What Is an Income Tax Calculator?
This calculator estimates US federal income tax using the 2024 tax year's progressive tax brackets and standard deduction — showing how much of your income falls into each bracket and your overall effective tax rate.
How to Use the Income Tax Calculator
- Select your filing status.
- Enter your annual gross income.
- Choose whether to apply the standard deduction.
- View your estimated federal tax and bracket breakdown.
2024 Federal Tax Brackets (Single Filer)
| Rate | Income Range |
|---|---|
| 10% | $0 – $11,600 |
| 12% | $11,600 – $47,150 |
| 22% | $47,150 – $100,525 |
| 24% | $100,525 – $191,950 |
| 32% | $191,950 – $243,725 |
| 35% | $243,725 – $609,350 |
| 37% | $609,350+ |
2024 standard deduction: $14,600 (single) or $29,200 (married filing jointly). Brackets for married filing jointly are roughly double the single brackets shown above.
How Progressive Tax Brackets Work
A common misconception is that your entire income is taxed at your top ("marginal") bracket rate. In reality, each portion of income is taxed at the rate for that specific bracket — only the amount above each threshold is taxed at the next higher rate.
Worked Example
Taxable income: $75,000 − $14,600 = $60,400
10% bracket: $11,600 × 10% = $1,160
12% bracket: ($47,150−$11,600) × 12% = $4,266
22% bracket: ($60,400−$47,150) × 22% = $2,915
Total estimated tax: approximately $8,341
Understanding Your Results
Effective Rate is your total tax divided by gross income — the real overall percentage you pay. Marginal Rate is the rate applied to your last (highest) dollar earned. These are usually quite different, since only the top portion of income is taxed at the marginal rate.
Important Limitations
- This estimates federal income tax only — it does not include state income tax, FICA (Social Security/Medicare), or local taxes.
- It doesn't account for tax credits, itemized deductions, or other adjustments that could change your actual tax liability.
- Tax brackets and the standard deduction change annually — verify current figures at IRS.gov for the actual tax year you're filing.
Frequently Asked Questions
No — this estimates federal income tax only. State income tax varies significantly (some states have none), so check your specific state's tax rules separately.
Marginal rate is the tax rate on your last dollar of income (your top bracket). Effective rate is your total tax divided by your total income — a blended average that's always lower than or equal to your marginal rate under a progressive system.
No — this estimates federal income tax only, not Social Security or Medicare (FICA) taxes, which are calculated separately.
No — under a progressive tax system, only the portion of income within each bracket is taxed at that bracket's rate. Lower portions of income are taxed at lower rates first.
Use whichever is larger for your situation — most filers use the standard deduction since it now exceeds many people's itemizable expenses, but this varies by individual circumstances.