Tax calculator: Estimate your refund for free

This tool uses the latest information provided by the IRS including changes due to tax reform and is current and valid for 2023 taxes. Gather your tax documents including W-2s, 1099s, and other income and expense statements to complete the information. Click on each question in the drop down menu and type in your answer. Explanations for each question are provided below in the chart. If you have questions about your tax return a Tax Pro can help.

Use the ‘Filing Status and Federal Income Tax Rates on Taxable Income’ table to assist you in estimating your federal tax rate.

Choose your filing status. Your filing status determines the income levels for your Federal tax rates. It is also used to determine your standard deduction, personal exemptions, and many deduction or credit phaseout income ranges. The ‘Filing Status’ table summarizes the five possible filing status choices. Your marital status as of the last day of the year determines your filing status.

Choose 'no' if no one can claim you or your spouse as a dependent. Choose 'yes' if someone can claim you as a dependent. Choose 'Both myself and my spouse' if you both are dependents. You are a dependent if someone supports you and can claim you as a dependent even if they do not claim you as a dependent on their tax return.

Enter the number of dependent children that qualify for the child tax credit. To qualify, a child must be under age 17 at the end of the year. They must be either your child, one of your siblings or your foster child or a child of any of them (for example your grandchild). In addition, they must have lived with you for more than half of the year, not provide more than half of their own support and must be claimed as a dependent on your tax return. In 2023, for each qualifying child you can receive up to a $2,000 tax credit.

Enter the number of dependent individuals that qualify for the "Other Dependent Credit". In 2023, you may be eligible for a nonrefundable credit of up to $500 per qualifying dependent. Generally, to qualify the dependent can't have already been claimed as a qualifying child, they must have lived with you for more than half of the year, not provide more than half of their own support and must be claimed as a dependent on your tax return. The income phaseout for this credit follows the same rules and limits as the child tax credit.

Enter your total of all wages, salaries, tips, etc. For this entry only enter the amount for the primary taxpayer, do not include your spouse. This is normally the amount shown on your W-2 Form(s) in box 1 provided by your employer. You should also include any wages received as a household employee not reported on a W-2 (a W-2 may not have been provided if the wages were less than $1,000 per quarter or $2,700 for the year). It should also include any tips not reported to your employer - including allocated tips that appear on your W-2 Form(s) box 8.

Enter your spouse's total of all wages, salaries, tips, etc. For this entry, only enter the amount for your spouse. This is normally the amount shown on your spouse's W-2 Form(s) in box 1 provided by your spouse's employer. You should also include any wages received as a household employee not reported on a W-2 (a W-2 may not have been provided if the wages were less than $1,000 per quarter or $2,700 for the year). It should also include any tips not reported to your spouse's employer - including allocated tips that appear on your spouse's W-2 Form(s) box 8.

Check this box if your Medicare (W-2 Box 5) wages differs from the total of wages, salaries, tips, etc. (W-2 Box 1). If you don't have access to employer provided W-2s leave this box unchecked and the tool will assume that the amounts are the same. The Medicare (W-2 Box 5) wages will differ from the total of wages, salaries, tips, etc. only if you had non-taxable income that was subject to Medicare taxes such as a 401(k) contribution - or - if you had taxable income not subject to Medicare taxes such as health insurance paid by a S-Corporation on behalf of one of its owners.

There will be no change in your taxes unless you also pay self-employment taxes or are subject to the 0.9% Medicare sur-tax for compensation, wages and tips exceeding $200,000 ($250,000 if married filing jointly, $125,000 if married filing separately).

Enter your total of all wages, salaries, tips, etc. that were subject to Medicare withholding. This is normally the amount shown on W-2 Form(s) in box 5 provided by an employer. Leave this amount as $0 if you are unsure of the amount or do not have access to your W-2 Form(s). If this amount is $0 the calculator will use the amount entered into the normal wages, salaries, tips, etc. entry field.

The Medicare wages can be different from the total wages, salaries and tips (W-2 Box 1) when you have non-taxable income subject to Medicare taxes, such as 401(k) contributions or non-taxable combat pay. The amount can also be different if you had taxable income not subject to Medicare taxes, such as health insurance paid by an S-Corporation for one of its owners.

There will be no change in your taxes unless you also pay self-employment taxes or are subject to the 0.9% Medicare sur-tax for compensation, wages and tips exceeding $200,000 ($250,000 if married filing jointly, $125,000 if married filing separately).

For this entry only enter the amount for the primary taxpayer, do not include your spouse.

Enter your spouse's total of all wages, salaries, tips, etc. that were subject to Medicare withholding. This is normally the amount shown on W-2 Form(s) in box 5 provided by an employer. Leave this amount as $0 if you are unsure of the amount or do not have access to your spouse's W-2 Form(s). If this amount is $0 the calculator will use the amount entered into the normal wages, salaries, tips, etc. entry field.

The Medicare wages can be different from the total wages, salaries and tips (W-2 Box 1) when you have non-taxable income subject to Medicare taxes, such as 401(k) contributions or non-taxable combat pay. The amount can also be different if you had taxable income not subject to Medicare taxes, such as health insurance paid by an S-Corporation for one of its owners.

There will be no change in your taxes unless you also pay self-employment taxes or are subject to the 0.9% Medicare sur-tax for compensation, wages and tips exceeding $200,000 ($250,000 if married filing jointly, $125,000 if married filing separately).

For this entry only enter the amount for the spouse, do not include the primary taxpayer.

If you did not itemize your deductions in the previous year, or you itemized deductions but elected to include sales taxes (instead of income taxes) this amount will be $0 regardless of any refund you received. Otherwise, the amount of your refund is taxable to the extent in which the over payment decreased your taxable income in previous year.

Enter the total student loan interest you (and your spouse if married filing jointly) paid for the year. Your allowable deduction is phased-out starting at $75,000 ($155,000 married filing jointly) and is completely eliminated at $90,000 ($185,000 married filing jointly). The calculator will automatically determine any phaseout amounts based on your income.

Payments for your spouse or former spouse as part of a divorce or separation agreement executed on or before December 31^st, 2018 may qualify as an alimony payment deduction. Alimony is deductible by the payer spouse and is reported as income by the recipient for divorce or separations executed on or before December 31^st, 2018. For more information see tax topic: 542 - Alimony or 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act PART V—DEDUCTIONS AND EXCLUSIONS.

Enter the amount you received as spousal maintenance or alimony. Please note that a divorce or separation agreement executed after December 31^st, 2018 is generally not considered income by the spouse receiving the payment. An amount should be entered only if the agreement was finalized on or before December 31^st, 2018. For more information see tax topic: 542 - Alimony.

Enter any unemployment compensation you (and your spouse if you are married filing jointly) received during the year.

This is the total of all Social Security and equivalent Railroad Retirement benefits you and your spouse (if you are married filing jointly) received in 2023. These benefits are reported to you on Forms SSA-1099 for Social Security and RRB-1099 for Railroad Retirement benefits.

Any other income you received during the year but not reported on another form. This could include income reported to you on 1099-MISC that was not already reported elsewhere, lottery and gambling winnings, prizes and awards, canceled debt, and the Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend.

This is for a group of income items and benefits normally excluded from your taxable income but included when calculating any of the following: 1) The amount of Social Security benefits that are taxable, 2) Phaseout of student loan interest deduction. This amount is the total of the following:

1. Employer-provided adoption benefits excluded from your income (Form 8839)
2. Foreign earned income or housing that was excluded from your income (Form 2555)
3. Any exclusion of income for Bona Fide Residents of American Samoa (Form 4563) or Puerto Rico.
4. Interest on US Savings Bonds.

Total income is calculated by adding all income lines on your Form 1040. For most taxpayers this includes wages, salaries, tips, interest, dividends and gains and losses from a variety of activities.

If you were an 'eligible educator' in 2023 you are able to deduct up to $300 in expenses. If you are married filing jointly and both of you are 'eligible educators' the limit is $600 ($300 each). Eligible educators include kindergarten through 12th grade teachers, instructors, counselors, principals, or aides who worked in a school for at least 900 hours during the school year. The expenses can be for professional development courses related to what you teach or supplies you use in the classroom. Home schooling expenses do not qualify and nor do expenses that were reimbursed. Your total expenses must be reduced by any savings bond interest that was nontaxable for higher education expenses, nontaxable qualified tuition program earnings or distributions, and nontaxable distributions of Coverdell education savings account earnings.

Enter your Health Savings Account (HSA) contributions for 2023. The maximum contribution is $3,850 for single coverage and $7,750 for family coverage. Those 55 and older can contribute an additional $1,000 as a catch-up contribution. To qualify for the deduction, you must have had a High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP) and contributed to your HSA account. Amounts contributed by your employer are not deductible. See Form 8889 for more information.

Tax return calculators can help you estimate how your income, withholdings, deductions and credits will impact your tax refund or balance due amount for the current tax year. There are several calculators available to use to fit your specific tax return or taxable income. Choose between 1040 federal, self-employed, estate tax, or earned income tax credit (EITC) calculators. 

Gather all your tax documents such as your W2 and 1099 form(s). Be ready to answer a few basic questions about your filing status, income, deductions and credits. 

Tax return calculators provide estimates only and are based on the information you, alone, input. For the most accurate tax return, see your local Tax Pro. We back our returns with a Lifetime Accuracy Guarantee.

All our tax return calculators are free to use.

Tax return calculators work for federal taxes only. Not all states have a state tax, and each state is unique in its local tax laws.