2026 US tax estimate
Estimate federal income tax, employee payroll taxes, state income tax, and take-home income.
Planning estimate only; tax credits, dependents, local taxes, and state-specific deductions are not included.
Federal tax uses the 2026 standard deduction and progressive brackets for single and joint filers. Social Security is estimated at 6.2% up to the 2026 wage base, and Medicare at 1.45% plus applicable Additional Medicare Tax.
State rules differ by filing status, deductions, exemptions, credits, counties, and cities. The selector provides a representative planning rate—not a tax return calculation.
It estimates federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare, and state income tax from a gross annual income, filing status, and state, then shows an estimated take-home amount and effective tax rate. It is meant for quick planning — comparing job offers, budgeting, or sanity-checking a paycheck — not for filing an actual tax return.
A single filer earning $85,000 in California, with no pre-tax deductions, comes out to roughly $9,870 in federal income tax, $5,270 in Social Security, $1,233 in Medicare, and about $7,905 in estimated state tax using California's representative rate — leaving an estimated take-home of around $60,723, or an effective tax rate near 28.6%. Switching the filing status to married filing jointly, or moving to a no-income-tax state, changes the state tax line to zero and noticeably raises the take-home estimate.
State tax rules vary by filing status, deductions, exemptions, credits, counties, and cities, so a single percentage can only approximate your real state liability. Editing the rate lets you substitute a more accurate figure if you know it.
Federal brackets and the standard deduction are based on the IRS's published 2026 inflation adjustments. Social Security is estimated at 6.2% up to the 2026 wage base, and Medicare at 1.45% plus the Additional Medicare Tax above the applicable threshold.
No. It is a quick planning estimate. For an actual return, use tax preparation software or a qualified tax preparer who can account for your full financial situation.
Yes — switching the state selector is a fast way to see how take-home pay might differ for the same gross income across states, though local taxes and cost of living still need separate research.