Tax Refund Calculator 2026

How to use this calculator

1. Choose your filing status and whether you or your spouse will be 65 or older by December 31, 2026.
2. Enter your children and other dependents. Children must be under 17 at the end of 2026 to count for the child tax credit.
3. Enter your wages and the federal tax withheld. Your last pay stub of the year shows both; your W-2 (box 1 and box 2) shows the final figures in January.
4. Add other income such as interest, retirement withdrawals, Social Security or unemployment, and any estimated payments.
5. Enter the new deductions that apply: qualified tips, the overtime premium and interest on a qualifying new-car loan. The senior deduction is added automatically for people 65 and older.

Calcvera’s refund calculator runs in your browser, and nothing you type is sent anywhere. For the deductions on their own, use the Schedule 1-A calculator.

How your refund is calculated

A refund is simply the difference between what you paid in during the year and what you owe:

Your tax comes from the same steps as Form 1040:

1. Total income: wages, interest, retirement withdrawals, unemployment and the taxable part of Social Security.
2. Adjusted gross income (AGI): total income minus adjustments such as deductible IRA and HSA contributions.
3. Taxable income: AGI minus the larger of the standard deduction and your itemized deductions, minus the new Schedule 1-A deductions.
4. Tax: taxable income run through the 2026 tax brackets.
5. Credits: the child tax credit and the credit for other dependents reduce your tax. The additional child tax credit and the earned income credit are refundable, so they can be paid to you even when your tax is zero.

Worked example

A single parent files as head of household with one child. They earned $38,000 in 2026 as a restaurant server, including $6,000 of qualified tips, and $1,500 of federal tax was withheld.

• Taxable income: $38,000 − $24,150 standard deduction − $6,000 tips deduction = $7,850.
• Tax: $785, all of it covered by the child tax credit.
• Refundable credits: $1,415 of additional child tax credit and $2,172 of earned income credit.
• Estimated refund: $1,500 + $1,415 + $2,172 = $5,087.

Without the tips deduction, the refund would be $4,487, so the deduction is worth $600 here. That’s less than the $6,000 deduction because a deduction saves only your tax rate on it, which is 10% in this case. Check the deduction on its own with the no tax on tips calculator.

What’s new on 2026 returns

The four new deductions run from 2025 through 2028 and shrink at higher incomes. You can take them whether or not you itemize. See Schedule 1-A deductions explained for who qualifies.

Credits that can raise your refund

Child tax credit. Up to $2,200 per child under 17, and $500 for each other dependent. Both shrink by $50 for each $1,000 of AGI above $200,000 ($400,000 for married couples filing jointly). The refundable part is the smaller of $1,700 per child and 15% of earned income above $2,500.

Earned income credit. A refundable credit for workers with low to moderate pay. It rises with earnings, levels off, then phases out:

Investment income must be $12,200 or less. Without a qualifying child, you (or your spouse) must be 25 to 64. Source: IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32.

2026 federal income tax at common incomes

Federal income tax after credits on wages alone, with the standard deduction. Compare it with the tax withheld from your pay: if more was withheld, the difference is your refund. “Back” means refundable credits are larger than the tax.

When will you get your refund?

• Filing season usually opens in late January. The IRS announces the exact date each January.
• Most e-filed returns with direct deposit are refunded within 21 days. Paper returns take longer.
• Returns that claim the earned income credit or the additional child tax credit can’t be refunded before mid-February. That’s set by law, so even early filers wait.
• Track it with the IRS’s Where’s My Refund? tool, usually from 24 hours after you e-file.

If you’ll owe, the payment is due April 15, 2027. To get closer to zero next year, update your Form W-4 with the IRS Tax Withholding Estimator.

What this calculator leaves out

• Self-employment income and self-employment tax, and the qualified business income deduction.
• Capital gains and qualified dividends, which are taxed at lower rates. Enter them as other income for a cautious estimate.
• Other credits, such as education, child care, saver’s and clean vehicle credits, and the premium tax credit.
• State income tax, the alternative minimum tax and household employment taxes.
• Special cases: the earned income credit for married people filing separately who lived apart, and filers under 25 without children. Social Security for married people filing separately assumes you lived together.

Tax is figured with the IRS rate schedules, so it can differ by a few dollars from the tax table in the Form 1040 instructions. For a complex return, ask a tax professional about your situation.

Formulas used

Taxable Social Security follows the worksheet in IRS Publication 915: up to 85% of benefits are taxable once half your benefits plus your other income pass $25,000 ($32,000 joint). Figures for 2026 come from Rev. Proc. 2025-32 and are listed on our methodology page.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

• Rev. Proc. 2025-32 (2026 inflation adjustments) — Internal Revenue Service
• Tax inflation adjustments for tax year 2026 — Internal Revenue Service
• One, Big, Beautiful Bill provisions — Internal Revenue Service
• Child tax credit — Internal Revenue Service
• Earned income and EITC tables — Internal Revenue Service
• Publication 915: Social Security and equivalent railroad retirement benefits — Internal Revenue Service
• Where’s My Refund? — Internal Revenue Service
• Tax Withholding Estimator — Internal Revenue Service

Key terms

• Child tax credit
• Earned income tax credit (EITC)
• Provisional income (combined income)
• Standard deduction
• Tax deduction vs. tax credit