Tax Return Estimator
Free tax return estimator. Plug in wages, withholdings, pre-tax retirement contributions, HSA, and dependents to estimate your federal and state refund or balance due. Not a substitute for professional tax preparation.
Last reviewed: · Reviewed by the Money Scale editorial team · How we source our data
Power mode. Every input exposed, every assumption sourced, charts and shareables.
Estimator only — not a tax return
This tool is an educational estimator. It uses the standard deduction, federal brackets, basic state tax, FICA, and the Child Tax Credit. It does NOT model itemized deductions, AMT, EITC, education credits, dependent-care credit, the QBI deduction, capital gains preferences, self-employment income, business income, or many other situations that affect a real return.
Hire a tax professional (CPA or Enrolled Agent) or use full tax software (TurboTax, FreeTaxUSA, H&R Block) to prepare your actual return. You are responsible for your tax filing and any tax owed. Money Scale cannot be held accountable for tax positions, refunds, payments, or penalties resulting from use of this estimator.
$80,000
$12,000
$3,000
$6,000
$0
0 qualifying children
Estimated total refund
+$4,689
Estimate only — actual return may differ materially.
Federal
+$4,550
State (CA)
+$139
AGI
$74,000
Taxable income
$57,900
Marginal rate
22%
Effective rate
20.5%
Reminder: This is a rough estimate, not your actual return. Itemized deductions, additional income (capital gains, 1099s, business), and many credits aren't modeled. Use professional tax preparation for the real number. Money Scale isn't liable for tax outcomes based on this estimator.
↩ $4,689 est. refund
$80,000 wages · SINGLE · CA · 2026 tax year. Rough estimate using standard deduction + CTC only.
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The Tax Return Estimator gives a rough 2026 federal + state refund (or balance due) estimate using wages, withholdings, pre-tax retirement contributions, HSA contributions, and the Child Tax Credit. STRICTLY a directional educational tool — does NOT model itemized deductions, AMT, EITC, education credits, dependent-care credit, the QBI deduction, capital gains preferences, or self-employment income. Use a CPA or tax software for your actual filing.
Free, private, and no signup
Money Scale is built the opposite way from the big finance sites: the numbers you enter never leave your device, and there's nothing to sign up for.
- Your numbers stay privateEvery calculation runs in your browser. We never receive or store your salary, balances, or inputs.
- Always freeNo paywall, no upsell to a calculator that actually works.
- No login, no emailUse every tool instantly — we never gate results behind a signup.
- Sourced defaultsStarting rates and assumptions cite real data, not made-up numbers.
How this calculator works
- Select your filing status (single, MFJ, or HoH) and your state of residence.
- Enter wages from W-2 Box 1, and federal/state taxes already withheld (Boxes 2 and 17).
- Add pre-tax 401(k), 403(b), or Traditional IRA contributions (these reduce AGI).
- Add HSA contributions (also AGI-reducing).
- Enter the number of qualifying children under 17 (for the Child Tax Credit).
- Read the estimate. Then take it to a tax professional or full tax software (TurboTax, FreeTaxUSA, H&R Block) for the actual filing.
AGI = wages − pre_tax − HSA tax = bracket_tax(AGI, filing_status) − Child_Tax_Credit refund = withholding − taxStandard simplified federal return. Compute AGI by subtracting pre-tax deductions from wages. Apply the progressive bracket schedule for the filing status. Subtract the Child Tax Credit ($2,000 per qualifying child under 17, phased out above $200K single / $400K MFJ). Refund or balance due is withholding minus tax owed. State follows the same basic shape with state-specific brackets.
- AGI
- Adjusted Gross Income (the starting point for federal tax)
- wages
- W-2 Box 1 wages
- pre_tax
- Pre-tax 401(k), 403(b), Traditional IRA contributions
- HSA
- HSA contributions (tax-deductible)
- bracket_tax
- Progressive bracket schedule for the filing status (IRS Rev. Proc.)
- Child_Tax_Credit
- $2,000 per qualifying child under 17, with high-income phase-out
- withholding
- Federal income tax already withheld this year (W-2 Box 2)
Frequently asked questions
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