Tax Bracket Calculator
What this tax bracket calculator does: it shows how your income is split across tax brackets, how much income tax each bracket charges, and your marginal and effective rates. It loads the 2026 US federal brackets for single filers, and also has UK, Canada (federal), India, and custom bracket sets. Four tabs:
1. Tax Brackets: tax per bracket, your marginal and effective rates, and how far you are from the next bracket
2. Bonus Tax: how much of a bonus is left after income tax
3. Salary Raise: what a raise adds after income tax
4. What-If: the extra tax on any additional income
Free, no sign-up. Your numbers stay in your browser. This covers federal income tax brackets only: no payroll taxes, state tax, or credits. Results are educational estimates, not tax advice.
Find your marginal bracket, room to the next one, and how a raise or bonus is taxed, with the math shown
The US and most systems use a graduated (marginal) structure: only the dollars above each threshold are taxed at the higher rate — spelled out in IRS Publication 17. Earning more never lowers your take-home.
How to use the tax bracket calculator
1. Choose a Tax System. United States 2026 loads the IRS brackets for single filers. Married couples, heads of household, and other countries can edit the rows or choose Custom brackets.
2. Check the Tax Bracket Rates table. Each row has a From, an Up To (blank means no upper limit), and a Rate %. Use + Add Bracket Level or ✕ to change rows.
3. Enter your Annual Gross Income. Deductions / Allowance fills in with the $16,100 standard deduction for single filers in 2026; change it if you itemize or file differently.
4. Click Calculate My Brackets. Save with Copy, CSV, PDF, or Copy Shareable Link.
5. For a bonus, raise, or what-if, open that tab and enter taxable income (after deductions).
How to read your results
| Result | What it means |
|---|---|
| Total Income Tax | Federal income tax on your taxable income, before any credits. |
| Marginal rate | The rate on your last (and next) dollar of taxable income: the bracket you’re in. |
| Effective rate | Total income tax ÷ gross income: the share of all your income that goes to federal income tax. |
| Next-bracket bar | How far through your current bracket you are, and how much more taxable income before the next rate starts. |
| Bracket Breakdown | How much income falls in each bracket and the tax on it. Your current bracket is highlighted. |
| Take-Home | Gross income minus federal income tax only. Payroll taxes and state tax would lower it further. |
Worked example: $85,000 salary, single filer, 2026
Here’s one example run through the calculator: $85,000 gross income, the $16,100 standard deduction, 2026 US brackets for single filers.
| Bracket | Rate | Income in bracket | Tax |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0 – $12,400 | 10% | $12,400 | $1,240 |
| $12,400 – $50,400 | 12% | $38,000 | $4,560 |
| $50,400 – $105,700 | 22% | $18,500 | $4,070 |
| Total federal income tax | $9,870 | ||
🧮 How this was calculated
- Taxable income: $85,000 − $16,100 = $68,900
- 10% bracket: $12,400 × 10% = $1,240
- 12% bracket: ($50,400 − $12,400) × 12% = $38,000 × 12% = $4,560
- 22% bracket: ($68,900 − $50,400) × 22% = $18,500 × 22% = $4,070
- Total: $1,240 + $4,560 + $4,070 = $9,870. Effective rate: $9,870 ÷ $85,000 = 11.61%. Marginal rate: 22%
- Room to the 24% bracket: $105,700 − $68,900 = $36,800 of taxable income
Assumptions: single filer · standard deduction · no credits · federal income tax only (no Social Security, Medicare, or state tax).
In the other tabs, the same person’s next $1,000 keeps $780 after the 22% rate. A $5,000 bonus adds $5,000 × 22% = $1,100 of income tax, since it stays inside the 22% bracket. Raising taxable income to $108,900 adds $8,864 of tax: $36,800 × 22% = $8,096 plus $3,200 × 24% = $768.
Example figures are illustrative, not averages or statistics.
Methodology and sources
1. US brackets and standard deduction: tax year 2026 figures for single filers from the IRS (Revenue Procedure 2025-32). Married filing jointly, head of household, and married filing separately have different thresholds and deductions; enter them as custom rows.
2. Tax per bracket: for each bracket, (the smaller of taxable income or the bracket’s top − the bracket’s bottom) × the rate, added together.
3. Effective rate is calculated on gross income, not taxable income.
4. Bonus withholding: IRS Publication 15 lets employers withhold federal income tax on supplemental wages such as bonuses at a flat 22% (37% on supplemental wages over $1 million). Withholding is an advance payment; your actual tax is settled on your return.
5. Other presets: UK 2026/27 bands after the £12,570 personal allowance (the allowance taper above £100,000 isn’t modeled); Canada 2026 federal brackets only; India FY 2025-26 new regime before the rebate and cess.
6. Not included: payroll taxes, state and local income tax, tax credits, capital gains rates, and the alternative minimum tax. The Income Tax Calculator covers more of these.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. If I move into a higher tax bracket, will I take home less money?
Ans: No. Because of the progressive tax system, you only pay the higher tax rate on the specific portion of your income that falls into that new bracket. The rest is still taxed at lower rates.
2. If I move into a higher tax bracket, will I take home less money?
Ans: Not because of income tax brackets. Only the dollars above the bracket threshold are taxed at the higher rate; income below it keeps its lower rates. In the example, crossing into the 24% bracket by $3,200 adds $768 of tax on that $3,200, not on the whole income.
3. What is the difference between my marginal rate and my effective rate?
Ans: The marginal rate is the rate on your last dollar of taxable income. The effective rate is your total income tax divided by your income. With $85,000 of income in 2026, a single filer’s marginal rate is 22% but the effective rate is 11.61%.
4. What are the 2026 federal tax brackets for single filers?
Ans: According to the IRS: 10% up to $12,400; 12% to $50,400; 22% to $105,700; 24% to $201,775; 32% to $256,225; 35% to $640,600; and 37% above that. These apply to taxable income, after deductions.
5. Are bonuses taxed at a higher rate?
Ans: A bonus is income and is taxed at your ordinary rates when you file. Employers may withhold at a flat 22% for federal income tax, which can be more or less than your actual rate. The difference is settled on your tax return.
6. How do deductions affect my bracket?
Ans: Deductions lower taxable income, and the tax saved equals the deduction times the rate of the brackets it removes. The $16,100 standard deduction in the example saves $16,100 × 22% = $3,542, because that income would otherwise have fallen in the 22% bracket.
7. Does this include Social Security, Medicare, or state taxes?
Ans: No. It covers federal income tax brackets only. Payroll taxes and state income tax are separate and would reduce take-home pay further. The Income Tax Calculator includes payroll taxes.
Kevin Brown researches personal finance topics using official sources; he is not a licensed financial advisor or mortgage lender. Last reviewed: October 2026.
