What's your
tax bracket?
See your 2026 federal tax bracket, marginal rate, and effective rate — with a visual breakdown of how every dollar of your income is taxed.
Enter your income
Marginal vs effective rate.
Marginal rate
The tax rate on your next dollar of income. If you're in the 24% bracket, your next $1 of income is taxed at 24% (until you hit the next bracket).
Effective rate
Your average tax rate across all income. Always lower than marginal because the early brackets (10%, 12%, 22%) tax those dollars at lower rates. Most freelancers in the 24% marginal bracket have ~17% effective.
Why this matters
For tax-saving decisions: use the marginal rate. A $1,000 retirement contribution saves $240 if you're in the 24% bracket, not $170 (your effective rate). For overall tax burden: use effective.
2026 brackets — single filer
| Income range | Marginal rate |
|---|---|
| $0 – $12,400 | 10% |
| $12,400 – $50,400 | 12% |
| $50,400 – $105,700 | 22% |
| $105,700 – $201,775 | 24% |
| $201,775 – $256,225 | 32% |
| $256,225 – $640,600 | 35% |
| $640,600+ | 37% |
Brackets for MFJ are roughly 2x; HoH are between single and MFJ.