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Dial in your W-4.

A mid-year check. Enter your filing status, what you've earned and had withheld so far, what you expect to earn and have withheld for the rest of the year, plus other income, deductions, and dependents. This estimates your full-year federal tax — with a rough NY / NJ / CT state estimate too — and tells you how much to withhold from here to break even, or to land on a refund you choose. A planning estimate, not a filed return.

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Federal W-4 Break-even or target refund Standard or itemized Child & dependent credits NY · NJ · CT

Mid-year W-4 tuner

How much should you be withholding?

This estimates your full-year federal income tax from the picture you give it, compares it to the federal tax you've entered as withheld (so far plus the rest of the year), and tells you the adjustment to make on your W-4 — either to come out roughly even at filing, or to land on a refund amount you pick. Pick a tri-state option (NY/NJ/CT) and it does the same for your state form. Figures use 2026 federal brackets; state uses the latest published brackets.

Federal W-4 Withholding Calculator

Tax year 2026 — full-year estimate & per-paycheck adjustment

Filing status Sets your deduction, brackets & credit phase-outs

Pay frequency How often the paycheck you'll adjust is paid

Date of your last paycheck We use this plus your pay frequency to count the paychecks you have left

Paychecks left this year Auto-counted from your last paycheck date & frequency — edit if your schedule is irregular

Rest-of-year amounts entered as Switches every “rest of year” box below between a yearly total and a per-paycheck figure

Gross pay so far (YTD) Total wages before deductions, year to date

Expected gross, rest of year What you'll still earn through Dec 31

Federal withheld so far (YTD) Federal income tax withheld, year to date

Federal withholding, rest of year i Federal income tax you'll still have withheld through Dec 31

Other income i Interest, dividends, retirement, rental, 1099, etc. (full year)

Deduction Standard is filled in by filing status

Estimated itemized deductions Your expected Schedule A total

Pre-tax payroll items (full year, optional) i 401(k), HSA, pre-tax premiums

Above-the-line adjustments (optional) i Student loan interest, educator expenses, etc.

State i Tri-state only (NY / NJ / CT)

Children under 17 Qualifying for the Child Tax Credit ($2,200 each)

Other dependents (17+) Credit for Other Dependents ($500 each)

NYC / Yonkers locality i Adds the local resident income tax

State tax withheld so far (YTD) i State income tax withheld, year to date

State withholding, rest of year i State income tax you'll still have withheld through Dec 31

NYC tax withheld so far (YTD) i NYC income tax withheld, year to date

NYC withholding, rest of year i NYC income tax you'll still have withheld through Dec 31

Your goal Where you want to land at filing time (federal)

Estimate only — not tax advice. These figures are a planning estimate based on what you entered. Confirm with a tax professional before changing your W-4 or state form.

We fill in your filing status (Step 1(c)) and the extra-withholding amount (Step 4(c)); you add your name, address, SSN, and signature. Generated entirely in your browser — your information never leaves your device.

Estimate only — not tax advice. These figures are a planning estimate from what you entered. Confirm with a tax professional before changing your W-4.

* Estimated 2026 federal income tax from the figures you entered. Projected withholding is what you entered — withheld so far plus what you expect for the rest of the year. The adjustment spreads any gap over your remaining paychecks (W-4, line 4c). State, if chosen, is a rough estimate. What this does and does not do ↓

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Read this before you change your W-4

What this estimate covers — and what it doesn't

The goal here is practical: get your withholding close enough that you aren't blindsided by a big balance due in April — or, if you'd rather, steer toward a refund of roughly the size you want. It does that by estimating your full-year tax and comparing it to what you're on pace to withhold, federally and (optionally) for New York, New Jersey, or Connecticut.

It is an estimate, and it keeps the model deliberately simple. It uses ordinary-income brackets (no capital-gains, QBI, or AMT logic), applies the Child Tax Credit and Credit for Other Dependents but not other credits, taxes the “other income” box as ordinary income, and doesn't model the refundable Child Tax Credit. If your situation has moving parts — a side business, big investment income, equity comp, multiple jobs with uneven pay — treat the number as a starting point and have us run a real projection.

The federal and state adjustments are separate forms. The federal number adjusts your Form W-4 (line 4c, extra withholding). The state number adjusts your state form — IT-2104 in New York, NJ-W4 in New Jersey, CT-W4 in Connecticut. State figures are approximate (brackets + standard deduction/exemptions on your federal AGI; NYC and the Yonkers resident surcharge available as rough add-ons); they skip state-specific adjustments and most credits.

How the math works

Assumptions & rates used

What the calculator does with your inputs

Projected income: YTD gross + expected gross for the rest of the year (both spouses if joint), plus your “other income.” Pre-tax payroll items and above-the-line adjustments are subtracted to approximate AGI.

2026 standard deduction: Single $16,100 · MFJ $32,200 · Head of household $24,150 · MFS $16,100. Or your estimated itemized total.

2026 brackets: the seven ordinary-income rates (10%–37%) for your filing status, applied to taxable income (AGI − deduction).

Credits: $2,200 per child under 17 and $500 per other dependent. Phased out above $400,000 AGI (MFJ) / $200,000 (others) at $50 per $1,000 over.

Projected withholding: the withholding you entered — what's been withheld so far plus what you expect for the rest of the year. The adjustment = (target − projected withholding) ÷ paychecks left.

State (NY/NJ/CT): latest published (2025) brackets on federal AGI, less each state's standard deduction (NY) or personal exemptions (NJ/CT); NYC & Yonkers add-ons for NY. Approximate — see the note above.

Federal and state income tax only. Not modeled: Social Security/Medicare (FICA), self-employment tax, the Additional Medicare Tax, NIIT, capital-gain/qualified-dividend rates, QBI, AMT, the refundable Child Tax Credit, and credits other than CTC/ODC. This is a planning estimate, not a tax return.

Want it dialed in exactly — federal and state?

A W-4 estimate gets you close. Geiger Tax & Accounting builds a full year-end projection from your complete picture — all income, deductions, credits, and federal + state withholding — and hands you the exact W-4 and state-form entries to make.

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Disclaimer: This calculator provides a simplified estimate of 2026 federal (and, for NY/NJ/CT, state) income tax and withholding for general informational and planning purposes only. It is not tax advice, not a tax return, and not a guarantee of your refund or balance due, which depend on your complete and final tax situation. It does not address FICA, self-employment tax, many credits and income types, or all state rules. Consult a licensed tax professional before changing your withholding or making tax decisions.