How do I calculate my tax refund?

Add the federal tax withheld (Form W-2 box 2 and any 1099s) and your estimated payments, add your refundable credits, and subtract your total tax on Form 1040 line 24. A positive result is your refund; a negative one is what you owe. A single filer with $52,000 of wages and $5,000 withheld owes $4,063 of tax and gets $937 back.

How much is the standard deduction for 2026?

$16,100 single or married filing separately, $32,200 married filing jointly and $24,150 head of household, with more for taxpayers 65 or older or blind (Rev. Proc. 2025-32). The calculator uses it unless the itemized deductions you enter are larger.

How much is the child tax credit on my 2026 return?

$2,200 for each child under 17, of which up to $1,700 is refundable, and $500 for each other dependent (Rev. Proc. 2025-32). For a married couple earning $85,000 with two children it cuts the federal tax from $5,843 to $1,443.

Why is my refund smaller than last year?

A refund is the gap between what was withheld and what you owe, so it shrinks when withholding falls (a new Form W-4, a new job, a raise withheld at a lower rate) or when the tax rises (more income, a child aging out of the child tax credit at 17, losing the earned income credit). Enter both years’ numbers to see which one moved.

Does no tax on overtime increase my refund?

Yes, for most workers who were paid FLSA overtime in 2026: the deduction is claimed on the return, so tax withheld on the overtime during the year comes back unless a new Form W-4 already cut it (IRS FS-2026-13, Q8 and Q9). A single worker with $62,000 of wages and an $8,000 overtime premium gets $960 more (IRC §225).

When will I get my refund?

Most refunds on e-filed returns with direct deposit are issued within 21 days (IRS: refunds); a refund that includes the earned income credit or the additional child tax credit cannot be released before February 15 (IRC §6402(m)). The tax refund schedule page works out the date for the day and way you file.

Is this calculator accurate?

It runs QuantCalc’s open federal and state tax engine, the same one behind QuantCalc’s tax API, on the numbers you enter. It is an estimate, not a return: it does not ask about self-employment income, education or energy credits, the premium tax credit for marketplace coverage, or the tests each child and dependent must meet, and the state line leaves out dependent exemptions and state child credits.

Tax Refund Calculator 2026: how much will I get back?

Enter your 2026 wages, filing status, children and what was withheld. The tax engine figures your federal and state tax with the child tax credit, the earned income credit and the new overtime, tips and senior deductions, and shows the refund you get in 2027, or what you owe.

Your 2026 refund or amount owed

Filing status Your age on Dec 31, 2026 State (optional) 2026 wages, all jobs ($) Form W-2 box 1, including overtime and tips; both spouses on a joint return

Children and other dependents

Children under 17 at the end of 2026 Child tax credit Children 17 or 18, or students under 24 Credit for other dependents and the earned income credit Other dependents A parent or relative you support

What you paid during 2026

Federal tax withheld ($) Form W-2 box 2, plus any withheld on 1099s; both spouses on a joint return Federal estimated tax payments ($) For 2026, including the January 15, 2027 payment

More income and deductionsovertime, tips, interest, gains, retirement income, itemized deductions

Qualified overtime premium ($) The “half” of time and a half (one third of overtime pay); W-2 box 12, code TT Qualified tips ($) Tips in a tipped occupation, part of your wages Taxable interest ($) Dividends, total ordinary ($) … of which qualified dividends ($) Net long-term capital gains ($) Social Security benefits ($) Box 5 of Form SSA-1099 IRA / 401(k) withdrawals, taxable ($) Pension or annuity, taxable ($) Mortgage interest ($) Itemized deductions: the calculator keeps whichever is larger, these or the standard deduction Property tax ($) State and local income tax paid ($) Cash gifts to charity ($)

Example: single, 28, $52,000 of wages, $5,000 withheld — enter your numbers

Retired, or filing without dependents? The paid 2026 Return Preview lays this return out line by line — every Form 1040 line and schedule, your state return and the refund or amount owed: 2026 Return Preview: every Form 1040 line, your state and your refund or amount owed →

An estimate from QuantCalc’s open tax engine (federal 2.5.1, state 1.17.1) for the 2026 tax year. Not tax advice: your return depends on facts this page does not ask about, so check a move with your tax preparer or custodian before acting. The state line leaves out dependent exemptions and state child credits (the state engine does not take dependents yet) and taxes overtime and tips as ordinary wages. How the engine computes each line, with its official source: federal, state.

How much will I get back in 2027?

Your refund is what you paid during 2026 — the federal tax withheld from your paychecks (Form W-2 box 2) plus any estimated payments — plus your refundable credits (the earned income credit and the refundable part of the child tax credit), minus your total tax on Form 1040 line 24 (Form 1040). If the result is negative, that is what you owe by April 15, 2027. Example: a single 28-year-old in Pennsylvania earning $52,000 has $35,900 of taxable income after the $16,100 standard deduction (Rev. Proc. 2025-32), a 2026 federal tax of $4,063 and, with $5,000 withheld, a federal refund of $937; Pennsylvania takes $1,596, so $1,700 withheld there comes back as $104.

The worked examples, computed by the tax engine (2026 federal return; the refund is withholding plus refundable credits minus line 24).
Key number	2026
Single, $52,000 of wages: federal tax (Rev. Proc. 2025-32)	$4,063
… refund with $5,000 withheld	$937
Married, two children under 17, $85,000 of wages: federal tax (Schedule 8812)	$1,443
… refund with $4,000 withheld	$2,557
Head of household, one child, $32,000 of wages: earned income credit (IRC §32)	$3,127
… refund with $1,200 withheld	$5,739
Single, $62,000 of wages with an $8,000 overtime premium: refund added by the overtime deduction (IRC §225)	$960

Run your own numbers in the calculator above.

Children, the child tax credit and the earned income credit

Children change a refund more than anything else on the return. Each child under 17 is worth a child tax credit of $2,200 in 2026, and up to $1,700 of it is refundable as the additional child tax credit when the credit is more than your tax (Rev. Proc. 2025-32, Schedule 8812); other dependents, such as a child of 17 or 18, a student under 24 or a parent you support, get a $500 credit that is not refundable. The credits are reduced by $50 for each $1,000 of modified AGI over $200,000 ($400,000 joint), as Schedule 8812 figures it. Example: a married couple earning $85,000 with two children under 17 owes $1,443 of federal tax instead of $5,843: the $4,400 credit comes off their tax, so with $4,000 withheld they get $2,557 back.

The earned income credit is for workers with low and moderate earnings and is refundable in full (IRC §32). Example: a single parent filing as head of household with one child and $32,000 of wages owes $0 of tax after the child tax credit, and gets $1,412 of additional child tax credit and an earned income credit of $3,127: with $1,200 withheld, a refund of $5,739. By law the IRS cannot release a refund that includes either credit before February 15 (IRC §6402(m); when your 2026 refund arrives).

Overtime and tips: the 2026 deductions that raise refunds

From 2025 through 2028 workers can deduct the premium part of qualified overtime pay (up to $12,500, $25,000 joint) and qualified tips (up to $25,000), both reduced above $150,000 of modified AGI ($300,000 joint), on Schedule 1-A (IRC §225, IRC §224). Tax is withheld on all of your overtime pay unless you gave your employer a new Form W-4 (IRS FS-2026-13, Q8 and Q9), so the deduction comes back as a bigger refund: a single worker earning $62,000 with an $8,000 overtime premium gets $960 more back. Details: no tax on overtime calculator, no tax on tips calculator.

Common questions

How do I calculate my tax refund?: Add the federal tax withheld (Form W-2 box 2 and any 1099s) and your estimated payments, add your refundable credits, and subtract your total tax on Form 1040 line 24. A positive result is your refund; a negative one is what you owe. A single filer with $52,000 of wages and $5,000 withheld owes $4,063 of tax and gets $937 back.
How much is the standard deduction for 2026?: $16,100 single or married filing separately, $32,200 married filing jointly and $24,150 head of household, with more for taxpayers 65 or older or blind (Rev. Proc. 2025-32). The calculator uses it unless the itemized deductions you enter are larger.
How much is the child tax credit on my 2026 return?: $2,200 for each child under 17, of which up to $1,700 is refundable, and $500 for each other dependent (Rev. Proc. 2025-32). For a married couple earning $85,000 with two children it cuts the federal tax from $5,843 to $1,443.
Why is my refund smaller than last year?: A refund is the gap between what was withheld and what you owe, so it shrinks when withholding falls (a new Form W-4, a new job, a raise withheld at a lower rate) or when the tax rises (more income, a child aging out of the child tax credit at 17, losing the earned income credit). Enter both years’ numbers to see which one moved.
Does no tax on overtime increase my refund?: Yes, for most workers who were paid FLSA overtime in 2026: the deduction is claimed on the return, so tax withheld on the overtime during the year comes back unless a new Form W-4 already cut it (IRS FS-2026-13, Q8 and Q9). A single worker with $62,000 of wages and an $8,000 overtime premium gets $960 more (IRC §225).
When will I get my refund?: Most refunds on e-filed returns with direct deposit are issued within 21 days (IRS: refunds); a refund that includes the earned income credit or the additional child tax credit cannot be released before February 15 (IRC §6402(m)). The tax refund schedule page works out the date for the day and way you file.
Is this calculator accurate?: It runs QuantCalc’s open federal and state tax engine, the same one behind QuantCalc’s tax API, on the numbers you enter. It is an estimate, not a return: it does not ask about self-employment income, education or energy credits, the premium tax credit for marketplace coverage, or the tests each child and dependent must meet, and the state line leaves out dependent exemptions and state child credits.