Disclaimer

These are estimates

Every figure this site produces is an estimate. A calculator applies published rates to the numbers you type in. It does not know the rest of your situation, cannot ask clarifying questions, and cannot exercise judgement about how a rule applies to your facts.

Real tax returns turn on details that no calculator captures: whether a dependent qualifies, whether an expense is deductible, whether an election was made in a prior year, whether an activity is passive, how a state characterises a particular kind of income. Any of these can change the answer materially.

What is deliberately excluded

Rather than approximate figures we cannot verify, we leave them out and tell you. Across the site, the estimates do not include:

• The alternative minimum tax.
• The refundable portion of the child tax credit.
• A cap on the state and local tax deduction.
• The qualified business income deduction under Section 199A.
• The earned income tax credit, education credits, and the premium tax credit.
• State and local income taxes, unless you supply a rate yourself.
• The exclusion on the sale of a main home.
• Underpayment penalties and interest.

Where an omission affects your specific result, the calculator says so directly in the results panel. The sources page lists every figure we chose not to publish and why.

Tax year and review dates

These calculators cover tax year 2026. Every page shows the tax year it applies to and the date its figures were last reviewed. Tax law changes, and published figures are sometimes revised after release. A result calculated today may not reflect a change made tomorrow.

Withholding is not liability

The take-home pay calculator estimates your annual tax liability and divides it across your pay periods. That is not the same as payroll withholding, which follows the IRS percentage method and the Form W-4 you filed. Your actual paycheck will differ, often noticeably.

No government affiliation

Ledgerwise is independent. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or approved by the Internal Revenue Service, the Social Security Administration, the Department of the Treasury, any state revenue department, or any other government agency. We link to official publications so you can check our figures against the source.

When to get professional help

Consider speaking to a qualified tax professional if you have business or rental income, significant investment activity, income in more than one state, equity compensation, a major life change during the year, an estate or gifting question, or any correspondence from a tax authority. These are exactly the situations where a general-purpose estimate is least reliable.

See also the terms of use, the privacy policy, and our methodology.