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The federal income tax rates remain unchanged for both the 2025 and 2026 tax years at 10%, 12%, 22%, 24%, 32%, 35% and 37%. The income thresholds for each bracket and filing status are adjusted slightly every year for inflation. Below, we break down the major differences between tax year 2025 (filed by April 15, 2026) and tax year 2026 (filed by April 15, 2027).
A financial advisor can help you build a financial plan that aims to minimize your tax liability. Speak with an advisor today.
Federal Income Tax Brackets Overview
The U.S. currently has seven federal income tax brackets, with rates of 10%, 12%, 22%, 24%, 32%, 35% and 37%. If you’re one of the lucky few to earn enough to fall into the 37% bracket, that doesn’t mean that the entirety of your taxable income will be subject to a 37% tax. Instead, 37% is your top marginal tax rate.
With a marginal tax rate, you pay that rate only on the amount of your income that falls into a certain range. To understand how marginal rates work, consider the bottom tax rate of 10%. For single filers in 2025, all income between $0 and $11,925 is subject to a 10% tax rate. So if you have $15,000 in taxable income in 2025, the first $11,925 is subject to the 10% rate and the remaining $3,075 is subject to the tax rate of the next bracket, which is 12%.
Review the chart below to see what your top marginal tax rate is for tax year 2025:
2025 Federal Tax Brackets
| Rate | Single | Married, Filing Jointly | Married, Filing Separately | Head of Household |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10% | $0 – $11,925 | $0 – $23,850 | $0 – $11,925 | $0 – $17,000 |
| 12% | $11,925 – $48,475 | $23,850 – $96,950 | $11,925 – $48,475 | $17,000 – $64,850 |
| 22% | $48,475 – $103,350 | $96,950 – $206,700 | $48,475 – $103,350 | $64,850 – $103,350 |
| 24% | $103,350 – $197,300 | $206,700 – $394,600 | $103,350 – $197,300 | $103,350 – $197,300 |
| 32% | $197,300 – $250,525 | $394,600 – $501,050 | $197,300 – $250,525 | $197,300 – $250,500 |
| 35% | $250,525 – $626,350 | $501,050 – $751,600 | $250,525 – $375,800 | $250,500 – $626,350 |
| 37% | $626,350+ | $751,600+ | $375,800+ | $626,350+ |
Now, for comparison, here’s a chart with the tax brackets for the 2026 tax year:
2026 Federal Tax Brackets
| Rate | Single | Married, Filing Jointly | Married, Filing Separately | Head of Household |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10% | $0 – $12,400 | $0 – $24,800 | $0 – $12,400 | $0 – $17,700 |
| 12% | $12,400 – $50,400 | $24,800 – $100,800 | $12,400 – $50,400 | $17,700 – $67,450 |
| 22% | $50,400 – $105,700 | $100,800 – $211,400 | $50,400 – $105,700 | $67,450 – $105,700 |
| 24% | $105,700 – $201,775 | $211,400 – $403,550 | $105,700 – $201,775 | $105,700 – $201,750 |
| 32% | $201,775 – $256,225 | $403,550 – $512,450 | $201,775 – $256,225 | $201,750 – $256,200 |
| 35% | $256,225 – $640,600 | $512,450 – $768,700 | $256,225 – $384,350 | $256,200 – $640,600 |
| 37% | $609,351+ | $768,700+ | $384,350+ | $640,600+ |
In rare cases, such as when one spouse is subject to tax refund garnishing because of unpaid debts to the state or federal government, opting for the “married filing separately” tax status can be advantageous. Typically, though, filing jointly provides a tax break.
Only single people should use the single filing status. Single taxpayers who have dependents, though, should file as “Head of Household.” To qualify for this filing status, you must pay more than half of household expenses, be unmarried and have a qualifying child or dependent.
How the Marginal Federal Tax Brackets Work
In the U.S., income is taxed progressively with higher tax brackets than in most other nations. Not all income is treated equally, as the more you earn the higher percentage you end up contributing in taxes. All brackets work on a taxable income basis, not necessarily the actual amount of money earned in a given year.
Once all deductions are accounted for, then the leftover income total is your taxable income. That income falls into a tax bracket and you pay the percentage within that bracket.
Estimate your tax liability based on your income and filing status using our calculator.
Income Tax Calculator
Calculate your federal, state and local taxes for the 2025 tax year.
Your 2025 Total Income Taxes
Federal Income & FICA Taxes
State Taxes
Local Taxes
About This Calculator
Our income tax calculator calculates your federal, state and local taxes based on several key inputs: your household income, location, filing status and number of personal exemptions.
How Income Taxes Are Calculated
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First, we calculate your adjusted gross income (AGI) by taking your total household income and reducing it by certain items such as contributions to your 401(k).
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Next, from AGI we subtract exemptions and deductions (either itemized or standard) to get your taxable income. Exemptions can be claimed for each taxpayer.
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Based on your filing status, your taxable income is then applied to the tax brackets to calculate your federal income taxes owed for the year.
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Your location will determine whether you owe local and / or state taxes.
When Do We Update? - We check for any updates to the latest tax rates and regulations annually.
Customer Service - If you would like to leave any feedback, feel free to email info@smartasset.com.
Assumptions
Deductions
- "Other Pre-Tax Deductions" are not used to calculate state taxable income.
Credits
- The only federal credit automatically calculated is the Savers Credit, depending on your eligibility.
- We do not apply any refundable credits, like the Child Tax Credit or Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC).
- We do not apply state credits in our calculations.
Itemized Deductions
- If itemizing at the federal level, you may need to itemize at the state level too. Some states don't allow itemized deductions, which is accounted for in our calculations.
- When calculating the SALT deduction for itemized deductions, we use state and local taxes, and we assume your MAGI.
- We assume that there is no cap to itemized deductions, if a state allows them.
- We do not categorize itemized deductions (such as medical expenses or mortgage interest), which could be subject to specific caps per state.
Local Tax
- Depending on the state, we calculate local taxes at the city level or county level. We do not include local taxes on school districts, metro areas or combine county and city taxes.
- With the exception of NYC, Yonkers, and Portland/Multnomah County, we assume local taxes are a flat tax on either state taxable income or gross income.
Actual results may vary based on individual circumstances and changes in tax laws or IRS regulations. Estimates provided by this calculator do not guarantee income tax amounts or rates. Past performance is not indicative of future results.
SmartAsset.com does not provide legal, tax, accounting or financial advice (except for referring users to third-party advisers registered or chartered as fiduciaries ("Adviser(s)") with a regulatory body in the United States). Articles, opinions and tools are for general informational purposes only and are not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual. Users should consult their accountant, tax advisor or legal professional to address their particular situation.
The easiest thing to do is to use SmartAsset’s income tax calculator above, but here are some tips to keep in mind if you’re estimating your own taxes:
- Actual taxes paid: The tax you owe could vary based on where your income comes from and how it is broken up. Your entire income won’t necessarily be taxed at your tax bracket rate.
- Income thresholds: The income thresholds for the federal tax brackets are updated and change annually. This is done to account for inflation.
- Effective tax rate: Your effective tax rate is the percentage of your taxable income that you’ll pay in taxes. You can calculate this by dividing your tax owed by your total income.
If someone asks you for your tax bracket, the person is almost certainly asking for your top marginal tax rate. That’s why, when you’re reading the news, you’ll hear references to “filers in the top bracket” or maybe “taxpayers in the 37% bracket.” America’s top federal income tax bracket varies over time quite a bit. It’s hard to believe now, but top federal income tax rates were once as high as 94%. 1
Understanding the Current Federal Income Tax Brackets
Our current tax brackets were adjusted when Congress passed new legislation in 2017 that changed the brackets and how taxes are filed. The tax reform passed by President Trump and Congressional Republicans lowered the top rate for five of the seven brackets. It also increased the standard deduction to nearly twice its 2017 amount.
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) extends those tax changes by making the current bracket structure permanent. Under previous law, the lower rates and higher standard deduction were scheduled to expire after 2025, reverting to pre-2017 levels. By removing that sunset provision, the OBBBA ensures that today’s marginal tax rates and standard deduction amounts remain in place going forward unless Congress passes new legislation to revise them.
For the 2025 tax year, the standard deduction is $31,500 for married couples who file jointly and $15,750 for both single filers and married people who file separately. The standard deduction for heads of household is $23,625. Meanwhile, senior citizens will receive an additional $6,000 standard deduction under OBBBA between 2025 and 2028.
For tax year 2026, the standard deduction is $32,200 for married couples filing jointly and $16,100 for single filers and married people who file separately. Heads of household have a standard deduction of $24,150 for 2026.
Bottom Line
Tax filers will need the 2025 and 2026 federal income tax brackets when they file taxes in 2026 and 2027, respectively. Your top tax bracket doesn’t just depend on your salary. It also depends on other sources of income and your deductions. Depending on where you fall within a tax bracket, deductions could knock you into a lower tax bracket, reducing your tax liability or increasing the size of your tax refund.
Tips for Tax Filing
- A financial advisor with tax expertise can potentially help you lower your tax liability. Finding a financial advisor doesn’t have to be hard. SmartAsset’s free tool matches you with vetted financial advisors who serve your area, and you can have a free introductory call with your advisor matches to decide which one you feel is right for you. If you’re ready to find an advisor who can help you achieve your financial goals, get started now.
- If you need more time to file your taxes, you can use Form 4868 to get a maximum extension of six months from the April 15 deadline (to October 15.) But remember, this extension does not apply to payments. So if you owe taxes, you should estimate what you owe and pay what you can to avoid a penalty and interest.
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Article Sources
All articles are reviewed and updated by SmartAsset’s fact-checkers for accuracy. Visit our Editorial Policy for more details on our overall journalistic standards.
- History of Federal Income Tax Rates: 1913 – 2025. https://bradfordtaxinstitute.com/Free_Resources/Federal-Income-Tax-Rates.aspx.