Here Are the Federal Income Tax Brackets for 2026

Good news: You could fall into a lower bracket for the income you earn in 2026 thanks to the new income tax rates. Also, the standard deduction — the amount you can use as a deduction on your 1040 tax return without itemizing — will be higher.

If you start now, you can make plans to reduce your 2026 tax bill — the one due in April 2027. Knowing the tax brackets for 2026 can help you implement smart tax strategies, like adjusting your income tax withholding, so you don’t get hit with a big tax bill.

How the federal income tax brackets work

In the U.S. tax system, income tax rates are graduated, so you pay different rates on different amounts of taxable income. There are seven federal income tax rates in all: 10 percent, 12 percent, 22 percent, 24 percent, 32 percent, 35 percent and 37 percent. The more you make, the more you pay.

A tax bracket is a range of income that’s taxed at a specified rate. Importantly, your highest tax bracket doesn’t reflect how much you pay on all of your income. If you’re a single filer in the 22 percent tax bracket for 2026, you won’t pay 22 percent on all your taxable income. You will pay 10 percent on taxable income up to $12,400; 12 percent on the amount between $12,401 and $50,400; and 22 percent above that (up to $105,700).

In addition, the 2026 standard deduction will be $16,100 for single filers and $32,200 for married couples filing jointly, up from $15,750 and $31,500, respectively, for the 2025 tax year. The standard deduction is the fixed amount the IRS allows you to deduct from your annual income if you don’t itemize deductions on your tax return. The lower your taxable income is, the lower your tax bill.

There’s even more good news for older taxpayers. Single filers 65 and older can increase their standard deduction in 2026 by $1,650; individuals who are unmarried and not a surviving spouse can increase their standard deduction by $2,050. In total, a single taxpayer 65 or older can claim a standard deduction of up to $18,150.

Moreover, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act offers a temporary extra deduction of $6,000 for people ages 65 and older with an adjusted gross income of $75,000 or less for single filers and $150,000 or less for married couples filing jointly. The deduction is reduced for higher earners, up to $175,000 for a single filer and $250,000 for a couple. (Above those thresholds, you don’t qualify.) This extra deduction runs through the 2028 tax year.

You can also itemize individual tax deductions such as charitable donations, but they must add up to more than the standard deduction to make itemizing worthwhile.

If you have been hit with a big tax bill in the past, consider consulting a tax adviser about how to reduce your next one. A good first step is to look at how much tax is being withheld from your paycheck. It might be easier to have a little more money withheld from each paycheck than to face a big lump-sum bill at the end of the tax cycle. The IRS has a free withholding estimator that can tell you how much you should have taken out.