2027 Federal Tax Brackets (Projected)
The IRS won't publish the official 2027 brackets until November 2026 — but every inflation input it needs is already published. We applied the IRS's own adjustment methodology to the official 2026 thresholds, so you can plan year-end moves now instead of waiting. Thresholds are projected to rise 3.06%, and we'll swap in the official numbers the day they land.
Read this first:these are estimates, not IRS numbers. They're built for planning — December bonus timing, Roth conversion headroom, withholding checks. Don't file anything with them. The official revenue procedure is expected early-to-mid November 2026 (IRS revenue procedure), and this page updates same-day.
Projected 2027 Standard Deduction
Rounded to the nearest $50, the way the IRS does it. The 2026 official amounts are shown for comparison.
Single / MFS
$16,600
2026 official: $16,100
Married Filing Jointly
$33,200
2026 official: $32,200
Head of Household
$24,900
2026 official: $24,150
Projected increase
+3.06%
2026 official: chained CPI-U
Projected 2027 Brackets by Filing Status
Seven brackets — 10% to 37% — for every filing status, thresholds rounded to the nearest $25 per IRS convention. All four tables are fully visible; no clicking required.
Single
Unmarried or legally separated filers.
| Rate | Taxable Income Range | Tax on Lower Brackets |
|---|---|---|
| 10% | $0 – $12,775 | — |
| 12% | $12,776 – $51,950 | $1,278 |
| 22% | $51,951 – $108,925 | $5,979 |
| 24% | $108,926 – $207,950 | $18,513 |
| 32% | $207,951 – $264,075 | $42,279 |
| 35% | $264,076 – $660,200 | $60,239 |
| 37% | Over $660,200 | $198,883 |
Married Filing Jointly
Couples combining income on one return. The best deal for most households.
| Rate | Taxable Income Range | Tax on Lower Brackets |
|---|---|---|
| 10% | $0 – $25,550 | — |
| 12% | $25,551 – $103,875 | $2,555 |
| 22% | $103,876 – $217,875 | $11,954 |
| 24% | $217,876 – $415,900 | $37,034 |
| 32% | $415,901 – $528,125 | $84,560 |
| 35% | $528,126 – $792,225 | $120,472 |
| 37% | Over $792,225 | $212,907 |
Head of Household
Unmarried taxpayers paying more than half the cost of keeping a home for a qualifying dependent.
| Rate | Taxable Income Range | Tax on Lower Brackets |
|---|---|---|
| 10% | $0 – $18,250 | — |
| 12% | $18,251 – $69,525 | $1,825 |
| 22% | $69,526 – $108,925 | $7,978 |
| 24% | $108,926 – $207,925 | $16,646 |
| 32% | $207,926 – $264,050 | $40,406 |
| 35% | $264,051 – $660,200 | $58,366 |
| 37% | Over $660,200 | $197,019 |
Married Filing Separately
Mirrors single brackets, except the 37% threshold is half the joint one.
| Rate | Taxable Income Range | Tax on Lower Brackets |
|---|---|---|
| 10% | $0 – $12,775 | — |
| 12% | $12,776 – $51,950 | $1,278 |
| 22% | $51,951 – $108,925 | $5,979 |
| 24% | $108,926 – $207,950 | $18,513 |
| 32% | $207,951 – $264,075 | $42,279 |
| 35% | $264,076 – $396,125 | $60,239 |
| 37% | Over $396,125 | $106,457 |
Brackets apply to taxable income — gross income minus the standard deduction (or itemized deductions). Only the income inside each bracket is taxed at that rate.
2026 Official vs 2027 Projected
Where each bracket starts and ends for single and joint filers, side by side.
| Rate | Single 2026 (official) | Single 2027 (projected) | Joint 2026 (official) | Joint 2027 (projected) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10% | $0 – $12,400 | $0 – $12,775 | $0 – $24,800 | $0 – $25,550 |
| 12% | $12,401 – $50,400 | $12,776 – $51,950 | $24,801 – $100,800 | $25,551 – $103,875 |
| 22% | $50,401 – $105,700 | $51,951 – $108,925 | $100,801 – $211,400 | $103,876 – $217,875 |
| 24% | $105,701 – $201,775 | $108,926 – $207,950 | $211,401 – $403,550 | $217,876 – $415,900 |
| 32% | $201,776 – $256,225 | $207,951 – $264,075 | $403,551 – $512,450 | $415,901 – $528,125 |
| 35% | $256,226 – $640,600 | $264,076 – $660,200 | $512,451 – $768,700 | $528,126 – $792,225 |
| 37% | Over $640,600 | Over $660,200 | Over $768,700 | Over $792,225 |
How We Projected These Numbers
No guesswork — the same recipe the IRS uses for its annual revenue procedure, applied to data that is already published.
- Take the official 2026 thresholds from IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32 (the same numbers that power our 2026 brackets page).
- Compute the 12-month average of the chained CPI-U (BLS series SUUR0000SA0) for Sep 2024–Aug 2025 and for Sep 2025–Aug 2026.
- Divide: the ratio is 1.030606 (a 3.06% increase). Window A (Sep 2024 – Aug 2025) average: 177.206 · Window B (Sep 2025 – Aug 2026) average: 182.629.
- Multiply every 2026 threshold by that factor, then round: bracket thresholds to the nearest $25, standard deduction to the nearest $50— the IRS's documented rounding rules.
Sensitivity check: the October 2025 index value was never published (shutdown-canceled CPI report). Interpolating it gives factor 1.030606; dropping the month from both windows gives 1.030904 — a difference of roughly $25–$50 on any single threshold.
C-CPI-U monthly values used (all items, U.S. city average)
BLS series SUUR0000SA0 · retrieved 2026-10-27 · unadjusted index
| Month | Index |
|---|---|
| 2024-09 | 175.099 |
| 2024-10 | 175.346 |
| 2024-11 | 175.180 |
| 2024-12 | 175.219 |
| 2025-01 | 176.362 |
| 2025-02 | 177.134 |
| 2025-03 | 177.520 |
| 2025-04 | 178.081 |
| 2025-05 | 178.427 |
| 2025-06 | 178.991 |
| 2025-07 | 179.272 |
| 2025-08 | 179.839 |
| 2025-09 | 180.373 |
| 2025-10interpolated | 180.131 |
| 2025-11 | 179.889 |
| 2025-12 | 179.775 |
| 2026-01 | 180.409 |
| 2026-02 | 181.258 |
| 2026-03 | 183.193 |
| 2026-04 | 184.680 |
| 2026-05 | 185.771 |
| 2026-06 | 185.172 |
| 2026-07 | 185.162 |
| 2026-08 | 185.739 |
What This Means for Your Year-End Planning
Four moves that make sense between now and January, using the projected 2027 room.
Defer income into 2027
Every threshold moves up about 3.06%. A single filer gets $12,775 of income in the 10% bracket next year (vs $12,400 in 2026) and the 22% bracket starts at $51,950 (vs $50,400). If a bonus or a big invoice can slip from December into January, it lands in slightly wider brackets.
Check Roth conversion headroom
Converting traditional IRA funds to a Roth fills your lowest brackets first. Filling a single filer's 10% and 12% brackets in 2027 means up to $51,950 of taxable income before the 22% rate starts — about $1,550 more room than 2026.
Tune your withholding
The standard deduction rising to $16,600 (single) means slightly less tax per paycheck in 2027 for the same salary. Run your numbers through our paycheck calculator in January to keep withholding accurate — or check it now against your current W-4.
Bunch deductions while they count
Itemizers on the edge should compare: does the deduction land better in tax year 2026 or 2027? The brackets moved ~3.06%, so a deduction delayed to January offsets income taxed in slightly higher-threshold brackets — worth checking if you're near a bracket boundary.
2027 Bracket FAQ
Common questions about the projected 2027 federal income tax brackets
Are these 2027 tax brackets official?
No. The numbers on this page are projections published ahead of the IRS release. The official 2027 inflation adjustments arrive in an IRS revenue procedure, expected early-to-mid November 2026, and we will update every number on this page the same day they publish. Until then, treat these figures as planning estimates computed from published inflation data.
How accurate are the projections?
They are built with the same math the IRS uses: the chained CPI-U 12-month averages ending August 2026 versus August 2025, applied to each official 2026 threshold, then rounded to the nearest $25 ($50 for the standard deduction). Because every input index value through August 2026 has already been published, the main uncertainty is only in how the IRS handles the missing October 2025 data point. Our sensitivity check (dropping that month entirely) moves thresholds by at most one $25 rounding step.
What is chained CPI, and why does the IRS use it?
The chained CPI-U (C-CPI-U) measures inflation while accounting for the way consumers substitute cheaper goods when prices rise. Since the 2018 tax year, the IRS has indexed brackets and the standard deduction by the 12-month average of this index rather than headline CPI, which makes annual adjustments slightly smaller. The full monthly index values used for these projections are shown in the methodology table above.
When do the 2027 brackets take effect?
January 1, 2027. The 2027 brackets apply to income earned during calendar year 2027, which is filed in spring 2028. They do not affect your 2026 return at all — but they do matter for year-end moves in December 2026, like deferring a bonus or invoice into January.
What is the projected 2027 standard deduction?
$16,600 for single and married filing separately, $33,200 for married filing jointly, and $24,900 for head of household — up from $16,100, $32,200, and $24,150 in 2026.
Why is there no October 2025 inflation number in the methodology table?
The October 2025 CPI report was cancelled during the federal government shutdown, so the Bureau of Labor Statistics never published a C-CPI-U value for that month. We interpolate it as the midpoint of September and November 2025 (180.131) — the most neutral treatment available — and the sensitivity factor shows the alternative approach changes thresholds by at most about $25.
See What You Actually Take Home
Brackets are just the federal piece. Our paycheck calculator layers in FICA and your state's income tax for a real take-home number.
Try the Paycheck CalculatorEditorial Team, TheTaxCalc
TheTaxCalc Editorial Team researches and maintains every calculator and guide on this site. All federal rates, brackets, and rules are verified directly against IRS publications (including Publication 15-T and the annual inflation adjustments), and every state figure is checked against that state revenue department's official documentation. Tax data is updated within days of official changes — see our methodology page for sources and the full update history.