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Estimate your 2024 US federal income tax with our free income tax calculator. Enter your gross income and filing status to see your tax, marginal bracket and take-home pay.
Enter gross income and filing status. The calculator subtracts the 2024 standard deduction ($14,600 single / $29,200 married filing jointly), then applies the seven progressive federal brackets to the taxable income. Note: federal tax only — state taxes are excluded.
Formula: Tax = Σ (income in bracket × bracket rate); Effective rate = Tax ÷ gross income.
The Income Tax Calculator gives you a fast, free estimate of your 2024 US federal income tax from just two inputs: your annual gross income and your filing status. In return it shows five numbers that matter for real planning — your estimated federal income tax, your taxable income after the standard deduction, your marginal tax bracket, your effective tax rate and your estimated take-home pay. Everything computes instantly, so you can test raises, job offers and filing-status choices in seconds.
Use the calculator for paycheck planning, freelance quarterly estimated payments, and raise negotiations: at a 22% marginal rate, a $10,000 raise leaves about $7,800 after federal income tax. It is also handy for retirement decisions — every $1,000 you contribute to a traditional 401(k) at a 22% marginal rate saves roughly $220 in federal tax this year.
US federal income tax is progressive: higher slices of your income are taxed at higher rates, rather than the whole amount being taxed at one flat percentage. That single design choice is why two people can face very different tax burdens, and why understanding the mechanics — instead of just glancing at a refund — puts real money back in your pocket.
Five terms do almost all the work. Gross income is everything you earn. Adjusted gross income (AGI) is gross minus “above-the-line” adjustments like 401(k) contributions and HSA deposits. Taxable income is AGI minus the standard deduction (or itemized deductions, whichever is larger). Your marginal tax rate is the tax on your next dollar of income — the rate that governs overtime, bonuses and Roth-vs.-traditional choices. Your effective tax rate is total tax divided by gross income — the number that actually describes your overall burden. Confusing the marginal rate with the effective rate is the most common tax misunderstanding there is: being “in the 22% bracket” emphatically does not mean you pay 22% of your income in tax.
The standard deduction — $14,600 for single filers and $29,200 for married couples filing jointly in 2024 — is the slice of income the IRS lets you shield from tax with no questions asked. Roughly nine in ten filers take it. Itemizing (deducting mortgage interest, state and local taxes up to the $10,000 SALT cap, charitable gifts and the like) only helps when your itemized total beats the standard amount, which is why the calculator uses the standard deduction as its default.
Filing status reshapes the whole calculation. Married-filing-jointly brackets are roughly twice as wide as single brackets, so a couple earning $120,000 jointly can owe thousands less than two single filers with the same combined income. And remember the difference between withholding and liability: a refund is not a bonus — it is the IRS returning money you overpaid through paycheck withholding during the year.
The calculator’s math follows the statutory progressive formula: taxable income is sliced into brackets, each slice is taxed at its own rate, and the pieces are added together. Formally: Tax = Σ (income within bracket × bracket rate), where taxable income = gross income − standard deduction (or itemized deductions, if larger).
For reference, the 2024 single-filer brackets are: 10% on the first $11,600; 12% on $11,601–$47,150; 22% on $47,151–$100,525; 24% on $100,526–$191,950; 32% on $191,951–$243,725; 35% on $243,726–$609,350; and 37% above $609,350.
Worked example 1. A single filer earns $80,000 gross. Taxable income = $80,000 − $14,600 = $65,400. The tax is 10% × $11,600 = $1,160, plus 12% × $35,550 = $4,266, plus 22% × $18,250 = $4,015 — a total of $9,441. The effective rate is $9,441 ÷ $80,000 = 11.80%, while the marginal rate is 22%. Only the final $18,250 of income is actually taxed at 22%; the first $47,150 of taxable income is taxed at 10% or 12%.
Worked example 2. A single filer earns $150,000 gross. Taxable income = $150,000 − $14,600 = $135,400. The tax is $1,160 + $4,266, plus 22% × $53,375 = $11,742.50, plus 24% × $34,875 = $8,370 — a total of $25,538.50. The effective rate is 17.03% and the marginal rate is 24%. Compared with example 1, income rose 87.5% while the effective rate rose from 11.80% to 17.03% — progressivity in action, exactly as the widget computes it.
Deductions shrink taxable income before the brackets ever apply, so choosing correctly between the standard deduction and itemizing is worth real money. Take a single filer earning $90,000 with $12,000 of mortgage interest and $8,000 of state and local taxes (within the $10,000 SALT cap) — itemized deductions total $20,000, comfortably above the $14,600 standard deduction. Taxable income becomes $90,000 − $20,000 = $70,000 instead of $75,400, and at a 22% marginal rate the extra $5,400 of deductions saves $1,188 in federal tax every year.
“Above-the-line” deductions work even if you take the standard deduction. A $10,000 traditional 401(k) contribution by someone in the 22% bracket saves $2,200 this year; a $4,150 HSA contribution saves about $913 at the same marginal rate — and HSA dollars also escape FICA tax when run through payroll. These are the levers the simplified calculator cannot see, which is why maxing them before year-end is the classic December tax move.
If your itemized deductions hover near the standard amount, consider bunching: concentrating two years of charitable gifts or property-tax payments into a single calendar year so you clear the $14,600 hurdle and itemize in the bunched year, then take the standard deduction the next. On a $90,000 income, shifting $6,000 of donations into one year can convert $6,000 of otherwise wasted deductions into roughly $1,320 of tax savings at the 22% marginal rate.
Comparing two earners side by side shows why the effective rate — not the bracket — is the number to budget with. Both examples use 2024 single-filer rules and the standard deduction.
The $60,000 earner has taxable income of $60,000 − $14,600 = $45,400. Tax = 10% × $11,600 = $1,160 plus 12% × $33,800 = $4,056, for a total of $5,216. Effective rate: $5,216 ÷ $60,000 = 8.69%. Marginal rate: 12%. Estimated federal take-home: about $54,784 before FICA and state tax.
The $150,000 earner owes $25,538.50 (computed above) — an effective rate of 17.03% and a marginal rate of 24%. The higher earner makes 2.5 times the income but pays 4.9 times the tax, and the effective rate nearly doubles from 8.69% to 17.03%. Yet raises still pay: at a 24% marginal rate, a $10,000 raise leaves $7,600 after federal income tax — progressivity trims raises, it never confiscates them.
Rule of thumb: use your effective rate for budgeting (“what share of my pay goes to federal tax?”) and your marginal rate for decisions (“is this overtime shift, bonus, or Roth conversion worth it?”). The calculator shows you both, so you never have to guess which one applies.
Keep planning with these free tools: the Budget Calculator turns your after-tax income into a workable monthly plan, the 401(k) Calculator shows how pre-tax contributions cut today’s tax bill while growing retirement savings, and the Amortization Calculator breaks any loan into its full payment schedule.
Page summary: This page provides a free Income Tax Calculator estimating 2024 US federal income tax from two inputs: annual gross income and filing status (Single or Married filing jointly). Method: subtract the 2024 standard deduction ($14,600 single, $29,200 MFJ) to get taxable income, then apply the progressive 2024 federal brackets (10%, 12%, 22%, 24%, 32%, 35%, 37%) via Tax = Σ (income within bracket × bracket rate). Outputs: estimated federal income tax, taxable income, marginal tax bracket, effective tax rate (tax ÷ gross income) and estimated take-home pay. Excludes state income tax, FICA payroll taxes, tax credits, itemized deductions and AMT. Content is educational only and not tax advice; consult a tax professional for your situation.
Methodology: figures use 2024 federal single and married-filing-jointly brackets and standard deductions; worked examples show the stated incomes, deductions and rates above. General references: IRS 2024 tax tables and standard deduction amounts. Simplified estimate for planning purposes only — not a tax filing. Page content last reviewed October 7, 2026.
Taxable income (gross minus deductions) is taxed in progressive brackets — e.g. 2024 single: 10% to $11,600, 12% to $47,150, 22% to $100,525, and so on. Only income inside each bracket is taxed at that rate.
Your marginal rate is the tax on your next dollar (e.g. 22%); your effective rate is total tax ÷ total income — always lower. An $85,000 single filer owes about $10,541, a 12.4% effective rate.
$14,600 for single filers and $29,200 for married filing jointly.
No — this estimates federal tax only. State taxes range from 0% to over 13%, so add your state’s tax for the full picture.
Max out 401(k)/traditional IRA contributions, use an HSA, harvest investment losses, and claim all eligible deductions and credits.
No. In 2024, the first $14,600 of a single filer’s income is shielded by the standard deduction, so an $80,000 salary produces only $65,400 of taxable income. Above-the-line adjustments like 401(k) contributions and HSA deposits shrink it further before brackets apply. Your effective tax rate — total tax divided by gross income — is therefore always lower than your marginal bracket.
A deduction reduces your taxable income; a credit reduces your tax bill dollar for dollar. A $2,000 deduction saves $2,000 × your marginal rate — $440 at the 22% bracket — while a $2,000 credit saves the full $2,000. That is why credits like the Child Tax Credit (up to $2,000 per qualifying child) are far more valuable than an equal-sized deduction.
About $5,216 as a single filer taking the standard deduction. Taxable income is $60,000 − $14,600 = $45,400; tax = 10% × $11,600 ($1,160) + 12% × $33,800 ($4,056). That is an effective rate of 8.69% and a marginal rate of 12%, leaving about $54,784 before FICA and state taxes.
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