An honest look
at what you'll owe.
W-2, self-employment, Bitcoin, dividends, state tax. This is an estimation tool. It is not your tax return. It will get you within a few hundred dollars of what you owe, usually. Use the output to plan withholding, quarterly estimates, and year-end moves. Use TurboTax, H&R Block, FreeTaxUSA, IRS Free File, or a CPA to actually file.
This tool estimates. It does not file. Tax code is 73,000+ pages. This tool covers maybe 40 of them, the ones that apply to most people. If any of the following apply to you, the estimate will be wrong: multi-state income, nonresident alien status, foreign tax credits, passive activity losses, AMT with large preference items, NOLs, basis limitations, K-1 pass-throughs with complex allocations, estate or trust income, rental depreciation recapture, ISO exercises. The output is a starting point for conversation with your CPA or for rough withholding planning.
Every federal and state figure below has a verify badge. Click to see the source. All 2026 federal amounts are inflation-indexed projections; final figures are released by IRS in late 2025 and may shift by small amounts. Not tax advice, not legal advice, not financial advice.
BOX 12 · PRE-TAX AND RETIREMENT CODES (click to expand)
Most common codes. D: 401(k), E: 403(b), G: 457(b), W: HSA via employer, AA: Roth 401(k), BB: Roth 403(b), EE: Roth 457(b), DD: employer-sponsored health (informational, not taxable). Others: A/B: uncollected SS/Medicare on tips, C: group term life over $50k, F/H/R/S/T/Y/Z/FF/GG/HH: various SIMPLE, nonqualified, adoption, DPAD.
FULL CALCULATION BREAKDOWN (click to expand)
Drag to see how your total tax shifts if your primary income (W-2 wages or SE gross) changes. Everything else held constant.
Download your estimate as a 1200×628 PNG.
Now actually file.
This tool is a projection. To file a real return, use one of these. All have real-world preparer review, IRS e-file, and audit support.
When to hire a CPA vs DIY: CPA pays for itself if you have rental income, self-employment > $50k, multi-state, RSU/ISO/NSO, large crypto activity, estate planning, or if you're close to a bracket line where planning moves the needle. A decent CPA runs $400-$1,500 for a typical return. For a straightforward W-2 with standard deduction, DIY software works fine.
What this tool assumes
- 2026 federal brackets and standard deductions (IRS Rev. Proc. 2025 inflation adjustments).
- Standard deduction applied unless itemized is toggled.
- SALT deduction capped at $10,000 per federal rules.
- Child Tax Credit applied for each dependent under 17 you enter.
- State income tax is estimated at single-filer rates where graduated; check your state DOR.
See the glossary for plain-English definitions of every term used here.
Related
Last updated 2026-04-22. 2026 figures are inflation-adjusted projections from IRS guidance. Not financial advice, not tax advice. Estimation only; use a CPA or tax software to file.
HOW THIS IS CALCULATED
This tool runs entirely in your browser — no data is sent to any server. All formulas use standard financial math. Verify the methodology or inspect the source code in your browser's dev tools.