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2019-2020 Tax bracket calculator
Use our tax bracket calculator to estimate your tax bracket, federal income taxes, and average tax rate.
What are the tax brackets for 2019?
For the 2019 tax year (taxes due April 2020), there are seven tax brackets. Below are the tax brackets based on your filing status.
2019 Federal income tax brackets (taxes due April July 2020)
| Tax rate | Single | Married (filing jointly) | Married (filing separately) | Head of household |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10% | $0 to $9,700 | $0 to $19,400 | $0 to $9,700 | $0 to $13,850 |
| 12% | $9,701 to $39,475 | $19,401 to $78,950 | $9,701 to $39,475 | $13,851 to $52,850 |
| 22% | $39,476 to $84,200 | $78,951 to $168,400 | $39,476 to $84,200 | $52,851 to $84,200 |
| 24% | $84,201 to $160,725 | $168,401 to $321,450 | $84,201 to $160,725 | $84,201 to $160,700 |
| 32% | $160,726 to $204,100 | $321,451 to $408,200 | $160,726 to $204,100 | $160,701 to $204,100 |
| 35% | $204,101 to $510,300 | $408,201 to $612,350 | $204,101 to $306,175 | $204,101 to $510,300 |
| 37% | $510,301 or more | $612,351 or more | $306,176 or more | $510,301 or more |
What are the tax brackets for 2020?
For the 2020 tax year (taxes due April 2021), there are also seven tax brackets. Below are the tax brackets based on your filing status.
2020 Federal income tax brackets (taxes due April 2021)
| Tax rate | Single | Married (filing jointly) | Married (filing separately) | Head of household |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10% | $0 to $9,875 | $0 to $19,750 | $0 to $9,875 | $0 to $14,100 |
| 12% | $9,876 to $40,125 | $19,751 to $80,250 | $9,876 to $40,125 | $14,101 to $53,700 |
| 22% | $40,126 to $85,525 | $80,251 to $171,050 | $40,126 to $85,525 | $53,701 to $85,500 |
| 24% | $85,526 to $163,300 | $171,051 to $326,600 | $85,526 to $163,300 | $85,501 to $163,300 |
| 32% | $163,301 to $207,350 | $326,601 to $414,700 | $163,301 to $207,350 | $163,301 to $207,350 |
| 35% | $207,351 to $518,400 | $414,701 to $622,050 | $207,351 to $311,025 | $207,351 to $518,400 |
| 37% | $518,401 or more | $622,051 or more | $311,026 or more | $518,401 or more |
How do you know what tax bracket you are in?
The U.S. has a progressive tax system. What does this mean?
You pay very few taxes on the first dollars you make and more taxes on the last dollars you make.
How does this work in practice? The government divides up your income into several buckets, and taxes each of these buckets at a different rate.
You do not pay the tax rate in your tax bracket on all of your taxable income. This is a common misconception. If you are in the 24% tax bracket, you do not pay 24% taxes on all of your income. You only pay 24% tax on the income in the 24% tax bracket.
This is best illustrated with an example.
Example
Let’s say you made $100,000 in 2019 and you are a single filer. Let’s look at the 2019 tax bracket table from above.
2019 Federal income tax brackets for a single filer (taxes due April July 2020)
| Tax rate | Single |
|---|---|
| 10% | $0 to $9,700 |
| 12% | $9,701 to $39,475 |
| 22% | $39,476 to $84,200 |
| 24% | $84,201 to $160,725 |
| 32% | $160,726 to $204,100 |
| 35% | $204,101 to $510,300 |
| 37% | $510,301 or more |
We can start with the lowest tax bracket and progressively move our way up to see how much in taxes you owe. We look at the high end of the bracket to see if you pay taxes for that bracket.
10% Tax bracket
The 10% tax bracket is for earnings up to $9,700. Did you make more than $9,700? You did, and so need to pay 10% of your first $9,700, which is $970.
12% Tax bracket
The 12% tax bracket is for earnings between $9,701 and $39,475. Did you make more than $39,375? You did as well, and so you need to pay 12% on your earnings between $39,475 and $9,701, which is $29,775. You would pay 12% on this amount which is around $3,573.
22% Tax bracket
The 22% tax bracket is for earnings between $39,476 to $84,200. Did you make more than $84,200? Yes you did. Now you need to pay 22% on your earnings only between $84,200 and $39,476. This comes out to be $44,725, which at a 22% tax rate, means you pay taxes of around $9,840.
24% Tax bracket
The 24% tax bracket is for earnings between $84,201 and $160,725. Did you make more than $160,725? No you did not, but you did make more than $84,201.
This is your tax bucket.
In this bucket you would pay 24% of your earnings above $84,201. This is the difference between $100,000 and $84,201, which is $15,800. 24% of this is around $3,792.
Tax summary
In total, you would pay $18,175 in federal income taxes on your income of $100,000. You would be in the 24% tax bracket, but your average tax rate (or effective tax rate) would be less, at 18%. This is because you pay a lower tax rate on your first dollars of earnings.
We can summarize this in the table below.
| Tax rate | Taxable income bracket | Do you pay taxes in this bracket? | Taxable income | Taxes paid |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10% | $0 to $9,700 | Yes | $9,700 | $970 |
| 12% | $9,701 to $39,475 | Yes | $29,775 | $3,573 |
| 22% | $39,476 to $84,200 | Yes | $44,725 | $9,840 |
| 24% | $84,201 to $160,725 | Yes | $15,800 | $3,792 |
| 32% | $160,726 to $204,100 | No | $0 | $0 |
| 35% | $204,101 to $510,300 | No | $0 | $0 |
| 37% | $510,301 or more | No | $0 | $0 |
| Total | $100,000 | $18,175 |
What is my marginal tax rate?
Your marginal tax rate is the tax rate you pay on the an additional dollar that you make. This is the same as your tax bracket.
For example, if you are a single filer and you made $175,000 in 2019, then you would be in the 32% tax bracket. Your marginal tax rate would be 32%. If you made $175,001, the extra dollar would be taxed at 32%.
What is my effective tax rate?
Your effective tax rate is the average tax rate you pay. This is less than your marginal tax rate (or your tax bracket) because you pay a lower tax rate on the first dollars you earn.
Can I reduce how much I pay in taxes?
Federal income tax brackets only apply to your taxable income. There are a few ways to reduce your taxable income.
Tax deductions
Deductions reduce your taxable income and as a result, reduce the amount of taxes you pay.
For example, if you are in the 32% tax bracket and you take a deduction of $1,000, you would reduce your taxes by $320 ($1,000 x 32%).
Common deductions include student loan interest deduction, home office deductions, IRA and 401(k) contributions deductions, and medical expenses deductions.
Tax credits
Tax credits are subtracted from income taxes that you owe.
For example, if you owe the IRS $15,000 in taxes and have $2,000 in tax credits, then the total amount of taxes you owe is $13,000 ($15,000 − $2,000).
Examples of tax credits include the Lifetime Learning Credit, adoption credit, Saver’s Credit, and child tax credit.