Fast Income Tax Calculator 2026 — Federal Tax in 30 Seconds
Two inputs, one button, instant answer. Pick your filing status, type your gross income, and see your 2026 federal tax, marginal bracket, effective rate, and rough take-home. Built for ballpark estimates, salary comparisons, and quick what-ifs — not full return preparation.
Bracket-by-bracket
| Rate | Income taxed | Tax |
|---|
FICA payroll taxes (7.65%) and state income tax are not included. For full take-home, use the Paycheck Calculator.
What this calculator includes — and what it doesn't
This is the leanest US federal tax calculator on the site. It does one job: take your gross income, subtract the 2026 standard deduction for your filing status, run the result through the federal brackets, and report the total tax, marginal bracket, effective rate, and rough after-federal-tax income. The whole calculation runs in your browser in under 10 milliseconds.
What's not in the answer:
- FICA payroll taxes — Social Security 6.2% + Medicare 1.45% would normally add about 7.65% of your gross. For full take-home, use the Paycheck Calculator.
- State income tax — varies from 0% in nine states to 13.3% top bracket in California. Add it separately with the State Income Tax Calculator.
- Credits — the Child Tax Credit, EITC, education credits, and others can reduce the tax shown here. Use the Tax Return Calculator for credit-aware estimates.
- Itemized deductions — assumes standard deduction always. If you have a large mortgage interest or SALT deduction, the actual tax will be lower.
- Capital gains and qualified dividends — taxed at separate 0/15/20% rates, not at the ordinary brackets used here.
2026 federal tax at common income levels
For sanity-checking the calculator output, here's what a single filer pays at common income points using the 2026 standard deduction of $15,350.
| Gross income | Taxable | Federal tax | Effective rate | Marginal bracket |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $40,000 | $24,650 | $2,715 | 6.8% | 12% |
| $60,000 | $44,650 | $5,115 | 8.5% | 12% |
| $80,000 | $64,650 | $9,032 | 11.3% | 22% |
| $100,000 | $84,650 | $13,432 | 13.4% | 22% |
| $150,000 | $134,650 | $25,894 | 17.3% | 24% |
| $200,000 | $184,650 | $37,894 | 18.9% | 24% |
| $300,000 | $284,650 | $70,026 | 23.3% | 35% |
Use cases — when "fast" beats "complete"
Comparing two job offers. Run the gross of each through this calculator. The after-federal-tax difference is the right number to compare, not the gross. A $110k offer in Texas beats a $115k offer in California once federal and state are layered in.
Negotiating a raise. If you want $5,000 more in take-home, the gross raise needs to be larger because of the marginal bracket. At 24% marginal, you'd need a gross raise of $6,579 to take home $5,000 — and that's before FICA and state.
Forecasting a bonus. Type your salary plus the bonus, then your salary alone. The difference is the federal tax that the bonus will trigger at the end of the year — almost always more than the 22% flat that's withheld up front.
Side-hustle reality check. Adding $20,000 of contractor income to a $90,000 day job pushes you fully into the 24% bracket, plus 15.3% self-employment tax on top. The fast calculator shows the federal income tax piece; add SE tax separately with the SE Tax Calculator.
The 2026 brackets used in this calculator
The seven federal rates are the same for every filing status — what changes is the income each rate applies to. The table below is the basis of the calculation above.
| Rate | Single | Married Filing Jointly | Head of Household |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10% | $0 – $12,150 | $0 – $24,300 | $0 – $17,350 |
| 12% | $12,150 – $49,475 | $24,300 – $98,950 | $17,350 – $66,150 |
| 22% | $49,475 – $105,400 | $98,950 – $210,800 | $66,150 – $105,400 |
| 24% | $105,400 – $201,200 | $210,800 – $402,400 | $105,400 – $201,200 |
| 32% | $201,200 – $255,550 | $402,400 – $511,100 | $201,200 – $255,500 |
| 35% | $255,550 – $638,900 | $511,100 – $766,650 | $255,500 – $638,900 |
| 37% | Over $638,900 | Over $766,650 | Over $638,900 |