Estimate whether you are getting a refund or writing a cheque — and by how much — before you file.
Uses 2026 federal brackets and standard deductions (IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32). State tax is simplified — the state taxable base is assumed to equal the federal taxable base, and some states have credits, exemptions or local taxes not modelled here. Credits and phase-outs beyond the single input field are not included. Estimation only; not tax advice.
Worth being precise about, because the two get confused constantly. The IRS “Where’s My Refund?” tool tracks a return you have already filed — it needs your SSN, filing status and the exact refund amount, and it reads the status off the IRS system. This calculator does the opposite: it works out what your refund should be from your income and withholding, before you file. Use it to check whether your withholding is on target, or to sanity-check the number your preparer gives you. It has no idea whether the IRS has processed anything.
A refund is not a bonus. It is the difference between what was withheld from your pay during the year and what you actually owed. A large refund means you lent the government money at 0% interest for up to twelve months — which is why the fix is a new W-4, not a celebration.
Withholding is a running prepayment. Whatever is left over at filing time comes back to you.
A single filer in Texas earning $85,000 with $7,500 of federal tax withheld during the year.
Estimate your federal and state refund or balance due from your income, withholding and credits — before filing. Shows how much you over- or under-withheld. No SSN required.
A tax refund is the difference between what was withheld from your pay during the year and what you actually owed. If more was withheld than you owed, the excess comes back to you. That money was yours all along — it simply sat with the government instead of in your account, earning nothing, for anywhere from a few months to a full year. A large refund is usually a sign that your W-4 withholding is set too high, not that you did well.
It is worth being precise, because the two get confused constantly. The IRS "Where's My Refund?" tool tracks a return you have already filed — it needs your Social Security number, filing status and exact refund amount, and it reads the status from the IRS system. This calculator does the opposite: it works out what your refund should be from your income and withholding, before you file. Use it to check your withholding or to sanity-check a preparer's number. It has no information about whether the IRS has processed anything, and it never asks for your SSN.
Your employer withholds federal income tax from each paycheque based on the W-4 you filed. That withholding is a running prepayment against a tax bill that is not calculated until you file. At filing time the two are compared: if withholding exceeds the tax you owe, you get a refund; if it falls short, you have a balance due. Under-withholding by a large amount across the year can also trigger an underpayment penalty, which is why the fix is a corrected W-4 rather than a one-off payment.
A single filer in Texas earns $85,000. The 2026 standard deduction of $16,100 leaves $68,900 of taxable income, producing roughly $9,870 of federal income tax. With $7,500 withheld during the year, there is a balance due of about $2,370. That is not a penalty by itself — it simply means the payroll withholding was set lower than the actual liability. The same filer withholding $11,000 would have seen a refund of about $1,130 instead.
Tax credits subtract directly from the tax you owe, which makes them more valuable than deductions of the same size. A deduction reduces your taxable income, so its benefit depends on your marginal rate; a credit reduces the bill dollar for dollar. Some credits, such as the Child Tax Credit and the Earned Income Tax Credit, are partly or fully refundable, meaning they can generate a refund even when your tax liability is zero. This calculator applies the credits you enter against federal tax and never lets the result go below zero.
No. This is a before-you-file estimator, not a tracker. To check the status of a return you have already submitted, use the IRS Where's My Refund tool, which needs your SSN, filing status and exact refund amount.
Your payroll withholding was set lower than your actual tax liability for the year. Common causes are a raise that pushed you into a higher bracket, a second job, self-employment income with no withholding, or a W-4 claiming more allowances than were warranted. Filing a corrected W-4 spreads the correction across the following year.
It means too much was withheld, which is not the same thing. Your total tax liability was correct; the prepayment was simply larger than necessary. The cost is the lost use of that money during the year, not an overpayment of tax.
No. Owing tax when you file is not a penalty in itself. A separate underpayment penalty can apply if you underpaid substantially across the year, and it is calculated on the shortfall and how long it was outstanding, not on the total balance.
Yes. Enter your state and the state tax withheld, and it estimates the state refund or balance due alongside the federal one. States have their own withholding rules and deduction structures, so the state figure is an estimate.
Why did the math book look so sad?
No signups, no data sold. Every tool is free to use — the free tier allows 5 downloads or saves per day, and the optional Pro plan ($7/mo, $59/yr) adds unlimited downloads, batch processing, white-label exports and an ad-free experience.
☕Support me on Ko-fi— support the free tier100% of proceeds go towards hosting & building more free tools.