Tax Withholding Calculator
Estimate whether your W-4 withholding will result in a refund or balance due, and get per-paycheck adjustment suggestions using 2026 federal brackets.
About this calculator
This calculator projects your full-year federal tax withholding from your year-to-date data and compares it against your estimated 2026 tax liability (computeFederalTax on taxable income, minus a simplified $2,000-per-dependent Child Tax Credit) to estimate a refund or balance due. Annual Salary is the most reliable driver of Federal Income Tax, FICA Taxes (SS + Medicare), and the suggested per-paycheck adjustment, since it feeds directly into both the federal tax calculation and the 6.2% Social Security / 1.45% Medicare FICA formulas -- though Filing Status can move Federal Income Tax by an even larger share at some income levels, because it swaps in an entirely different bracket table rather than adding more taxed dollars. Three statuses are supported: single, married filing jointly, and head of household. Head of household is the status for an unmarried filer who paid more than half the cost of keeping up a home for a qualifying dependent, and it sits between the other two on both axes -- a 2026 standard deduction of $24,150 against $16,100 single and $32,200 joint, and bracket bands wider than single but narrower than joint -- so selecting it instead of single typically lowers Federal Income Tax noticeably at the same salary.
FICA Taxes (SS + Medicare) responds only to Annual Salary: it's computed independently of Other Taxable Income entirely, since FICA only applies to wages, not to interest, dividends, or freelance income entered separately. Projected Total Withholding is sensitive to Pay Periods Remaining because, with no year-to-date withholding entered, the calculator estimates your per-paycheck withholding as Federal Income Tax divided by 26 pay periods and then multiplies that back out by however many periods remain -- so the number of periods left in the year proportionally scales the projection. This model assumes biweekly (26 pay periods a year) pay, doesn't apply the Child Tax Credit's income phase-out, and doesn't include state withholding at all.
Tax Disclaimer
This calculator provides estimates based on general tax rules and may not reflect your specific situation. Tax laws vary by jurisdiction and change frequently. Consult a qualified tax professional or CPA for advice tailored to your circumstances.
Inputs
Results
Projected Refund / (Balance Due)
$0.00
Figures current as of 2026. Sources: IRS Revenue Procedure 2025-32, SSA 2026 COLA Fact Sheet (Oct 24, 2025)
How to Use This Calculator
- Enter Annual Salary and any Other Taxable Income (dividends, freelance, side income).
- Select Filing Status — single, married filing jointly, or head of household — and enter Number of Dependents for Child Tax Credit.
- Set Federal Tax Withheld YTD and Pay Periods Remaining in the year.
- Enter Additional W-4 Withholding currently in place and any Itemized Deductions.
- Review Estimated Tax Owed, Projected Withholding, and the Refund or Amount Due.
- Adjust your W-4 Line 4(c) additional withholding to avoid a large balance due or refund at filing.
How the result changes with Pay Periods Remaining
| Pay Periods Remaining | Projected Refund / (Balance Due) |
|---|---|
| 13 | -$7,670.00 |
| 20 | -$7,670.00 |
| 26 | $0.00 |
What each input means
- Annual Salary ($)
- Your gross annual W-2 salary or wages. Uses 2026 federal tax brackets and standard deduction.
- Other Taxable Income ($)
- Interest, dividends, freelance income, or other taxable income for the year.
- Filing Status
- Your filing status determines brackets and standard deduction. Head of household applies to an unmarried filer who pays over half the cost of a home for a qualifying dependent.
- Number of Dependents
- Qualifying children for the $2,000 Child Tax Credit.
- Federal Tax Withheld YTD ($)
- Total federal income tax already withheld from paychecks year-to-date (from pay stubs).
- Pay Periods Remaining
- Number of biweekly pay periods left in the year.
- Additional W-4 Withholding ($)
- Extra per-paycheck withholding currently set on your W-4 (line 4c).
- Itemized Deductions ($)
- If you itemize, enter total. Leave 0 to use the standard deduction.
What each result means
- Projected Refund / (Balance Due)
- Positive = refund, negative = you owe additional tax.
- Suggested W-4 Adjustment/Period
- Amount to increase (positive) or decrease (negative) per-paycheck withholding. Enter on W-4 line 4c.
- Federal Income Tax
- Estimated total federal income tax for the year after credits.
- Projected Total Withholding
- Estimated total federal tax withheld by year-end at current rate.
- FICA Taxes (SS + Medicare)
- Social Security (6.2%) + Medicare (1.45%) + additional Medicare if applicable.
- Effective Total Rate
- Combined federal income tax + FICA as a percentage of total income.
- Child Tax Credit
- Tax credit applied ($2,000 per qualifying dependent).
- Target Per-Period Withholding
- Ideal withholding per pay period to hit zero refund/balance due.
How this is calculated
Worked example, using the default values
- Identify Input Parameters4 parametersAnnual Salary ($) = 75000, Other Taxable Income ($) = 0, Filing Status = 0, Number of Dependents = 0 = 8 input(s) provided
- Calculate Projected Refund /Projected Refund / = projectedWithholding - federalTaxLiability0 = $0
- Calculate Suggested W-4 Adjustment/PeriodSuggested W-4 Adjustment/Period = suggestedPerPeriod - currentPerPeriod0 = $0
- Calculate Federal Income TaxFederal Income Tax = federalTax(taxableIncome, filingStatus)7670 = $7,670
Figures and sources
- 2026 federal income tax brackets (2026) — IRS Revenue Procedure 2025-32
- 2026 Social Security wage base (2026) — SSA 2026 COLA Fact Sheet (Oct 24, 2025)
Engine last updated . Checked against 4 independently-derived tests — how we verify calculators. Built by Paul Gunder, a software engineer, not a licensed financial, medical, or legal professional.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does Filing Status sometimes move my Federal Income Tax more than my salary does?
Filing Status selects an entirely different 2026 bracket table -- the married filing jointly bands run close to twice as wide as the single bands through the lower rates. At some income levels, switching Filing Status changes which bracket boundaries apply to your whole income, which can move Federal Income Tax by more than a moderate salary change, since a salary change only adds or removes dollars within the bracket table you're already in.
Can I use this if I file as head of household?
Yes -- Head of Household is one of the three Filing Status options, and selecting it swaps in the 2026 head-of-household bracket table and the $24,150 head-of-household standard deduction (versus $16,100 single and $32,200 joint). You qualify if you were unmarried or considered unmarried at year end, paid more than half the cost of keeping up your home for the year, and had a qualifying child or relative living with you for more than half the year. The Additional Medicare Tax threshold for head of household is $200,000, the same as single -- only married filing jointly gets the higher $250,000 threshold.
Does Other Taxable Income affect my FICA taxes?
No. FICA Taxes (SS + Medicare) is computed strictly from Annual Salary -- 6.2% Social Security up to the 2026 wage base of $184,500, plus 1.45% Medicare, plus an additional 0.9% above $200,000 (single) or $250,000 (MFJ). Other Taxable Income (interest, dividends, freelance work) affects your Federal Income Tax calculation but never enters the FICA formula, since FICA only applies to wages.
Why does Projected Total Withholding change with Pay Periods Remaining?
With no Federal Tax Withheld YTD entered, the calculator has no real withholding history to project from, so it estimates a flat per-paycheck withholding as Federal Income Tax divided by 26 total pay periods, then multiplies that rate by however many pay periods remain in the year. Fewer periods remaining scales the projected total down proportionally, which is why this input moves Projected Total Withholding directly.
How is the Child Tax Credit calculated here?
This calculator applies a flat $2,000 per qualifying dependent, capped so it can't reduce Federal Income Tax below zero -- it does not apply the credit's real income phase-out (which begins reducing the credit above $200,000 single / $400,000 married filing jointly under current law), so the credit shown may be overstated for higher-income filers with dependents.
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