Tax Guides

Plain-English guides to federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare and withholding for the 2026 tax year.

25 articles

Earning the same amount as a W-2 employee or a 1099 contractor leaves you with different take-home pay. Here is a side-by-side…

Additional Medicare Tax is an extra 0.9% on high wages. See when your employer starts withholding it and why married couples can…

Freelancers usually pay tax four times a year. Here are the 2026 due dates, a worked example and the rules for avoiding…

Claiming exempt stops federal income tax withholding, but only if you owed nothing last year and expect to owe nothing this year.

The 2026 federal brackets run from 10% to 37%. Here are the thresholds for each filing status and how they apply to…

The filing status you check on your W-4 sets your standard deduction and brackets for withholding. Here is what that does to…

Head of household status gives single parents and other qualifying taxpayers a bigger standard deduction and wider brackets. Here is who qualifies.

Bonuses are usually withheld at a flat 22% federal rate, but your actual tax depends on your bracket. Here is why the…

A plain walkthrough of each step on the W-4, what to enter, what to skip, and how each line changes the federal…

Your marginal rate is the tax on your next dollar; your effective rate is your average. Here's how to find both and…

Filing jointly usually means lower total tax for married couples, but withholding can fall short. See how each choice plays out on…

The Medicare tax rate is 1.45% of every dollar you earn, with no wage cap. Here is how it shows up on…