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Refund or bill
in April?

Your 2026 federal tax, worked out from the brackets, the child tax credit and any side income, next to what your paychecks have withheld. Then the W-4 change that brings the two together.

2026 brackets and credits · Self-employment tax · Your state too

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Federal refund, on track

$0

State

$0

To come out even

$0

Your 2026 federal tax, and what you paid in Tax Withheld Refund
  1. Tax for the year$0
  2. Paid in$0

Your year so far

$/yr

Gross pay before anything comes out. Married filing jointly: both spouses’ wages together.

$

On your pay stub as “Federal income tax” or “FIT”. Two jobs: add them together.

Fine-tune 12 more inputs: withheld so far, savings, side income, deductions, children, state withholding

Withholding to date

$
paychecks

Leave “so far” empty to use the per-paycheck amount for the whole year.

Before-tax savings

$/yr
$/yr

Other income

$/yr
$/yr
$

1099 income carries self-employment tax (15.3% on 92.35% of it, for Social Security and Medicare) and usually the 20% business income deduction. Nothing is withheld from it.

Deductions and children

$
Used only if more than the $32,200 standard deduction.
$/yr
New for 2026: up to $2,000 counts even with the standard deduction.
children
$2,200 credit each in 2026.
people
Children 17 and up you support, or a parent: $500 each.

State withholding

$
Include city tax withheld if you live in New York City.

Tax year 2026

Federal refund

$0

Wages
$0
Before-tax savings
$0
Other income less half the self-employment tax
$0
Adjusted gross income
$0
Standard deduction
$0
Business income deduction 20%
$0
Taxable income
$0
Tax by the 2026 brackets marginal 12%
$0
Child and dependent credits
$0
Self-employment tax
$0
Your federal tax
$0
Withheld so far
$0
Still to be withheld
$0
Estimated payments
$0
Refund
$0

Your W-4

This year
$0
Next year
$0

New York

State income tax
$0
State withheld per paycheck × paychecks
$0
State refund
$0

An estimate, not tax advice. Federal: 2026 brackets and standard deduction, the $2,200 child tax credit and $500 credit for other dependents with their phase-outs and refundable part, the 2026 charity deduction for people who don’t itemize, self-employment tax and the business income deduction (phased out above the threshold as for a service business). Interest and dividends are taxed as ordinary income. Not included: capital gains rates, the earned income credit, child care and education credits, the new deductions for tips, overtime, car loan interest and people 65 and over, the Additional Medicare Tax, and underpayment penalties. State: the 2026 tax on your income from the state’s schedule, without state credits.

Figures checked November 2026. Sources: IRS, Rev. Proc. 2025-32 (2026 brackets, child tax credit, business income threshold) · IRS, child tax credit · IRS, 2026 charity deduction without itemizing · IRS, self-employment tax · SSA, 2026 wage base · IRS, Form W-4.

How the number is built.

Your tax for the year

  • Income less deductions. Wages less 401(k) and HSA, plus other income, less the standard deduction ($16,100 single, $32,200 married, $24,150 head of household) or your itemized total.
  • Through the brackets. 10% to 37%, each rate only on its slice.
  • Less credits. $2,200 a child under 17 and $500 an other dependent, reduced by $50 for each $1,000 of income over $200,000 ($400,000 married).

What you paid in

  • Withheld so far. The year-to-date line on your latest pay stub.
  • Still to come. The same amount on each paycheck left this year.
  • Refund or bill. Paid in less your tax. A refund is your own money, returned without interest.

Fixing it on the W-4

  • To withhold less. Add the yearly refund to step 3 of a new W-4; your employer spreads it over your paychecks.
  • To withhold more. Put the extra per paycheck in step 4(c).
  • A new W-4 takes a pay cycle or two. Late in the year, the “next year” figure is usually the one to use.

Side income and maaser

  • 1099 income. No tax is taken out, and it carries 15.3% self-employment tax. Estimated payments each quarter avoid a penalty.
  • Giving. From 2026, cash gifts to charity lower your tax even with the standard deduction: up to $1,000, or $2,000 married.
  • The real answer. Your return. Use this to avoid surprises, not to file.