Enter W-2 wages and federal tax withheld to estimate your federal refund or balance due.
Enter W-2 wages and federal tax withheld to estimate your federal refund or balance due.
W-2 wages and withholding
Filing status
For 2025, MFJ gets a $31,500 standard deduction and wider brackets. HoH gets $23,625.
Estimated Refund
+$729
Withholding exceeded estimated federal tax
Withheld more than owed
A large refund means you gave the IRS an interest-free loan—consider adjusting your W-4 withholding.
On $45,000 in wages (1 W-2), filing as Single: estimated federal tax $3,272, withheld $4,000.
Withheld vs. Tax Owed
Withheld more than owed — expect a refund
Estimate assumes standard deduction, W-2 income only, and no credits. State taxes are not included.
Withheld vs. Tax Owed
Withheld more than owed — expect a refund
Estimate assumes standard deduction, W-2 income only, and no credits. State taxes are not included.
This estimator answers the question most people have before filing: will I get money back, or will I owe? It takes your W-2 numbers — Box 1 (wages) and Box 2 (federal income tax withheld) — plus your filing status, then computes your federal tax using the standard deduction and current tax brackets. If your employer withheld more than you owe, the difference is your refund; if less, that is your balance due.
The mechanics: your taxable income is wages minus the standard deduction for your filing status. That taxable income flows through the marginal brackets — each chunk of income is taxed at its bracket's rate, so moving "into a higher bracket" only affects the dollars above the threshold, never your whole income. The result is compared against what was already withheld from your paychecks.
This is an estimate with deliberate simplifications: federal taxes only (no state), standard deduction only (no itemizing), and no credits such as the Earned Income Tax Credit or Child Tax Credit — credits could make your actual refund larger. You can add multiple W-2s if you worked more than one job, which is also a common cause of owing money, since each employer withholds as if theirs is your only income.
Example: Single filer with $48,000 in wages and $5,200 withheld might owe roughly $4,100 in federal tax, producing a refund near $1,100. Add a second job with low withholding and the same wages can flip to a balance due even though total income did not change much.
If your employer withheld more federal tax than you owe, the IRS sends the difference back as a refund. Enter your W-2 Box 1 (wages) and Box 2 (federal tax withheld) to see your estimate.
A flat amount everyone can subtract from their income before tax is calculated, with the size depending on filing status. Most filers take the standard deduction rather than itemizing because it is larger than their deductible expenses.
A filing status for unmarried people who paid more than half the cost of keeping up a home for a qualifying dependent — a child, or in many cases a parent or sibling you support. It gives a larger standard deduction and wider brackets than filing Single.
Common causes: working multiple jobs (each employer withholds as if it is your only income), claiming too many allowances on your W-4, or significant non-wage income. Updating your W-4 fixes it going forward.
No — it covers federal income tax only, assumes the standard deduction, and does not include credits like the Earned Income Tax Credit or Child Tax Credit. Credits could make your real refund larger than this estimate.
If you have self-employment income, investment sales, itemized deductions, dependents with credits, or multiple states involved, your real return can differ significantly. Use this for a W-2-only federal snapshot before filing.