Tax & Salary

About Tax & Salary Calculators

Plan paychecks, estimate federal refunds, compare marriage filing outcomes, and model estate tax exposure. These 5 tools translate wages, deductions, and filing status into dollar outcomes you can act on before talking to a CPA or HR department.

Featured tools: Estate Tax Calculator, Take-Home-Paycheck Calculator, Marriage Tax Calculator, Income Tax Calculator, Salary Calculator.

What you can model

• Income tax: W-2 wages, investment income, deductions, dependents, and refund or balance due.
• Take-home pay: Net paycheck after federal, FICA, state, and city withholding.
• Salary conversion: Hourly to annual pay with holiday and vacation adjustments.
• Marriage tax: Joint vs separate filing bonus or penalty.
• Estate tax: Federal estimate for large estates above the lifetime exemption.

Read our tax planning strategies for year-end moves that pair with these calculators.

Paycheck Planning

Convert offers with the Salary Calculator, then estimate net pay with the Take-Home-Paycheck Calculator. Adjust W-4 withholding when marriage, dependents, or side income changes your tax picture.

Limits of Estimates

State and local taxes vary widely; estate tax applies only above large federal exemptions. Use these tools for orientation and scenario planning. Consult a CPA or estate attorney before filing or making irrevocable moves.

A practical paycheck workflow

When you receive a job offer, convert the stated pay with the Salary Calculator so hourly, biweekly, and annual figures match. Then run the Take-Home-Paycheck Calculator with your expected 401(k) deferral and filing status. The net figure is what belongs in a budget, not the gross on the offer letter.

If two earners are marrying, the Marriage Tax Calculator compares two single returns with one joint return on the same combined income. A marriage bonus is common when incomes are uneven; a penalty can appear when both are in similar high brackets. That result is a planning signal for withholding, not a reason to change a wedding date.

Year-end, use the Income Tax Calculator with wages, interest, and dependents, then read 2026 tax planning strategies. Large estates belong in the Estate Tax Calculator only as a conversation starter with counsel; exemption amounts change by statute.

How to pick a tax or salary calculator

An offer letter with an annual figure belongs in the Salary Calculator first, then the Take-Home-Paycheck Calculator for net pay. A year-end tax estimate belongs in the Income Tax Calculator. Two earners comparing joint versus single filing belong in the Marriage Tax Calculator. Estate tax is a separate statute and a separate page.

These 5 tools use public federal structures for planning years such as 2026. They are not e-file software and they do not replace a CPA. Math stays local. Pair results with 2026 tax planning strategies when the question is timing, not a single bracket.

Tax and salary directory

Canonical URLs for paycheck, income tax, marriage, salary conversion, and estate estimate tools, each with the job that page is built for.

• Estate Tax Calculator — This Estate Tax Calculator estimates federal estate tax on a gross estate minus debts, expenses, and charitable bequests, after applying lifetime gift exclusion already used and the federal estate tax exemption in effect for planning years such as 2026. Enter total assets, liabilities, prior taxable gifts, and marital or charity transfers if the form supports them. Output shows taxable estate and estimated tax at top marginal estate rates. It is for high-net-worth planning conversations, not probate filing or state inheritance tax.
• Take-Home-Paycheck Calculator — This Take-Home Pay Calculator estimates net pay from gross wages after federal income tax withholding, FICA Social Security and Medicare, and pretax 401(k) deferral. Enter gross per pay period or annual salary, pay frequency, filing status, dependents, and deferral percent. Output shows estimated net check and may show tax and FICA breakdown. Use it when changing W-4, raising 401(k) deferral, or comparing job offers on spendable income rather than headline salary.
• Marriage Tax Calculator — This Marriage Calculator compares estimated federal income tax if two partners file as two single taxpayers versus one married filing jointly return on the same combined income. Enter each partner wages or income, deductions, and credits assumptions. Output shows tax as singles sum compared to MFJ total and labels the difference as marriage bonus or penalty. Progressive brackets create penalties when both earn similar high incomes and bonuses when one earns much less than the other in some structures.
• Income Tax Calculator — This Tax Calculator estimates federal income tax on wages and other ordinary income for a given filing status, using progressive bracket concepts aligned with recent IRS structure for planning years such as 2026. Enter wages, taxable interest, filing status, number of dependents, and adjustments or deductions if the form allows. Output includes estimated tax, effective rate, and marginal bracket on the last dollar. It is a planning estimate, not e-file software and not state tax.
• Salary Calculator — This Salary Calculator converts between annual salary and other pay frequencies: hourly, daily, weekly, biweekly, semimonthly, and monthly. Enter annual salary, hours per week, and unpaid holidays or PTO assumptions if available. Output shows equivalent rates so you can compare a $72,800 salaried offer to a $35 hourly contract or check whether stated hourly on a job posting matches advertised salary. It assumes level pay across the year unless you enter bonus separately.