Tax Refund Calculator
Estimate your federal refund or balance due for tax year 2026 or 2025
Last updated: October 2026 · IRS 2025 and 2026 figures, including the One Big Beautiful Bill Act
Income
Add every W-2 for you and, if filing jointly, your spouse.
Taxed here at ordinary rates. Also counts toward the EITC investment income limit.
Unemployment, taxable retirement income, taxable Social Security.
Deductible IRA and HSA contributions, student loan interest.
Deductions
The larger of this and your standard deduction ($16,100) is used.
New for 2026: up to $1,000, or $2,000 if married filing jointly.
Adds the extra standard deduction and the new $6,000 senior deduction.
Tips in an IRS-listed tipped occupation. Up to $25,000.
Only the "half" of time-and-a-half. Up to $12,500 ($25,000 joint).
Loan taken out after 2024. Up to $10,000.
Dependents and credits
Older children, students and relatives you support: $500 each.
Tuition, fees and course materials. $4,000 earns the full $2,500.
For students not using the American opportunity credit. 20% of up to $10,000.
Tax already paid
From your latest pay stub, year-to-date column.
Enter 0 if the year is over.
Estimated federal refund
$1,130
Tax year 2026, single. Projected withholding $6,750.
How the estimate is built
How this refund calculator works
Your refund is simple arithmetic: tax paid during the year, plus refundable credits, minus the tax you actually owe. The calculator works through the same steps as Form 1040.
- Add wages and other income, then subtract adjustments to get adjusted gross income (AGI).
- Subtract the larger of the standard deduction or your itemized deductions.
- Subtract the Schedule 1-A deductions for tips, overtime, car loan interest and seniors. You get these even with the standard deduction.
- Apply the IRS tax brackets for your filing status to get tax before credits.
- Subtract nonrefundable credits (they stop at zero tax), then add withholding and refundable credits.
Worked example
A head of household earns $48,000 in 2026 with one child under 17 and has $2,400 of federal tax withheld. The standard deduction of $24,150 leaves taxable income of $23,850 and tax of $2,508. The $2,200 child tax credit cuts that to $308. The earned income credit for one child starts phasing out at $23,890, so at $48,000 it is $574. Result: $2,400 withheld plus $574 of EITC, minus $308 of tax, is a $2,666 refund.
Now suppose $3,000 of that pay was the premium half of overtime. The overtime deduction drops taxable income to $20,850 and tax to $2,148. The child credit wipes out the tax and $52 of it comes back as a refundable credit, so the refund rises to $3,026, which is $360 more.
Key figures for 2025 and 2026
- Standard deduction 2026: $16,100 single, $32,200 joint, $24,150 head of household (Rev. Proc. 2025-32). For 2025, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act set it at $15,750, $31,500 and $23,625.
- Child tax credit: $2,200 per child under 17 in both years, with up to $1,700 refundable. It phases out by $50 per $1,000 of income over $200,000 ($400,000 joint).
- EITC maximum for 2026: $664 with no children, $4,427 with one, $7,316 with two, $8,231 with three or more. Investment income must be $12,200 or less.
- Schedule 1-A deductions for 2025 through 2028: tips up to $25,000, overtime premium up to $12,500 ($25,000 joint), car loan interest up to $10,000, and $6,000 per person aged 65 or older (IRS guidance).
What this estimate leaves out
Self-employment tax, capital gains at the lower long-term rates, the alternative minimum tax, the premium tax credit, the child and dependent care credit and state income tax are not included. For a full federal and state picture use the US tax calculator; for gains use the capital gains tax calculator.
Go deeper on one piece
Check a single credit with the child tax credit calculator or the EITC calculator. Work out the new deductions with the overtime calculator, the no tax on tips calculator and the senior deduction calculator. To change what comes out of each paycheck, use the W-4 withholding calculator or the paycheck calculator. For the background, read the One Big Beautiful Bill explained and the 2026 tax brackets guide.
Frequently asked questions
How accurate is this tax refund estimate?
It follows the order of Form 1040: income, adjustments, the standard or itemized deduction, the new Schedule 1-A deductions, tax from the IRS brackets, then credits and payments. If your return is mostly W-2 wages, children and the standard deduction, the estimate is usually within a few hundred dollars. It does not model self-employment tax, capital gains rates, the alternative minimum tax or state tax, so returns with those items need a fuller tool or a preparer.
Why is my refund smaller than last year?
A refund is the gap between what was withheld and what you owe, not a bonus. The usual causes of a smaller refund are a raise that pushed more income into a higher bracket, a W-4 change, a child aging out of the child tax credit at 17, or income that had no withholding, such as freelance or interest income. Entering last year and this year side by side here shows which line moved.
Do the no tax on tips and overtime deductions increase my refund?
Yes, if you qualify. They are deductions on Schedule 1-A for tax years 2025 through 2028, so they lower taxable income whether or not you itemize. For 2025, employers were not required to change withholding for them, so most of the benefit shows up as a larger refund. Only the overtime premium (the "half" in time-and-a-half) counts, and both deductions phase out above $150,000 of modified AGI ($300,000 joint).
Which credits are refundable?
The earned income tax credit is fully refundable. Up to $1,700 per child of the $2,200 child tax credit is refundable as the additional child tax credit, limited to 15% of earned income above $2,500. Up to 40% of the American opportunity credit (at most $1,000 per student) is refundable. The $500 credit for other dependents and the lifetime learning credit can only reduce tax to zero.
When will I get my refund?
The IRS says most refunds on e-filed returns with direct deposit are issued in under 21 days. By law, refunds that include the earned income tax credit or the additional child tax credit cannot be issued before mid-February, even if you file in January. Use the IRS Where's My Refund tool to track it.
What if the estimate says I will owe?
You still have time to fix it if the year is not over. Raising the extra withholding in Step 4(c) of your Form W-4 for the remaining paychecks, or making an estimated payment, closes the gap. You generally avoid an underpayment penalty if you owe less than $1,000 or your withholding covers at least 90% of this year's tax or 100% of last year's (110% if last year's AGI was over $150,000).