Walk through Form 1040 line by line with verified 2026 IRS brackets. Includes AMT, NIIT, IRMAA, QBI deduction, ACA repayment, and approximate state-tax estimates for all 50 states + DC.
Most tax calculators online use last year's brackets, skip AMT entirely, ignore the Net Investment Income Tax, and don't model IRMAA at all. This one doesn't. The 2026 IRS limits are verified against Rev. Proc. 2025-32 (the official 2026 inflation-adjusted amounts), and the calculator handles the things that catch real filers off-guard:
State tax is an approximate estimate built on simplified brackets — not a verified calculation. Always verify state numbers with your state tax authority or a qualified preparer. The federal calculation is verified against the published 2026 brackets.
Real-world use: most people use this in November or December to project their year-end tax position and decide whether to make additional retirement contributions, harvest losses, do a Roth conversion, or pay quarterly estimated tax. The "year-end planning view" shows the specific levers available and what each one does to your refund or balance due.
Step 1 — Enter income. W-2 wages (self and spouse), self-employment, interest, dividends, capital gains (split into short-term and long-term), rental, pension, Social Security, and any other 1040 income.
Step 2 — Enter adjustments and deductions. Pre-tax retirement contributions (401(k), 403(b), 457(b), HSA, FSA), HSA contributions, self-employment health insurance, and either standard deduction or itemized (SALT, mortgage interest, charitable, medical). For 2026 the standard deduction is $30,000 MFJ / $15,000 single.
Step 3 — Enter credits. Child Tax Credit ($2,000 per qualifying child), CTC additional refundable portion, Child Care Credit, education credits (AOTC, LLC), Saver's Credit, and any others applicable. The calculator handles the income phaseouts.
Output: your federal refund or balance due, with the marginal and effective rates displayed, plus an approximate state tax. The year-end planning view shows what's still adjustable before Dec 31.
Enter wages, retirement contributions, deductions, and credits. The estimator returns your refund or balance due plus a year-end planning view showing what to adjust before December 31.
Open the estimator →Single: 10% to $11,925 / 12% to $48,475 / 22% to $103,350 / 24% to $197,300 / 32% to $250,525 / 35% to $626,350 / 37% above. MFJ: 10% to $23,850 / 12% to $96,950 / 22% to $206,700 / 24% to $394,600 / 32% to $501,050 / 35% to $751,600 / 37% above. Standard deduction: $30,000 MFJ / $15,000 single / $22,500 HoH. All verified against IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32.
$24,500 elective deferral (up from $23,500 in 2025). Age 50+ catch-up: $8,000. Age 60–63 super catch-up under SECURE 2.0: $11,250 (replaces the standard $8,000 for these ages only). Total IRS 415(c) annual additions limit (employer + employee combined): $72,000 for 2026 (the relevant cap for mega-backdoor Roth and After-Tax DCP strategies).
Section 199A allows pass-through business owners (sole props, S-corp owners, partnerships) to deduct up to 20% of qualified business income from taxable income. Subject to income phaseouts: starts at $241,950 single / $483,900 MFJ for 2026. Specified Service Trade or Business (SSTB) owners (lawyers, doctors, consultants, etc.) face a stricter phaseout. The calculator handles both the QBI math and the SSTB limitation.
Marginal rate is the rate you pay on your LAST dollar of income — useful for planning whether to take a Roth conversion or accept a side-job 1099. Effective rate is your total tax divided by your total income — useful for comparison shopping (am I paying more than I should?). Most filers see an effective rate 5–10 percentage points lower than their marginal rate because of the standard deduction, lower brackets on initial income, and credits.
Each state's tax code has dozens of special rules — itemized deduction differences, state-specific credits, separate AMT rules, mandatory add-backs and subtractions. Modeling all 50 states + DC at the same precision as federal would require state-by-state engineering. The state portion uses simplified bracket math which is reasonably close (within 10–15%) for most W-2 filers but should always be verified with the state's official calculator or a tax preparer before relying on the number.