Taxes, Paychecks & Withholding
Small changes in withholding, deductions, and timing can shift thousands of dollars. These tools help you model the actual dollars that move.
Choose the right calculator
Tax Bracket
Marginal and effective federal rates from income and filing status.
Tax Refund Estimator
Refund or balance due from withholding, deductions, credits.
W-4 Withholding
Adjust per-paycheck federal withholding to match your situation.
Quarterly Estimated Tax
Payments for self-employment, side income, and untaxed earnings.
Self-Employment Tax
Schedule SE + deductible half + combined federal impact.
Standard vs Itemized
Compare SALT, mortgage interest, charity, and medical thresholds.
Mortgage Interest Deduction
Deductible interest and tax savings from itemizing.
Child Tax Credit
CTC and other dependent credits after phaseouts.
Earned Income Credit (EIC)
EITC amount from earned income, AGI, filing status, children.
Education Credits
AOTC and LLC after income phaseouts.
Student Loan Interest Deduction
Deduction and savings after MAGI phaseout.
Bonus Tax Withholding
Supplemental withholding + FICA + state on bonuses.
Severance Tax
Take-home after withholding, payroll tax, and marginal rate.
Raise After-Tax
How much of a raise remains after all deductions.
Paycheck Deductions
Pre-tax, taxes, post-tax, net from gross.
Hourly Paycheck
Gross and net for hourly + overtime with settings.
Paycheck Take-Home
Rough US paycheck: federal, FICA, simple state, pre-tax.
Dividend Tax
Qualified vs ordinary + NIIT + state.
Tax-Equivalent Yield
What taxable yield matches a muni bond.
Short vs Long Gains
Ordinary vs preferential rates by holding period.
Capital Loss Harvesting
Offset gains, $3k ordinary, and carryforward.
Capital Gains Tax
Long-term gains tax by bracket on a sale.
Side Hustle Tax
Self-employment + income tax on gig work after standard deduction.
Common scenarios
- New job or side gig? Use Paycheck Take-Home or Hourly Paycheck first, then Estimated Quarterly Tax if you will owe.
- Expecting a large refund or owe? Adjust with W-4 Withholding and re-check with the Refund Estimator.
- Considering itemizing? Run Standard vs Itemized with your actual SALT cap, mortgage interest, and charity numbers.
- Got a bonus or severance? Bonus Tax Withholding and Severance Tax show the real net after supplemental rates.
- Harvesting losses? Capital Loss Harvesting shows how much offsets gains vs ordinary income this year.
Notes on method
These are estimators using current federal brackets, standard FICA rates, and simplified state modeling. They do not replace tax software or a CPA for complex situations (AMT, foreign income, large state taxes, K-1s, etc.). For self-employment, remember the deductible half of SE tax and quarterly payment timing.
Related hubs