Tax
Withholding Calculator
Check whether this year's paychecks are on track for a refund or a bill, and the change per paycheck that lands you near zero.
Uses 2026 federal brackets and the standard deduction. Credits (like the child tax credit) aren’t counted, so if you get one you’ll likely owe less than this shows.
Heads up: the 2026 federal figures in this tool (the standard deduction and the brackets) are still waiting on our CPA’s check against the IRS tables. Read the results as approximate until this note is gone.
What this means
At the current pace you’d owe about $340 when you file. Adding about $85 to each of your remaining 4 paychecks closes the gap. Give payroll a new W-4 with that amount in Step 4(c), "extra withholding". Remember to lower it again in January, or next year you'll over-withhold.
This is an estimate, not tax advice. The IRS Tax Withholding Estimator on irs.gov runs the full version, credits included.
Build on it
These are estimates to help you think, not personalized legal, tax, or investment advice, and not a promise of any result.
This calculator checks whether the federal tax coming out of your paychecks will cover what you owe for the year. Enter your income, what has been withheld so far, what each check withholds now and how many checks are left, and it projects your refund or your bill, plus the change per paycheck that brings it close to zero.
Why it matters: a surprise bill in April is stressful, and a big refund means you lent the government your own pay for a year at no interest. A side job, a second job, a raise or a change at home can all throw withholding off. Checking in the fall leaves enough paychecks to fix it.
How to use it
Enter your income for the whole year
Wages from every job for the full year, including what is still coming. Add other income that nobody withholds on, like side work or interest, and the pre-tax deductions (traditional 401(k), pre-tax health premiums) for the year.
Read your latest pay stub
Find the year-to-date federal income tax withheld and the federal income tax on one check. Use the federal income tax line only, not Social Security or Medicare. Then count the paychecks still to come this year.
Act on the per-paycheck number
If it says to withhold more, give payroll a new W-4 with that amount in Step 4(c), extra withholding. If it says you could withhold less, a new W-4 can do that too. Either way, revisit the W-4 in January so the change doesn't carry into a year it doesn't fit.
Behind the numbers
Withholding is a prepayment, not the tax
What comes out of each check is an estimate set by your W-4 and the IRS tables. The tax you actually owe is figured on your return. The difference between the two is your refund or your bill.
Why side income throws it off
Pay from a side job, gig work or a second employer often has little or no federal tax withheld, and each employer withholds as if it were your only job. That income still adds to your tax, usually at your highest rate, so the bill shows up at filing.
A big refund is your own money, late
A refund isn't a bonus. It's pay that was held back from your checks all year. Some people like it as forced savings, which is a fair choice. Just know that the same money could have gone toward debt or savings months earlier.
The math behind it
Add up the year's income and subtract pre-tax deductions and the standard deduction to get taxable income, then run it through the brackets for the projected tax. Projected withholding is what's been withheld so far plus each remaining check times the number of checks left. Withholding minus tax is the refund (positive) or the bill (negative). Divide the gap by the checks left for the change per paycheck.
Worked example
A single filer paid every two weeks, with $62,000 in wages, $3,000 of side income and $3,000 into a 401(k), using this year's federal figures: taxable income is $45,900 and the projected tax is $5,260. With $4,200 withheld so far and $180 on each of the 4 checks left, the year's withholding comes to $4,920, about $340 short. Adding $85 to each remaining check closes it. (The federal figures behind this example are still waiting on our CPA's check against the IRS tables; read them as approximate.)
Gap over checks left
Whatever the projected bill or refund is, divide it by the paychecks left. That's the change per check. The fewer checks left, the bigger each change has to be, which is why a fall check-up beats a December one.
Common questions
How do I withhold more from my paycheck?
Give your employer a new Form W-4 and put the extra amount per paycheck in Step 4(c), extra withholding. Payroll applies it to your next checks. The calculator gives you that amount, rounded up so the gap actually closes.
Will I get a penalty if I owe at tax time?
Not always. Under the IRS rules you generally avoid the underpayment penalty if you owe less than $1,000 after withholding and credits, or if your withholding and estimated payments covered at least 90% of this year's tax or 100% of last year's (110% at higher incomes). This calculator doesn't check last year's tax, so treat a bill of $1,000 or more as a reason to look closer, not a verdict.
Why doesn't this match the IRS Tax Withholding Estimator?
The IRS estimator asks for much more (credits, dependents, every job's details) and is the one to use before changing your W-4 if your situation is complex. This calculator uses the standard deduction and the brackets with no credits, so if you get the child tax credit or another credit, you'll owe less than it shows.
Sources & references
Go deeper
The calculator gives you a number. The Taxes Brick teaches you what to do with it, in plain English. And if you’re not sure where to start, the free BrickScore Assessment checks your whole foundation in about 5 minutes.
first the number, then the move