2026 Federal Tax Brackets & FICA Rates Glossary
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Full bio →Why These Numbers Change Every Year
Every fall the IRS adjusts federal tax brackets, the standard deduction, and several other thresholds for inflation. The Social Security Administration does the same for the Social Security wage base. None of these numbers are set once and forgotten — they shift annually, which is why a paycheck calculator has to be updated every year to stay accurate. This glossary defines the terms and lists the exact 2026 figures used by the paycheck calculator, sourced from the IRS’s Revenue Procedure 2025-32 and the Social Security Administration.
Marginal Tax Bracket
A marginal tax bracket is a range of income taxed at a specific rate. The United States uses a progressive system, meaning only the income that falls inside a given bracket is taxed at that bracket’s rate — not your entire salary. Moving into a higher bracket never reduces your take-home pay from the dollars already taxed at a lower rate; it only raises the rate on the next dollar earned.
2026 Federal Tax Brackets (Single Filers)
| Rate | Taxable Income Range |
|---|---|
| 10% | $0 – $12,400 |
| 12% | $12,400 – $50,400 |
| 22% | $50,400 – $105,700 |
| 24% | $105,700 – $201,775 |
| 32% | $201,775 – $256,225 |
| 35% | $256,225 – $640,600 |
| 37% | Above $640,600 |
The bolded 12% bracket covers the range where a large share of single-filer paychecks lands after the standard deduction is subtracted.
2026 Federal Tax Brackets (Married Filing Jointly)
| Rate | Taxable Income Range |
|---|---|
| 10% | $0 – $24,800 |
| 12% | $24,800 – $100,800 |
| 22% | $100,800 – $211,400 |
| 24% | $211,400 – $403,550 |
| 32% | $403,550 – $512,450 |
| 35% | $512,450 – $768,700 |
| 37% | Above $768,700 |
Married Filing Jointly brackets are exactly double the single-filer thresholds at every tier for 2026.
Standard Deduction (2026)
The standard deduction is subtracted from gross salary before federal tax brackets are applied. It’s the government’s built-in “tax-free” allowance that nearly every filer takes instead of itemizing.
| Filing Status | 2026 Standard Deduction |
|---|---|
| Single / Married Filing Separately | $16,100 |
| Married Filing Jointly | $32,200 |
| Head of Household | $24,150 |
Federal Taxable Income = Gross Salary − Pre-Tax Deductions (like a traditional 401(k)) − Standard Deduction.
FICA: Social Security and Medicare
FICA stands for the Federal Insurance Contributions Act — it’s the payroll tax that funds Social Security and Medicare, and it’s calculated separately from federal income tax on gross wages, with no standard deduction applied.
| Component | 2026 Rate | Wage Limit |
|---|---|---|
| Social Security | 6.2% (employee) | Capped at $184,500 |
| Medicare | 1.45% (employee) | Uncapped — applies to every dollar |
| Additional Medicare Tax | 0.9% | Above $200,000 (single/HoH) or $250,000 (MFJ) |
The Medicare rate of 1.45% is bolded because it’s the one FICA rate that applies to 100% of wage earners with no ceiling — every paycheck, at every income level, pays it.
Social Security Wage Base
The Social Security wage base is the maximum amount of earnings subject to the 6.2% Social Security tax in a given year. For 2026, that cap is $184,500, up from $176,100 in 2025. Once your year-to-date gross wages cross that line, Social Security withholding stops for the rest of the calendar year — but Medicare withholding never stops, since it has no cap.
Additional Medicare Tax
The Additional Medicare Tax is a 0.9% surtax on wages above $200,000 for single and Head of Household filers, or $250,000 for Married Filing Jointly. Unlike the wage base for Social Security, this threshold is not indexed for inflation and has stayed fixed at these amounts since the tax was introduced in 2013. It only affects higher earners, and it applies on top of the regular 1.45% Medicare rate — not instead of it.
How These Combine on a Paycheck
For most earners, four numbers determine federal-level withholding: the bracket rates, the standard deduction, the 6.2% Social Security rate (up to the wage base), and the 1.45% Medicare rate. State income tax is a separate calculation layered on top — see the companion doc on no-tax, flat-tax, and progressive-tax states for how that varies by state.
To see how these 2026 figures apply to your specific salary, filing status, and state, use the paycheck calculator — it runs the full federal bracket calculation, FICA, and state tax automatically. If you want to see the difference between how a salaried and hourly worker’s gross pay is built before these deductions apply, read the paycheck calculator guide for salaried vs. hourly workers.
Quick Reference Summary
- Standard deduction (single): $16,100
- Standard deduction (MFJ): $32,200
- Top federal bracket: 37%, starting above $640,600 (single) or $768,700 (MFJ)
- Social Security wage base: $184,500
- Medicare rate: 1.45%, uncapped
- Additional Medicare Tax: 0.9% above $200,000 single / $250,000 MFJ
These figures come directly from IRS Revenue Procedure 2025-32 and the Social Security Administration’s 2026 contribution and benefit base announcement, and they’re the exact numbers built into this site’s paycheck calculator.