Glossary
Adjusted gross income (AGI)
Total income minus a short list of adjustments, such as deductible retirement contributions. Many limits and phase-outs are measured against it, so a deduction that lowers AGI can matter more than one that does not.
Definitions here carry no dated figures: the numbers live in the lessons, where each one shows when it was checked.
Articles that use it
- AOTC vs Lifetime Learning Credit: choosing the right education credit
- Capital gains, tax-loss harvesting and the wash-sale rule
- Dependent care FSA vs the child and dependent care credit in 2026
- Is Social Security taxable? The provisional income test, step by step
- Roth conversions: how they are taxed and when people look at them
- Side gig taxes: Schedule C, self-employment tax and quarterly payments
- Standard vs. itemized deduction in 2026: how to choose
- The child tax credit in 2026: who qualifies and how much