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Income Tax Calculator
Wondering how to estimate your 2024 tax refund?
Just answer a few simple questions about your life, income, and expenses, and our free tax calculator will give you an idea if you should expect a refund and how much, or if you’ll owe the IRS when you file taxes in 2025.
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- Basic Info
- Income
- Deductions
- Credits
- Results
The purpose of tax deductions is to decrease your taxable income, which then decreases the amount of taxes you need to pay to the federal government. To help you reduce your taxable income, we aggregated a huge list of deductions many people often overlook or aren’t sure how to use them to their advantage.
For tax purposes, your adjusted gross income or AGI is essentially your total or gross income minus eligible deductions. You can use our AGI calculator to estimate your adjusted gross income using the most common income and deductions for US taxpayers.
Your tax bracket shows you the tax rate that you will pay for each portion of your income. For example, if you are a single person, the lowest possible tax rate of 10 percent is applied to the first $11,925 of your income in 2024. The next portion of your income is taxed at the next tax bracket of 12 percent. That continues for each tax bracket up to the top of your taxable income. Find yours with our helpful tax bracket calculator.
Most income is taxable, whether you earn it or are paid as a return on your investment. Also, you generally have to pay tax on income when you sell something for more than your basis (usually the amount you paid for something).
If a type of income is taxable, it doesn't matter if you receive payment in cash, by check or electronic payment, or in the form of goods or services. You still pay tax on it.
Certain types of income are excluded from tax. This generally includes income you or someone else has already paid tax on, or income from special situations, such as combat pay.
Your tax filing status makes a big difference in your tax return when you file.
Many people simply choose the status they believe best fits their personal situation, but in some cases, you may have more than one option. At that point, it’s up to you to pick the status that offers you the most tax advantages. Filing status options are:
Head of Household
Married Filing Jointly
Married Filing Separately
Single
Qualified Widow or Widower
Learn everything you need to know about how filing status impacts your tax return and refund.
Credits differ from deductions and exemptions because credits reduce your tax bill directly. After calculating your total taxes, you can subtract any credits for which you qualify. Some credits address social concerns for taxpayers, like The Child Tax Credit, and others can influence behavior, like education credits that help with the costs of continuing your education.
There are numerous credits available for a wide range of causes, and all reduce your tax liability dollar for dollar. That means a $1,000 tax credit reduces your tax bill by $1,000. Reviewing all the options may be time-consuming, but could also prove to be profitable.
Some major tax credits are:
Foreign tax credit
Credit for child and dependent care expenses
Education credits
Retirement savings contribution credit (Saver's Credit)
Child tax credit
Residential energy credits
Learn more about tax credits and how they impact your tax return and tax refund.
TaxAct Costs Less: “File for less” and percentage savings claims based on comparison with TurboTax federal pricing for paid consumer online 1040 filing products on 12/16/2024.
Maximum Refund Guarantee: If an error in our software causes you to receive a smaller refund or larger tax liability than you receive using the same data with another tax preparation product, we will pay you the difference in the refund or liability up to $100,000 and refund the applicable software fees you paid us. Read more about our Maximum Refund Guarantee.
$100k Accuracy Guarantee: If you pay an IRS or state penalty or interest because of a TaxAct calculation error, we'll pay you the difference in the refund or liability up to $100,000. This guarantee applies only to errors contained in our consumer prepared tax return software; it doesn't apply to errors the customer makes. Read more about our $100k Accuracy Guarantee.
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TaxAct Xpert Assist and TaxAct Xpert Assist for Business: TaxAct® Xpert Assist and TaxAct Xpert Assist for Business are available as an added service to users of TaxAct’s online consumer & SMB 1040 products for 1065 and 1120-S, respectively. The service is limited to a single return. Pricing may vary by product. Additional fees apply. Unlimited support refers to an unlimited quantity of expert contacts available to each customer. Service hours limited to designated business days and hours and by expert availability. Some tax topics or situations may not be included as part of this service. Review of customer return is broad, does not extend to source documents and is not intended to be comprehensive; expert is available to address specific questions raised by customer. View full TaxAct Xpert Assist Terms and Conditions.
Start Free and File Free: The TaxAct Online Free Edition makes free federal filing available for those who qualify based on income and deductions. See if you qualify for free federal filing and what is included in this year’s Free Edition. For all other online products, you can start free and pay only when you file. This means you will not be charged if you decide to stop using any product prior to printing or e-filing.
Edition Pricing: Actual prices are determined at the time of payment, print, or e-file and are subject to change without notice. Add sales tax for applicable orders. Offers may end at any time and promotional offers may not be combined.
Exceptional Customer Care: Customer care does not include tax advice.
Deduction Maximizer: TaxAct's Deduction Maximizer guides you step by step through the process of completing your return in a way that helps you uncover additional tax advantages and helps you maximize your deductions by checking dozens of additional deductions we know from experience folks don't think to look for. Each deduction you claim may reduce the amount of tax you owe, resulting in a lower IRS bill overall.
All-Inclusive Bundle: Percent savings based on TaxAct a la carte pricing when you qualify for Refund Transfer. The All-inclusive bundle includes, 1 Federal Return, 1 State Return, Refund Transfer, E-File Concierge and Audit Defense. Additional state(s) returns are not included. In order to use Refund Transfer, you must qualify and choose to pay for your bundle using Refund Transfer. Offer may not be combined with other offers. Price paid, including sales tax, is determined at the time of filing and is subject to change. All TaxAct offers, products and services are subject to applicable terms and conditions.
Audit Defense: See Audit Defense provided by Tax Protection Plus (PDF) for further details of services and requirements. May not apply to certain forms and credits. Certain customers may not qualify for services based on past tax audit history, residency, or other factors. Audit Defense is not insurance. Audit Defense is subject to terms and conditions (PDF) located on Tax Protection Plus's website.
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Refund Transfer: Refund Transfers are fee-based products offered by Republic Bank & Trust Company, Member FDIC. A Refund Transfer Fee and all other authorized amounts will be deducted from the taxpayer’s tax refund.
Refer-A-Friend: Offer valid through October 31, 2024. For each friend you refer to TaxAct who did not prepare and file using us last year, you get a $20 Amazon.com Gift Card after they file their taxes using TaxAct’s 2023 Deluxe, Premier or Self-Employed product. Even better, they get 20% off our federal tax filing products by using the share link you provide! It’s not every day you get to be somebody’s hero and make money doing it.
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This offer is for TaxAct’s consumer federal, online 1040 returns and is subject to specific terms and conditions. See terms and conditions for more information. Offer is subject to change. The value of your gift card is dependent on the offer available at the time you make the referral.
TaxAct E-File Concierge™ service provides phone calls and related support regarding federal e-file status changes using the phone number provided in My Account. Service is subject to availability and limited to federal e-filed tax returns.
Most Popular: TaxAct Deluxe is our most popular product among our online customers with more complex tax situations.
Over 94 Million Returns Filed: Based on e-filed federal returns through TaxAct Consumer and TaxAct Professional software since 2000.
Refund Amounts Shown: Actual refund amounts vary based on your tax situation. Number shown in illustrations are based on IRS published data stating that average 2023 tax refunds were more than $2812. See IRS article for more information.
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