Tax Guides
Clear answers to common paycheck and tax questions, with worked examples and links to official sources.
- Federal Income Tax Brackets 2026 (and 2025)Official 2026 federal tax brackets for single, married and head of household filers, plus the 2025 table, standard deductions and worked examples.
- What Is Federal Withholding? FITW, FIT Tax and Fed W/H ExplainedWhat FITW, FIT tax and "Fed W/H" mean on a pay stub, how employers calculate federal income tax withheld, and how to change it with Form W-4.
- Gross Pay vs Net Pay: What Comes Out in BetweenGross pay is before taxes and deductions; net pay is your take-home. See what comes out between them, with a 2026 paycheck example.
- How to Calculate Annual Income: Formulas and ExamplesSimple formulas to calculate gross annual income from hourly pay, salary, paychecks or self-employment, plus monthly income, with worked examples.
- Effective Tax Rate vs Marginal Tax Rate (2026 Examples)Your marginal rate is the tax on your next dollar; your effective rate is total tax divided by income. 2026 examples and a table by income.
- Self-Employment Tax Explained: How 1099 Taxes Work in 2026How self-employment tax is calculated in 2026 (15.3% on 92.35% of profit), what 1099 workers owe in total, and quarterly estimated tax deadlines.
- How Many Allowances Should I Claim? Filling Out the 2026 W-4Withholding allowances were removed from Form W-4 in 2020. Here's how to fill out the 2026 W-4, claim dependents and set the right withholding.
- Tax Refund Schedule 2026: When Will I Get My Refund?When will I get my tax refund? IRS timelines for e-file, paper and amended returns, PATH Act dates for EITC/ACTC, and what to expect in 2027.
- Fact Check: Is There a $3,000 IRS Tax Refund Schedule?Is there a $3,000 IRS refund or payment for everyone? No. We fact-check the viral "June 2025" claims and explain which real payments exist.
- No Tax on Overtime Explained: Who Qualifies and How Much You SaveThe OBBBA overtime deduction covers only the "half" in time-and-a-half, up to $12,500 ($25,000 joint), 2025-2028. Rules, phaseout and examples.
- No Tax on Tips Explained: Who Qualifies and How to Claim ItHow the no tax on tips deduction works: qualified tips, the occupation list, the $25,000 cap, income phaseout, and how to claim it on Schedule 1-A.
- How Much Do You Have to Make to File Taxes?IRS filing thresholds for 2025 and 2026 by filing status and age, the $400 self-employment rule, dependent rules, and when filing pays off anyway.
- Payroll Tax vs Income Tax: What's the Difference?Payroll taxes (FICA) fund Social Security and Medicare at a flat rate; income tax is progressive. 2026 rates, wage base, employer share and examples.
- How to Calculate Sales Tax: Forward and Reverse FormulasFormulas to add sales tax to a price or back it out of a total, with worked examples, combined state and local rates, and common mistakes.
- One Big Beautiful Bill Tax Changes for Individuals (2025-2029)Every major individual tax change in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (P.L. 119-21): what changed, how much, and which years each provision applies.
- Does Washington State Have an Income Tax? What You Actually Pay in 2026Washington has no tax on wages in 2026, but it does tax big capital gains, payroll for PFML and WA Cares, and sales. Here is what WA workers really pay.
- States With No Income Tax in 2026: The Full List and the TradeoffsAlaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington and Wyoming don't tax wages in 2026. See what each taxes instead.
- State Income Tax Rates for 2026: Every State and DCTop 2026 income tax rates for every state and DC, flat-tax vs. graduated, including cuts passed mid-2026 in Arkansas, Georgia, South Carolina, Utah and WV.
- State Income Tax Changes for 2026: Who Cut, Who Raised, and What It Means13 states cut income tax rates for 2026, from Ohio's new 2.75% flat tax to South Carolina's 5.21%. See old vs. new rates and what it saves you.
- New York City Income Tax in 2026: Brackets, Who Pays, and What It CostsNYC residents pay 3.078%–3.876% city income tax on top of New York State tax. 2026 brackets, Yonkers rules, who owes it, and worked paycheck examples.
- California Income Tax Brackets for 2026 and What Comes Out of Your PaycheckCalifornia's 2026 tax brackets from FTB indexing: 1% to 12.3% plus 1% over $1M. Standard deduction, 1.3% SDI and how much comes out of a CA paycheck.
- Where's My State Tax Refund? Official Refund Status Tools for Every StateOfficial "Where's My Refund" links for every state with an income tax, plus typical e-file and paper refund times. Check NC, WI, NJ, PA, IL, MI and more.
- States That Don't Tax Retirement Income in 2026: Social Security, Pensions and IRAsOnly 8 states tax Social Security in 2026, and many exempt pensions and IRA withdrawals. See how every state treats retirement income this year.
- Local Income Taxes in 2026: Which Cities and Counties Tax Your WagesWhich cities and counties tax wages in 2026: NYC, Philadelphia, Detroit, Ohio cities, PA EIT, Maryland, Indiana, Kentucky, KC, St. Louis and Portland.
- Sales Tax Rates by State for 20262026 state, average local and combined sales tax rates for all 50 states and DC (Tax Foundation, July 2026). Louisiana is highest; 5 states have none.
- How Much Tax Is Taken Out of My Paycheck in 2026?See exactly what comes out of a $60,000 paycheck in 2026: federal tax, Social Security, Medicare and state tax, with worked examples for TX, FL, CA and NY.
- How Much Tax Is Deducted From a Paycheck in Texas (2026)?Texas has no state income tax, so paychecks lose only federal tax and FICA. See 2026 take-home pay at $50k–$100k, plus Texas property and sales tax.
- How Much Tax Is Taken Out of a Paycheck in Florida (2026)?Florida has no state income tax, so paychecks lose only federal tax and FICA. 2026 take-home pay examples, plus Florida sales tax and property tax.
Key federal tax dates for the rest of 2026 and early 2027
Many of the guides come back to the same calendar. These are the dates that matter for the current tax year:
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| October 15, 2026 | Deadline for 2025 returns filed on extension (Form 4868) |
| January 15, 2027 | Fourth estimated tax payment for 2026 (optional if you file and pay in full by February 1) |
| Mid-February 2027 | Earliest release of refunds that include the EITC or additional child tax credit |
| April 15, 2027 | 2026 returns and any balance due; first estimated payment for 2027 |
How the guides are written
There are 28 guides, each answering one question people search for — what FITW means on a pay stub, when a refund arrives, whether a state taxes retirement income. Each starts with the direct answer, then works through an example with 2026 figures, and ends with the official sources used. The figures come from the same data files as the calculators, so a guide and its calculator always agree.
Where a viral claim is circulating — a "$3,000 refund", for example — the guide says plainly whether it is true and points to the IRS page that settles it.
Frequently asked questions
Are the guides updated for the new tax year?
Yes. Figures in the guides are drawn from the 2026 data files and change automatically when the data is updated. Each guide shows the date it was last reviewed.
Sources
Figures are taken from official government publications and were last reviewed on 2026-10-03.