Tax Refund Calculator
Estimate your federal and state tax refund — or what you'll owe — by comparing the tax on your income with what was withheld from your paychecks.
Tax Refund Calculator: with the default inputs, federal refund is $630.
Wages plus other ordinary income. Exclude pre-tax 401(k) and HSA contributions — they never reach taxable income.
Box 2 of your W-2, or the year-to-date federal income tax on your last payslip. Not Social Security or Medicare.
Runs the state's own rate schedule and standard deduction alongside the federal calculation.
Box 17 of your W-2. Only used when a state is selected.
Positive means the IRS owes you; negative means you owe the IRS.
- In words
- You should get about $630 back from the IRS.
- Federal income tax for the year
- $9,870
- Federal tax paid in (withholding, estimates, credits)
- $10,500
- State income tax
- —
- State refund
- —
- Combined federal + state refund
- $630
- Taxable income
- $68,900
- Effective federal tax rate
- 11.61%
- Marginal bracket
- 22%
- Monthly withholding change to break even
- -$52.50Adjust your W-4 by roughly this much a month to land near zero next year.
Assumptions
- Federal tax is computed by the site's income tax engine using the IRS rate schedule and standard deduction for the year selected.
- Ordinary income only — no capital gains rates, self-employment tax, AMT, QBI deduction or net investment income tax.
- Credits entered are treated as fully usable against the tax; non-refundable credits in reality stop at zero.
- State tax uses the selected state's published schedule and excludes county, city and municipal income taxes.
- Withholding is the federal income tax figure only, not Social Security or Medicare.
| Line | Amount |
|---|---|
| Gross income | $85,000 |
| Taxable income after deductions | $68,900 |
| Federal income tax | $9,870 |
| Federal income tax withheld | $10,500 |
| Estimated payments | $0 |
| Tax credits | $0 |
| Federal refund | $630 |
How this is worked out
The formula
Federal refund = (tax withheld + estimated payments + credits) − federal income tax
Federal income tax comes from the same bracket walk the income tax calculator uses:
taxable income = gross income − max(standard deduction, itemized)
tax = Σ (income in each bracket × that bracket's rate)
State refund = state tax withheld − state income tax
A positive result is money coming back; a negative result is money owed.Open How it’s calculated above to see this worked through with your own numbers.
What you enter
- Tax year
- Choose one of 2 options.2026 (return filed in 2027) · 2025 (return filed in 2026)
- Filing status
- Choose one of 4 options.Single · Married filing jointly / surviving spouse · Married filing separately · Head of household
- Gross income
- Wages plus other ordinary income. Exclude pre-tax 401(k) and HSA contributions — they never reach taxable income.in dollars · 0 or more · defaults to 85000
- Federal income tax withheld
- Box 2 of your W-2, or the year-to-date federal income tax on your last payslip. Not Social Security or Medicare.in dollars · 0 or more · defaults to 10500
- State
- Runs the state's own rate schedule and standard deduction alongside the federal calculation.Alabama · Alaska — no income tax · Arizona · Arkansas · California · Colorado · Connecticut · Delaware · District of Columbia · Florida — no income tax · Georgia · Hawaii · Idaho · Illinois · Indiana · Iowa · Kansas · Kentucky · Louisiana · Maine · Maryland · Massachusetts · Michigan · Minnesota · Mississippi · Missouri · Montana · Nebraska · Nevada — no income tax · New Hampshire — no income tax · New Jersey · New Mexico · New York · North Carolina · North Dakota · Ohio · Oklahoma · Oregon · Pennsylvania · Rhode Island · South Carolina · South Dakota — no income tax · Tennessee — no income tax · Texas — no income tax · Utah · Vermont · Virginia · Washington — no income tax · West Virginia · Wisconsin · Wyoming — no income tax · Skip state tax
- State income tax withheld
- Box 17 of your W-2. Only used when a state is selected.in dollars · 0 or more · defaults to 0
- Tax credits(under More options)
- Child tax credit ($2,200 per qualifying child), education credits, the saver's credit. Credits cut the tax bill dollar for dollar.in dollars · 0 or more · defaults to 0
- Estimated tax payments already made(under More options)
- Quarterly 1040-ES payments, or an amount applied from last year's refund.in dollars · 0 or more · defaults to 0
- Itemized deductions(under More options)
- Used only if larger than the standard deduction for your filing status.in dollars · 0 or more · defaults to 0
What you get back
- Federal refundmain answer
- Positive means the IRS owes you; negative means you owe the IRS.
- In words
- Federal income tax for the year
- Federal tax paid in (withholding, estimates, credits)
- State income tax
- State refund
- Combined federal + state refund
- Taxable income
- Effective federal tax rate
- Marginal bracket
- Monthly withholding change to break even
- Adjust your W-4 by roughly this much a month to land near zero next year.
What this assumes
- Federal tax is computed by the site's income tax engine using the IRS rate schedule and standard deduction for the year selected.
- Ordinary income only — no capital gains rates, self-employment tax, AMT, QBI deduction or net investment income tax.
- Credits entered are treated as fully usable against the tax; non-refundable credits in reality stop at zero.
- State tax uses the selected state's published schedule and excludes county, city and municipal income taxes.
- Withholding is the federal income tax figure only, not Social Security or Medicare.
About this calculator
A refund is not a bonus. It is the difference between what your employer sent the IRS on your behalf during the year and what you actually owed — your own money, returned without interest. This calculator computes the tax on your income using the same bracket engine as the income tax calculator, then compares it with what you have paid in.
How to use it
Enter your gross income and the federal income tax withheld — that is box 2 of your W-2, or the year-to-date "federal income tax" figure on a payslip. Do not include Social Security and Medicare: those are separate taxes and are never refunded through a return. Pick your state to run its own schedule as well. Under More options you can add tax credits, quarterly estimated payments and itemized deductions.
Reading the sign
- Positive means the IRS owes you. Direct-deposited returns filed electronically are typically paid within three weeks; returns claiming the earned income credit or the additional child tax credit are held by law until mid-February.
- Negative means you owe. Payment is due on the April filing deadline even if you file an extension — an extension postpones the paperwork, not the money.
The monthly withholding change to break even line is the practical takeaway: adjust your W-4 by roughly that amount to land near zero next year.
Where the estimate can be wrong
This models ordinary income against the standard or itemized deduction and the published brackets. It does not know about:
- Refundable credits. The earned income credit and the refundable portion of the child tax credit can push a refund above everything you paid in. Enter them as credits and treat the answer as a floor.
- Capital gains and qualified dividends, which have their own 0/15/20% schedule and will make this estimate too high if a lot of your income is investment income.
- Self-employment tax, an extra 15.3% on net business income, which will make the estimate far too optimistic for freelancers.
- The QBI deduction, AMT, the net investment income tax and the additional Medicare tax.
- Local income taxes — county, city or municipal — which sit on top of the state figure.
Aiming for zero
The ideal refund is a small one. A $4,000 refund is a $333-a-month interest-free loan to the Treasury; a large balance due risks an underpayment penalty, which applies if you owe more than $1,000 and paid in less than 90% of this year's tax or 100% of last year's (110% if your prior-year adjusted gross income was over $150,000). The IRS Tax Withholding Estimator is the tool to use for the actual W-4 arithmetic once you know which direction to move.
Frequently asked questions
▸How do I estimate my tax refund?
Work out the tax on your income for the year, then subtract it from everything you have paid in — withholding, estimated payments and credits. A positive difference is your refund.
▸Why is my refund smaller this year?
Usually withholding changed, not the tax. A raise, a second job, a bonus taxed at the flat supplemental rate, or a W-4 update can all move the number without your total tax changing much.
▸Is a big tax refund a good thing?
Not financially. It means you overpaid all year and lent the money to the government for free. Aiming for a small refund or a small balance due puts that cash in your paychecks instead.
▸Does my refund include Social Security and Medicare tax?
No. FICA is withheld separately and is not refunded on a return, except in the unusual case of over-withheld Social Security tax from two employers.
▸What happens if I owe money?
Pay by the April deadline to avoid interest. If you owe more than $1,000 and did not pay in at least 90% of this year's tax or 100% of last year's, an underpayment penalty is added on top.
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