Income Tax Estimator
Estimate your federal income tax using current tax brackets. See your effective tax rate, marginal rate, and after-tax income.
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Understanding Federal Income Tax
The US uses a progressive tax system with marginal brackets. This means only income within each bracket is taxed at that bracket's rate — not your entire income. Moving into a higher bracket doesn't mean all your income is taxed at the higher rate.
Effective vs Marginal Tax Rate
Marginal rate: The tax rate on your last dollar of income. This is the bracket your income falls into.
Effective rate: Your actual overall tax rate (total tax ÷ total income). This is always lower than your marginal rate because of the progressive bracket structure.
Standard vs Itemized Deductions
The standard deduction for 2025 is approximately $15,000 for single filers, $30,000 for married filing jointly, and $22,500 for head of household. You should itemize only if your deductible expenses (mortgage interest, state/local taxes up to $10,000, charitable contributions, etc.) exceed the standard deduction.