2017 Federal Income Tax Brackets
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Because the United States has a progressive federal tax system, you’re going to land in one of these seven federal income tax brackets in 2017: 10%, 15%, 25%, 28%, 33%, 35% or 39.6%.
The tables below use Internal Revenue Service figures to show the dollar amount of taxes owed at each threshold, plus your marginal tax rate, which is the rate at which the remaining portion of your income is taxed. Different filing statuses have different thresholds. Click on the tabs to see the differences.
2017 Federal Income Tax Brackets
Single filers
| Tax rate | Taxable income bracket | Tax owed |
|---|---|---|
| 10% | $0 to $9,325 | 10% of taxable income |
| 15% | $9,326 to $37,950 | $932.50 plus 15% of the amount over $9,325 |
| 25% | $37,950 to $91,900 | $5,226.25 plus 25% of the amount over $37,950 |
| 28% | $91,900 to $191,650 | $18,713.75 plus 28% of the amount over $91,900 |
| 33% | $191,650 to $416,700 | $46,643.75 plus 33% of the amount over $191,650 |
| 35% | $416,700 to $418,400 | $120,910.25 plus 35% of the amount over $416,700 |
| 39.6% | $418,400 or more | $121,505.25 plus 39.6% of the amount over $418,400 |
Married Filing Jointly / Qualifying Widow(er)
| Tax rate | Taxable income bracket | Tax owed |
|---|---|---|
| 10% | $0 to $18,650 | 10% of taxable income |
| 15% | $18,651 to $75,900 | $1,865.00 plus 15% of the amount over $18,650 |
| 25% | $75,900 to $153,100 | $10,452.50 plus 25% of the amount over $75,900 |
| 28% | $153,101 to $233,350 | $29,752.50 plus 28% of the amount over $153,100 |
| 33% | $233,350 to $416,700 | $52,222.50 plus 33% of the amount over $233,350 |
| 35% | $416,700 to $470,700 | $112,728.00 plus 35% of the amount over $416,700 |
| 39.6% | $470,701 or more | $131,628.00 plus 39.6% of the amount over $470,700 |
Married Filing Separately
| Tax rate | Taxable income bracket | Tax owed |
|---|---|---|
| 10% | $0 to $9,325 | 10% of taxable income |
| 15% | $9,326 to $37,950 | $9232.50 plus 15% of the amount over $9,325 |
| 25% | $37,951 to $76,550 | $5,226.25 plus 25% of the amount over $37,950 |
| 28% | $76,551 to $116,675 | $14,876.25 plus 28% of the amount over $76,550 |
| 33% | $116,676 to $208,350 | $26,111.25 plus 33% of the amount over $116,675 |
| 35% | $208,351 to $235,350 | $56,364.00 plus 35% of the amount over $208,350 |
| 39.6% | $235,351 or more | $65,814.00 plus 39.6% of the amount over $235,350 |
Head of Household
| Tax rate | Taxable income bracket | Tax owed |
|---|---|---|
| 10% | $0 to $13,350 | 10% of taxable income |
| 15% | $13,351 to $50,800 | $1,335.00 plus 15% of the amount over $13,350 |
| 25% | $50,801 to $131,200 | $6,952.50 plus 25% of the amount over $50,800 |
| 28% | $131,201 to $212,500 | $27,052.50 plus 28% of the amount over $131,200 |
| 33% | $212,501 to $416,700 | $49,816.50 plus 33% of the amount over $212,500 |
| 35% | $416,701 to $444,550 | $117,202.50 plus 35% of the amount over $416,700 |
| 39.6% | $444,551 or more | $126,950.00 plus 39.6% of the amount over $444,550 |
But no matter which bracket you’re in, you won’t pay that rate on your entire 2017 income. There are two reasons: First, you get to subtract tax deductions and exemptions to determine your taxable income. Second, the government divides your taxable income into chunks based on these tax brackets, and each chunk gets taxed at the corresponding rate.
For example, a single filer with $32,000 in taxable income lands in the 15% tax bracket but pays just 10% on the portion of income that falls into the lowest bracket (up to $9,325), then 15% on income above that amount.
This is what makes tax credits and deductions so valuable — they can reduce your taxable income and even kick you to a lower bracket. You can potentially also move to a lower tax bracket by contributing to pre-tax retirement accounts like your 401(k) or a traditional IRA (use our free retirement planning tool to see how you can get the most tax savings from your retirement contributions).
No matter which bracket you’re in, you won’t pay that rate on your entire 2017 income. There are two reasons: First, you get to subtract tax deductions and exemptions to determine your taxable income. Second, the government divides your taxable income into chunks based on these tax brackets, and each chunk gets taxed at the corresponding rate.
Note that this is the deal only for federal income taxes; your state might have different brackets, a flat income tax or even no income tax at all.
If you’d like to see an estimate of your tax amount, based on your income and federal tax bracket, try our calculator.
It’s unlikely you’ll have to do much of the math yourself. You can use our federal tax calculator to determine where your income and potential refund falls. Plus, any online tax preparation software will do the calculations for you.
Next steps
Of course, you might be eligible for tax credits or deductions that would lower your bill. And if you’re ready to file, we can help you choose tax software and find the fastest way to get your refund.
In the longer term, taking steps to reduce your taxable income can go hand in hand with saving for retirement and estate planning to leave more for your heirs.
Past years’ brackets
Curious how federal income tax brackets and rates have changed over the years? Take a look back.
This post was updated on May 14, 2017.
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