Tax Withholding Calculator
This estimator projects your federal income tax for the year and suggests additional withholding per remaining pay period to help avoid an unexpected tax bill at filing. It annualizes wages and other income, subtracts deductions you enter, and uses a simplified progressive-rate approximation to estimate tax.
The tool is designed for employees paid by a single employer. It does not replace professional tax advice, IRS forms, or filing calculations. Use the inputs to reflect your current withholdings and the most likely deductions for the year.
Annualize pay, subtract deductions, estimate federal tax using a simplified progressive bracket approximation, and compute recommended additional withholding per remaining pay period.
Inputs
Results
Estimated federal tax (annual)
—
Estimated federal tax per pay period
—
Recommended additional withholding per pay period
—
Projected refund (positive) or amount owed (negative)
—
| Output | Value | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| Estimated federal tax (annual) | — | USD |
| Estimated federal tax per pay period | — | USD |
| Recommended additional withholding per pay period | — | USD |
| Projected refund (positive) or amount owed (negative) | — | USD |
Visualization
Methodology
We annualize entered wages and other taxable income and subtract the deductions value you provide to compute estimated taxable income.
A simplified progressive bracket approximation is used to estimate tax liability. This is an approximation intended for planning; exact tax depends on the official tax tables, credits, and complex rules that vary by filing status and year.
Calculations, error handling, and data protection follow engineering and operational best practices. The tool references testing and quality frameworks consistent with ISO and IEEE guidance and recommends secure handling of sensitive inputs consistent with NIST cybersecurity guidance.
Further resources
Expert Q&A
How accurate is this estimator?
This estimator provides planning-level estimates. It uses a simplified bracket approximation and does not apply every tax provision, credit, or situational rule. Expect differences from final IRS calculations. For precise liability, use official IRS calculators or consult a tax professional.
What should I enter for deductions?
Enter the total of your expected standard deduction or itemized deductions for the year. If unsure, enter the standard deduction for your filing status (see IRS guidance). The estimator uses this value directly.
Does this handle self-employment tax or multiple employers?
This method is intended for employees with a single employer payroll. Self-employment taxes, multiple-employer interactions, AMT, and certain credits are not modeled here. For those circumstances, use a specialized calculator or professional advice.
How is privacy and security handled?
Do not enter sensitive personal identifiers into this tool. Follow organizational and technical security practices aligned with NIST guidance when storing or transmitting results.
Sources & citations
- IRS Tax Withholding Estimator and guidance — https://www.irs.gov/individuals/tax-withholding-estimator
- IRS Publication 505 (Tax Withholding and Estimated Tax) — https://www.irs.gov/publications/p505
- NIST Cybersecurity Framework — https://www.nist.gov/cyberframework
- ISO/IEC 27001 information security standard — https://www.iso.org/isoiec-27001-information-security.html
- IEEE standards and best practices — https://standards.ieee.org
- Occupational Safety and Health Administration (privacy & security workplace guidance) — https://www.osha.gov