Tax Bracket Finder: Marginal Bracket by Income

You just got a $15,000 raise that pushes you into the 24% tax bracket. A coworker says, "Watch out—you might take home less now." They're wrong, and this misunderstanding costs people money every year. A federal tax bracket is simply the rate applied to your last chunk of income, not your entire paycheck.

The U.S. uses a progressive tax system with seven federal brackets: 10%, 12%, 22%, 24%, 32%, 35%, and 37%. Each bracket applies only to income within that range. If you're "in the 24% bracket," your first $11,925 is still taxed at 10%, the next $36,550 at 12%, and so on. Only the dollars above $103,350 (single filer, 2025) hit the 24% rate.

This calculator shows your federal and state brackets, how much income falls into each, and what you have left before hitting the next bracket. Use it to plan raises, bonuses, or retirement withdrawals.

Married Filing Jointly thresholds are roughly double. For 2025, the 22% bracket starts at $96,951 instead of $48,476. Standard deduction ($15,000 single, $30,000 married for 2025) comes off your gross income first—tax brackets apply to what's left.

Example 1: Single Filer, $85,000 Income

Rachel earns $85,000 gross. After the $15,000 standard deduction, her taxable income is $70,000. She's "in the 22% bracket"—but what does she actually pay?

Rachel's marginal rate is 22%, but she only pays 14.7% overall. She has $33,350 left in the 22% bracket before hitting 24%.

Example 2: Getting a Raise Across Brackets

Tom earns $100,000 (taxable) and gets a $10,000 raise. His coworker says the raise will be "taxed away."

Tom keeps $7,600 of the $10,000 raise. Yes, $3,350 of it is taxed at the new 24% rate (above $103,350), but the first $6,650 stays in the 22% bracket. He never "loses money" by earning more—that's not how progressive taxes work.

Use It For:

• Raise/bonus planning: See how much of a raise you'll keep after federal and state tax
• Roth vs. Traditional: If you're in a low bracket now, Roth contributions may beat Traditional
• Year-end decisions: Check headroom before the next bracket to plan Roth conversions or capital gains
• State comparisons: See combined federal + state rates when weighing job offers in different states
• Side income impact: Freelance income is taxed at your marginal rate—know it before pricing projects

Don't Rely on It For:

• Exact tax liability: Credits, itemized deductions, and other factors change the final number
• FICA taxes: Social Security (6.2%) and Medicare (1.45%) are separate from income tax brackets
• Self-employment tax: Add 15.3% SE tax to your marginal rate for freelance income
• AMT exposure: High-income taxpayers may owe Alternative Minimum Tax, which has different brackets

We apply the official IRS brackets to your taxable income, layer by layer. If you enter gross income, we subtract the standard deduction for your filing status. State brackets use data from each state's department of revenue (nine states have no income tax at all).

What we include: 2024 and 2025 federal brackets for all four filing statuses, state income tax brackets for all 50 states plus DC, combined marginal rates, and bracket headroom.

What we don't include: Tax credits (Child Tax Credit, EITC, etc.), itemized deductions beyond the standard deduction option, FICA/self-employment tax, AMT, or state-specific deductions. This is a bracket finder, not a full tax calculator.