Income tax estimator

Estimate 2026 or 2025 federal income tax, wage tax in supported states, Social Security and Medicare on one employee’s W-2 wages for single or married filing jointly.

Five planning modes, one calculator topic

These modes share an underlying model, not five unrelated formulas.

Wage-only estimate of 2026 tax liability. This is not a withholding calculator and does not predict your refund.

Your numbers

Tax year

State of residence

State tax is modeled for this state.

Filing status

One earner only. Enter wages for a single employee. Married filing jointly here assumes your spouse has no income. If you both work, this will understate your tax.

Gross annual W-2 wages

Full-year gross pay BEFORE retirement deferrals. Do not use W-2 Box 1 if it already excludes your 401(k): that would deduct it twice.

Pretax 401(k) / 403(b) contribution (optional)

$per year

Employee deferral limit under age 50: $24,500. Lowers federal taxable income, not FICA.

Estimated 2026 total tax

$13,935

19.2% effective rate on gross wages, 22% federal marginal bracket

Federal income tax: $6,163
Pennsylvania income tax: $2,226
Social Security: $4,495
Medicare: $1,051
Net after tax and 401(k): $54,215

Federal taxable income

$52,050

Standard deduction

$16,100

What this estimate leaves out

Pennsylvania uses 3.07% of gross wages with no standard deduction. Employee 401(k) contributions remain taxable in PA. Tax Forgiveness and other credits/exclusions are not included; eligible lower-income residents may owe less.
Tax year 2026. Rules reviewed October 22, 2026; later changes are not applied automatically.
W-2 wages for ONE employee only. Married filing jointly assumes a non-earning spouse. Do not combine two workers’ wages: Social Security caps apply per worker.
Assumes a full-year resident, under age 50, eligible for the base standard deduction, not blind and not claimed as a dependent. Retirement input is traditional employee 401(k), not Roth or IRA.
No credits, dependents, itemized deductions, AMT, self-employment, investments, tips/overtime deductions, senior deductions, other income, or employer/health-benefit deductions are modeled.
Local income taxes, state disability/unemployment and paid-leave premiums are excluded. Results are planning estimates, not tax advice, a refund estimate, or W-4/payroll withholding.
Federal tax uses continuous bracket formulas, not IRS tax-table rounding. Take-home pay is an annual average, not an actual paycheck.

How this is calculated

taxable = max(0, wages - pretax 401(k) - standard deduction)
effective rate = (federal + state + SS + Medicare) / wages

1Federal taxable income = wages minus pretax retirement contribution minus the standard deduction for your filing status and tax year (never below zero).
2Federal income tax applies each marginal bracket rate only to the slice of income inside that bracket.
3Social Security is 6.2% of wages up to the year’s wage base. Medicare is 1.45% of all wages, plus 0.9% Additional Medicare Tax above $200,000 (single) or $250,000 (joint).
4State tax uses the selected state’s rules where supported (PA flat rate on wages; no wage income tax in AK, FL, NV, NH, SD, TN, TX, WA, WY).
5Effective rate = (federal + state + Social Security + Medicare) / gross wages. Net = wages minus all taxes minus your pretax retirement contribution.

Assumptions and limits

Wage-only estimate of annual tax liability. It is not your paycheck withholding and does not predict a refund or balance due.
One W-2 employee. Married filing jointly assumes a non-earning spouse.
Federal standard deduction only, taxpayer(s) under 65. No dependents, credits, itemizing, capital gains or other income.
Retirement deferral modeled for employees under 50 (no catch-up contributions).
Full-year resident of the selected state. State tax is calculated only for supported states; other states show no state figure rather than zero.
Local and city income taxes, and state payroll programs such as Washington Paid Family and Medical Leave and WA Cares premiums, are excluded.
Tax parameters last reviewed October 22, 2026.

Sources

Practical guide

Understanding income tax estimator

Everyday editorial team · GEOINNOVATION CO., LTD · Published October 22, 2026 · Updated October 22, 2026

What this calculation is for

An income-tax estimate helps distinguish gross wages from the money available for spending. Use it to compare a salary change or a traditional retirement contribution, not to file a return. Select the tax year before entering income: a bracket or deduction from one year should not be applied to another.

How the method works

The model subtracts an eligible traditional deferral and the selected federal standard deduction, then applies progressive rates to income slices. Employee Social Security and Medicare are calculated separately. A supported state model is added only when its scope matches the selected full-year resident scenario.

A worked example

If a small pay increase crosses a bracket boundary, only the taxable dollars in the higher slice receive that higher federal rate. The higher rate does not apply retroactively to the entire salary.

Assumptions and real-world differences

The model assumes one W-2 earner and supports only the filing statuses shown. It excludes dependents, credits, itemization, self-employment, investment income and local taxes. An unsupported state means no complete combined tax result, not zero state tax.

Frequently asked questions

Is this my refund?: No. A refund also depends on withholding, estimated payments, credits and your complete return.
Why choose a tax year?: Federal thresholds, payroll wage bases and state parameters can change. Use the year in which the wages are earned.

Income tax estimator

Five planning modes, one calculator topic

Your numbers

What this estimate leaves out

How this is calculated

Assumptions and limits

Sources

Understanding income tax estimator

What this calculation is for

How the method works

A worked example

Assumptions and real-world differences

Frequently asked questions

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