FreeTaxUSA has launched a simple-to-use tool to estimate your refund or tax due. The FreeTaxUSA income tax calculator gives you a quick estimate. When you’re ready, start your free federal return with FreeTaxUSA to turn that estimate into an actual tax return based on your full tax information.
For the most accurate refund, use FreeTaxUSA
Use the Estimator to answer a few questions about your filing status, family, and income. The calculator will then show your estimate along with the numbers behind it.
This guide walks through how the calculator works, the situations it handles, and example estimates.
How the calculator works
The calculator moves through three short steps and then shows a summary.
- Info & Income. Pick your filing status, say whether you have dependents, and select how you made money.
- Dependents. Enter each dependent’s age and mark whether they are a student or disabled. You can add as many as you need.
- Deductions. Choose whether you'll itemize or use the standard deduction and tell the calculator about anything else that applies to you.
The summary provides your estimated refund, or the estimated amount you owe.
Credits and deductions the calculator checks
The Credits and deductions section of the summary shows each item the calculator considered, including the ones that came out to $0 for your situation. It covers:
- Credits: Child Tax Credit, Earned Income Tax Credit, Credit for Other Dependents, Child and Dependent Care Credit, American Opportunity Tax Credit, and Lifetime Learning Credit.
- Deduction type: standard or itemized, based on your answer in the Deductions step.
- Above-the-line and new deductions: student loan interest, self-employment tax deduction, auto loan interest, tip income, overtime income, and senior deductions.
The tip, overtime, auto loan interest, and senior deductions are new, so it's worth checking whether any of them apply to you. Each has its own eligibility rules and income limits. Remember the calculator is an estimate, so you will confirm the details when you prepare your return.
Getting the most accurate estimate
The calculator is only as accurate as the numbers you give it, so gather documents first. For wages, use your W-2s. For retirement and Social Security income, use your 1099-R and SSA-1099. For self-employment, use your net profit and any estimated tax.
The calculator's estimate is based only on the information you enter, so your final refund or balance due may differ once you complete your return.
Try the calculator on the FreeTaxUSA tax calculator page.
Example estimates
Here are some common scenarios run through the calculator.
A single filer with a W-2 job
A 30-year-old single filer with no dependents earned $55,000 in wages and had $5,000 withheld. The calculator applied the $15,750 standard deduction, leaving $39,250 taxable income and $4,472 of federal tax. Result: an estimated refund of $529.
A married couple with two children
A couple filing jointly (ages 38 and 36) with children ages 8 and 5 earned $95,000 and had $8,000 withheld. The $31,500 standard deduction brought taxable income to $63,500, and tax came to $7,143. Two Child Tax Credits of $2,200 each ($4,400 total) reduced what they owed. Result: an estimated refund of $5,257.
A head of household with low income and one child
A 29-year-old head of household with a 4-year-old earned $28,000 and had $1,200 withheld. The calculator applied a $2,200 Child Tax Credit and a $3,585 Earned Income Tax Credit. The refundable part of each credit is paid out as a refund. Result: an estimated refund of $6,485.
A retiree with Social Security and retirement income
A 67-year-old single filer received $30,000 in retirement distributions and $24,000 in Social Security retirement benefits, with no tax withheld. The calculator counted $11,300 of the Social Security benefits as taxable income, for a total income of $41,300. Deductions came to $23,750: the $15,750 standard deduction, a $2,000 additional deduction for filers 65 and older, and a $6,000 senior deduction. Result: an estimated $1,867 owed.
A self-employed filer
A 35-year-old single filer reported $80,000 of net self-employment income and $10,000 of taxes already paid. The calculator took a $5,652 deduction for half of the self-employment tax, and taxable income came to $46,878. Federal income tax was $5,387. The headline number also includes self-employment tax, so the total was an estimated $6,691 owed after the $10,000 payment.
A worker with tips and overtime
A 30-year-old single filer earned $48,000 in wages, including $6,000 in tips and $4,000 in overtime, and had $3,500 withheld. The calculator deducted the tip and overtime amounts, on top of the standard deduction. Result: an estimated refund of $1,069.