United States · 2025
Federal income tax calculator (US 2025)
Estimate the federal income tax on your 2025 income. Enter your income and filing status to see the tax due after the standard deduction, worked through the current federal brackets. The result also shows your effective rate, which is usually well below your top bracket because the lower bands and the deduction shelter the first slice of what you earn. It is the quickest way to sanity-check withholding, weigh up a raise, or see what a side income would add to your bill.
Federal income tax only, after the standard deduction. State tax and FICA are shown by the paycheck calculator.
How it works
- Start from your gross income for the year. The calculator assumes it is all ordinary income, such as wages or self-employment profit.
- Subtract the 2025 standard deduction: $15,750 for single filers, $31,500 for married filing jointly. This slice is never taxed.
- Apply the federal brackets to what remains: 10%, 12%, 22%, 24%, 32%, 35% and 37%. Each rate only applies to the income inside its band, not to the whole amount.
- The headline figure is your federal income tax. Dividing it by gross income gives the effective rate, a more honest measure than the top bracket you touch.
- FICA (Social Security and Medicare) and any state income tax are charged separately. The paycheck calculator combines all three.
Frequently asked questions
Is this federal tax only?+
Yes. For Social Security, Medicare and state income tax together, use the paycheck calculator. Nine states charge no income tax at all, while California tops out above 13%, so the state layer can change the picture a lot.
Does it use the standard deduction?+
Yes, the 2025 standard deduction for your filing status. Around nine in ten filers take the standard deduction. If your itemized deductions, such as mortgage interest, state and local taxes and charitable gifts, exceed it, itemizing lowers the result further.
Are credits included?+
No. Credits such as the Child Tax Credit or the Earned Income Tax Credit cut the final bill dollar for dollar and depend on your circumstances, so your actual tax can be lower than shown.
What is the difference between marginal and effective rate?+
The marginal rate is the bracket your last dollar lands in. The effective rate is total tax divided by total income, and it is always lower because the deduction and the earlier brackets tax most of your income at smaller rates.
Does a raise that moves me into a higher bracket cost me money?+
No. Only the income above the bracket threshold is taxed at the higher rate. A raise never reduces your after-tax pay through brackets alone, although it can phase out certain credits.
What about capital gains?+
Long-term capital gains and qualified dividends use their own 0%, 15% and 20% rate schedule and are not modelled here. Short-term gains are taxed as ordinary income, so you can include those.
Sources
Last updated: 2025 tax year
This is an estimate for general guidance, not financial or tax advice. 2025 federal income tax after the standard deduction. Excludes credits, FICA and state tax. Assumes all income is ordinary income; long-term capital gains use a separate rate schedule. Estimates for general guidance, not tax advice. Confirm with the official sources before making decisions.
Reviewed by Vikas Dulgunde.