Calculator · tax year 2026
Is my Social Security taxable?
Enter your benefits, your other income and any tax-exempt interest. The calculator runs the provisional income test.
Tax year 2026 Checked Review by
CheckedOct 19, 2026
Your benefits are taxable only when your other income plus half of your benefits is more than a base amount for your filing status. Above that line, part of the benefits is taxable, and the share rises at a second line.
The calculator
This calculator runs in your browser with JavaScript. Without it, the steps under How the estimate works give the same result by hand, with the same figures.
Your entries stay on this device. Nothing you type is sent anywhere.
Your estimate
Enter your numbers and choose Estimate.
Estimates for education only, from the federal figures listed below. This is general information as of the date shown, not advice for your situation. The right answer depends on your facts, so check how it applies to your own situation before you act on it.
How the estimate works
The calculator follows these steps, in this order.
- Add your other income, your tax-exempt interest and half of your benefits. That is provisional income.
- Compare it with the two base amounts for your filing status, then follow Worksheet 1 in IRS Publication 915.
Worked example
Hypothetical example, not law and not a client
A joint return with 36,000 dollars of benefits, 30,000 of other income and 2,000 of tax-exempt interest has provisional income of 50,000 dollars, above both joint base amounts.
What this does not cover
- Lump-sum payments for earlier years, which have their own election in Publication 915.
- State tax on benefits.
Read more
The tax code
IRS and other primary sources
Questions
Is this advice about my situation?
No. It is an estimate for education that shows how the rule works with the figures for the tax year. Your return depends on facts this page does not ask about, so check how it applies to your own situation before you act on it.
Figures used
Tax year 2026. Every figure the calculator reads comes from the verified library behind this site, with its source, the date it was checked and the date it is due for a re-check. If any figure passes its review date, the calculator pauses until it is re-checked.
| Figure | Value | Source | Checked | Review by |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Base amounts for the provisional income testfederal-2026:social_security_benefits.taxable_base_amounts | $25,000 and $34,000 single; $32,000 and $44,000 joint | 26 U.S.C. sec. 86(c) | CheckedSep 24, 2026 | |
Inclusion rates (first tier and maximum)cf-2026:social_security_benefits.inclusion_rates_pct | 50% and 85% | IRC 86(a)(1)(A)-(B) | CheckedOct 19, 2026 |