Tax refund calculator
Enter your filing status, wages, tax withheld, and children to estimate your federal refund or what you would owe for tax year 2026. See each step, and what changes if your income, withholding, or family changes.
Enter your wages to see your estimate.
Federal income tax for tax year 2026, the return you file in 2027.
How the result is reached
| Step | Amount |
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What would change it
| If you had | Result | Change |
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Each row changes one input and keeps the rest the same.
An estimate for tax year 2026, not tax advice
Your real refund depends on your full return, so use this to plan, not to file.Not modeled in this estimate
This tool covers W-2 wages and other taxable income on a federal return. It uses the standard deduction and leaves out:
- Credits other than the child tax credit: earned income credit, credit for other dependents, retirement savings, education, child and dependent care, and energy credits.
- Itemized deductions, the extra standard deduction at 65 or older or if blind, and the 2025 to 2028 deductions for seniors, tips, overtime, and auto loan interest.
- Self-employment income and tax, rental income, Schedule K-1 income, taxable Social Security, and the qualified business income deduction.
- Alternative minimum tax and net investment income tax.
- State and local income tax. This is a federal estimate only.
If any of these apply to you, your refund can be higher or lower than shown.
Verified on October 8, 2026. Sources: IRS, Rev. Proc. 2025-32 (2026 inflation adjustments) (brackets, standard deductions, credit limits); 26 U.S.C. 24 (phase-out, refundable earned-income threshold); amounts from Rev. Proc. 2025-32 section 4.05 (child tax credit).
How to use it
- Pick your filing status: single, married filing jointly, head of household, or married filing separately.
- Enter your wages from W-2 box 1 and any other taxable income, such as interest or unemployment.
- Enter the federal tax withheld (W-2 box 2, all forms added together) and any estimated payments you made.
- Enter the number of children under 17 who have a Social Security number.
- Read your refund or balance owed, the steps that lead to it, and what would change it. Copy the result or a link.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate my federal tax refund?
Subtract the standard deduction from your income to get taxable income, apply the tax brackets, and subtract credits. Then compare that tax with what you paid in. A single filer with $60,000 of wages has $43,900 of taxable income and $5,020 of tax; with $6,000 withheld, the refund is $980.
Why do I owe money instead of getting a refund?
Your employer withheld less than your tax. That happens after a raise, a second job, a side income, or a W-4 that withholds too little. The same single filer with only $4,000 withheld would owe $1,020.
How much is the child tax credit in 2026?
It is $2,200 per child under 17 with a Social Security number. It is reduced for income above $200,000, or $400,000 on a joint return. It first lowers your tax, and only part of what is left over can be refunded.
Does this calculator include state tax?
No. It estimates federal income tax only. Your state may refund or bill you separately, and some cities add their own tax.
What does this estimate leave out?
Credits other than the child tax credit (earned income, education, child and dependent care, retirement savings, energy), itemized deductions, self-employment income, rental and K-1 income, taxable Social Security, alternative minimum tax, and net investment income tax. Any of them can change your result.
Can I use this to file my taxes?
No. It is a planning estimate based on the IRS figures for tax year 2026. Your actual refund comes from your full return, so file with tax software or a preparer and use this to check that the result is in the right range.
How a federal refund works
A refund is not a bonus from the government. It is what is left when the tax you paid in during the year, through withholding and estimated payments, is more than the tax you owe. If you paid in less, you owe the difference. The steps are always the same:
- Taxable income = wages and other income − the standard deduction.
- Tax before credits = the tax brackets applied to taxable income.
- Tax after credits = tax before credits − the child tax credit (and other credits).
- Refund or balance = total paid in − tax after credits. A negative number is what you owe.
A worked example
A single filer earned $60,000 and had $6,000 of federal tax withheld. The standard deduction for 2026 is $16,100, so taxable income is $43,900. The tax is $5,020, which is a 12% top rate. The $6,000 withheld is $980 more than the tax, so the refund is $980. If only $4,000 had been withheld, the same filer would owe $1,020.
Children and the child tax credit
Each child under 17 with a Social Security number can lower your tax by $2,200. The credit works against your tax first. A head of household with $40,000 of wages has $1,585 of tax before credits, one child erases it, and the unused $615 is refunded, so a family that had nothing withheld still gets $615 back. A married couple with $120,000 of wages and $9,000 withheld goes from owing $1,040 with no children to a $3,360 refund with two.
What this estimate does not include
It covers wages and other taxable income on a federal return, with the standard deduction. It does not model the earned income credit or other credits, itemized deductions, the extra deduction for age 65 or older or blindness, the 2025 to 2028 deductions for seniors, tips, overtime, and auto loan interest, self-employment income, taxable Social Security, alternative minimum tax, or state and local tax. If one of these applies to you, your refund can be higher or lower.
Where the numbers come from
Brackets, standard deductions, and credit limits are the 2026 figures from IRS Revenue Procedure 2025-32, and the child tax credit comes from 26 U.S.C. 24. Check them against the IRS site before you file.
Related calculators
To see where the tax itself comes from, with the tax owed in each bracket, use the income tax calculator. If you also have freelance income, the self-employment tax calculator shows the extra Social Security and Medicare tax and a quarterly amount. To see how a paycheck turns into a yearly income, try the hourly to salary calculator or the overtime calculator. To see what your withholding looks like on each paycheck, use the paycheck calculator. For other costs of the year, see the sales tax calculator.
Updated on October 8, 2026