Tax Calculators
Tools for estimating what you owe on current 2026 rules: work out your federal income tax and where you land in the brackets, the tax on a capital gain by holding period, quarterly estimated tax for 1099 income, and sales tax by state — every rate tied to its source, and every result an estimate rather than tax advice.
Income Tax Calculator
Free 2026 federal income tax calculator. Estimate your income tax, effective and marginal tax rate, and see how much you owe in each tax bracket.
Capital Gains Tax Calculator
Free 2026 capital gains tax calculator. Estimate the federal tax on a stock or property sale, compare short-term vs long-term rates, and include the 3.8% NIIT.
Sales Tax Calculator
Free sales tax calculator. Enter a purchase amount and your state to see the sales tax and total, using 2026 average combined state and local rates.
Estimated Tax Calculator
Free 1099 estimated tax calculator. Estimate your 2026 self-employment and federal income tax and what to pay the IRS each quarter.
W-4 Withholding Calculator
Free 2026 W-4 calculator. See how much federal tax is withheld from each paycheck, whether you’ll owe or get a refund, and exactly what to put on Steps 3 and 4 of your W-4.
You are not taxed at a single rate
The federal income tax is progressive, which means it applies in layers. Only the income that falls inside a given bracket is taxed at that bracket’s rate — moving into a higher bracket never lowers your take-home pay, because only the dollars above the threshold are taxed more. This is the difference between your marginal rate (the rate on your last dollar) and your effective rate (the average across all your income).
The income-tax calculator shows both, along with which brackets your income spans. Understanding the two rates settles a common fear — a raise is always worth taking — and helps you judge the real value of a deduction, which saves tax at your marginal rate, not your average one.
Not all income is taxed the same way
A dollar of wages and a dollar of investment profit can carry very different tax bills. Profit on an asset held longer than a year is a long-term capital gain, taxed at lower rates than ordinary income; sell inside a year and the gain is short-term, taxed like a paycheck. That one-year line can change the tax on a sale substantially.
The capital-gains calculator estimates the tax by holding period and income level, so the timing of a sale becomes a deliberate decision rather than an afterthought. Everything here is an estimate to plan with — not tax advice — so confirm anything consequential with a professional before you act.
If no one withholds for you, you owe it directly
Employees have tax pulled from every paycheck automatically. Freelancers, contractors, and investors with untaxed income usually do not, and the IRS expects that tax throughout the year in quarterly estimated payments rather than one lump sum at filing — underpay and you can owe a penalty on top of the tax.
The estimated-tax calculator projects those quarterly amounts from your expected income, and for anything you buy, the sales-tax tool applies the correct combined state and local rate. The goal across all of these is the same: know the number early enough to set the money aside.
Guides & articles
Plain-English explainers to go with the calculators above — every figure tied to its source.
Marginal vs. Effective Tax Rate: What’s the Difference?
People say "I’m in the 22% bracket" as if 22% of their income vanishes. It doesn’t. Here’s the difference between your marginal and effective rate — and why it matters for every money decision.
How Much of Your Paycheck Goes to Taxes?
Your paycheck shrinks between gross and take-home for four separate reasons. Here’s each one, in 2026 numbers — and why being “in the 22% bracket” doesn’t mean 22% of your pay.
How to Fix Your W-4: Stop Owing (or Over-Refunding) at Tax Time
A big refund and a surprise bill are the same problem — a W-4 that doesn’t match your real tax. Here’s how the form works and which line to change to land near $0.