Taxable income equals AGI minus the greater of standard or itemized deductions. Tax is computed progressively — each bracket applies only to income within that range.
W-2 wages before pre-tax retirement contributions.
Single, married filing jointly/separately, or head of household.
Standard deduction or itemized total; add 401(k)/IRA contributions.
Optional federal tax already withheld for refund/owed estimate.
See marginal rate and tax applied in each bracket.
Single filer with $75,000 W-2 wages and standard deduction.
Estimated federal income tax ≈ $7,670 (effective rate ≈ 10.2%).
Treating this as tax filing software
Fix: This is an estimate for planning — consult a CPA to file.
Multiplying income by top bracket rate
Fix: US tax is progressive; only income in each bracket uses that rate.
Ignoring retirement contributions
Fix: Traditional 401(k)/IRA lowers AGI and taxable income.
Estimate US federal income tax, effective rate, marginal bracket, and refund or amount owed.
Traditional contributions reduce taxable income.
W-2 Box 2 — for refund/owed estimate.
Result
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Enter income and filing status, then click Calculate.