, ordered so each step builds on the last, from market basics to building a portfolio.

      Start the learning path

    Want the full sequence? See the course outline →

    Sources and assumptions

    1. IRS: Federal income tax rates and brackets. How brackets apply to taxable income.
    2. IRS: Inflation adjusted tax items by tax year. The 2026 brackets and standard deductions.

    Method: taxable income = gross ordinary income − the adjustments entered (amounts paid in before tax) − the 2026 standard deduction or the itemized amount entered. Tax is calculated bracket by bracket using the 2026 federal rates for the chosen filing status. Effective rate = tax ÷ gross income. Credits, payroll and state taxes, capital gains rates, AMT, NIIT and special deductions are excluded, and deduction eligibility is not checked. Every figure on this page came from this calculator on October 15, 2026.

    Page history. October 22, 2026: page rebuilt around the unchanged live tool. Worked examples were produced with this tool on the date given beside each one.

    StockEducation provides general education, not personal financial, tax or legal advice. Results are illustrations based on the assumptions you enter, not forecasts or promises of any return. Investing involves risk, including the loss of money you invest.

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