cpa-tax
Tax Refund Estimator (2026) — Federal Income Tax Refund or Balance Due
Will I get a refund or owe money this year? This estimator walks through the core federal tax math — AGI, standard vs. itemized deduction, Child Tax Credit, and Credit for Other Dependents — to produce a rough refund or balance-due number. Uses 2026 IRS brackets and standard deductions (post-OBBBA). Not a substitute for tax software on your actual return.
Educational estimate using current-year projections — not tax advice. Verify with a CPA against your full return before filing or acting on this output.
How it works
Methodology
Inputs
- Filing status
- Single / MFJ / MFS / HoH — determines which bracket table and standard deduction apply.
- Annual gross income
- Total W-2 or 1099 income before any deductions.
- Federal income tax withheld YTD
- Box 2 of your most recent pay stub or W-2.
- Traditional 401k / IRA contribution YTD
- Pre-tax retirement contributions reduce AGI above-the-line.
- HSA contribution YTD
- Health Savings Account contributions (employer + your own) reduce AGI above-the-line.
- Deduction choice
- Standard deduction (2026 post-OBBBA amounts) or your actual itemized deduction total.
- Dependents under 17
- Qualifying children for the Child Tax Credit ($2,200/each, up to $1,700 refundable per OBBBA).
- Other dependents
- Non-child qualifying dependents for the Credit for Other Dependents ($500/each, nonrefundable).
Formula
AGI = gross_income − retirement_contrib − hsa_contrib Taxable income = max(0, AGI − deduction) Gross tax = sum of (income_in_bracket × bracket_rate) across 2026 IRS brackets CTC = min(2200 × children, gross_tax) + refundable_ACTC up to (1700 × children) ODC = min(500 × other_deps, tax_after_CTC) Net tax = max(0, gross_tax − CTC_nonrefundable − ODC) − CTC_refundable Refund / balance due = withholding − net_tax
Assumptions
- Uses 2026 IRS federal income tax brackets (Rev. Proc. 2025-32, incl. OBBBA amendments).
- Standard deduction per filing status: $16,100 single / $32,200 MFJ / $16,100 MFS / $24,150 HoH.
- CTC phase-out: $50 per $1,000 of AGI above $200,000 single / $400,000 MFJ.
- Federal income tax only — no state tax, FICA, SE tax, AMT, or other credits.
Worked examples
Single filer, $75K gross, no dependents
- Filing status
- Single
- Gross income
- $75,000
- Withholding
- $8,000
- Deduction
- Standard ($16,100)
- Dependents
- 0
- Retirement contrib
- $0
Taxable income ~$58,900. Federal tax ~$7,670. Estimated refund ~$330.
MFJ, $120K gross, 2 kids under 17
- Filing status
- Married Filing Jointly
- Gross income
- $120,000
- Withholding
- $12,000
- Deduction
- Standard ($32,200)
- Dependents under 17
- 2
- Retirement contrib
- $6,000
AGI $114K. Taxable income ~$81,800. Gross tax ~$9,320. Child Tax Credit −$4,400 (both nonrefundable). Net tax ~$4,920. Estimated refund ~$7,080.
Frequently asked
Questions readers ask
What does this calculator include and exclude? +
Includes: 2026 federal income tax brackets (post-OBBBA), standard deduction, Child Tax Credit ($2,200/qualifying child, up to $1,700 refundable per OBBBA), Credit for Other Dependents ($500/each), above-the-line deductions for traditional 401k/IRA and HSA contributions. Excludes: state income tax, self-employment tax, capital gains, AMT, net investment income tax, earned income credit, premium tax credit, and many other credits and phase-outs. For a complete picture, use tax software or a CPA.
What is the standard deduction for 2026? +
Per IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32 (incorporating the One Big Beautiful Bill Act signed July 2025): Single — $16,100; Married Filing Jointly — $32,200; Married Filing Separately — $16,100; Head of Household — $24,150.
What is the Child Tax Credit for 2026? +
The 2026 Child Tax Credit is $2,200 per qualifying child under age 17 — unchanged from 2025, since the OBBBA's inflation adjustment rounds to the same figure for 2026. Up to $1,700 per child is refundable as the Additional Child Tax Credit (ACTC) — meaning it can produce or increase a refund even if you owe no federal income tax. The credit phases out above $200,000 AGI for single filers and $400,000 for Married Filing Jointly. Source: IRS Topic 972.
Why should I adjust my W-4 if I owe more than $1,000? +
The IRS generally requires that you either withhold enough tax throughout the year or make estimated quarterly payments to cover your liability. If you underpay by more than $1,000 (and fall below certain safe-harbor thresholds), the IRS may charge an underpayment penalty. W-4 Step 4(c) lets you add extra dollar-amount withholding per pay period — the easiest fix for most W-2 employees. Source: IRS Publication 505.
What do retirement contributions do to my tax estimate? +
Traditional 401k and pre-tax IRA contributions reduce your Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) above-the-line — before you even get to your deduction choice. Every dollar of traditional retirement contribution lowers your AGI by one dollar, which reduces your taxable income and therefore your estimated federal income tax. Roth 401k and Roth IRA contributions are after-tax and do NOT reduce AGI — don't include those here.
This tool is for educational purposes only and is not an offer, approval, financial, legal, or tax advice. Tax outputs depend on your full return — consult a CPA before filing. ClearValue Lending is a funding platform.