When it comes to taxes, there are a lot of concepts that need to be clarified. One of those is tax brackets and marginal tax rates.
For example, if your annual taxable income puts you in the 22 percent tax bracket, you won’t be levied that percentage on all your earnings. Instead, you’ll be taxed in increments at graduated rates.
What is a Tax Bracket?
A tax bracket is the range of income levels to which a specific federal income tax rate applies. These rates apply to your taxable income, including wages, salaries, tips, investments, dividends, capital gains, and even unearned income like social security benefits and veterans’ pensions.
As you earn more income throughout the year, your marginal tax rate will likely change, and your taxable income will increase, too. This increase will move you into the next bracket, meaning you will be taxed more. This is why it’s essential to understand how tax brackets work and what your marginal tax rate is.
The Internal Revenue Service has seven federal income tax brackets that kick in at different thresholds for most ordinary income: 10%, 12%, 22%, 24%, 32%, 35% and 37%. These tax brackets are adjusted yearly for inflation, ensuring that the income thresholds to enter each bracket remain current and prevent “bracket creep” from occurring.
In addition to knowing your tax bracket, you should also know your filing status. Your filing status determines whether or not you can claim certain deductions that may lower your overall tax bill. Utilizing tax credits and maximizing tax deductions are the two major strategies available to Americans to move into a lower tax band. Whereas tax deductions lower the portion of your income liable to taxes, tax credits reduce your tax bill dollar for dollar.
How Do Tax Brackets Work?
Income tax brackets work differently in the United States than in most other nations. Because of the progressive tax rate used by our system, the percentage of your total income that you must pay in taxes increases as you earn more money. The amount you pay in taxes is based on your specific tax bracket, which the IRS determines based on your filing status and income. The amount of money you make from investments, wages, and other sources totaled less any tax credits, deductions, exemptions, and other modifications is your taxable income, which determines your tax bracket.
Once you have figured out which bracket you fall into, the IRS calculates how much you owe by multiplying your marginal tax rate by your taxable income. Tax deductions lower your taxable income, so they can also reduce the amount you owe.
It is essential to know that your tax bracket can change over time. The IRS adjusts the tax brackets each year for inflation. This helps prevent the problem known as “bracket creep,” where a raise in salary can put you into a higher tax bracket without it being clear to you that your income has increased. You may also find that you get a tax deduction you should have been aware of, which can help bring down your tax bill.
How Do I Get Into a Lower Tax Bracket?
The good news is that the IRS offers plenty of opportunities to lower your tax bracket and overall tax liability. Tax brackets and marginal tax rates only apply to taxable income, so you can reduce your liability by decreasing the percentage of your taxable income that falls into each bracket.
The IRS adjusts tax brackets each year to account for inflation. However, this procedure only sometimes keeps up with price inflation, which can mean that even if you get a raise, you may end up in the same tax bracket as last year. This is sometimes referred to as “bracket creep.”
Americans can reduce their tax burden in two main ways: tax credits and deductions. Whereas tax deductions lower the amount of your taxable income, tax credits reduce your tax bill dollar for dollar. If you qualify for several tax credits, they can significantly save your overall tax liability. The key is determining which tax credits you are eligible for, as they can vary greatly depending on your situation. In addition, it’s important to note that the more income you have, the higher your tax bracket will be. That’s why it’s often a good idea to spread out the sale of stocks that have appreciated or the receipt of severance pay over several years rather than receiving the entire sum in one year.
How Do I Get Out of a Higher Tax Bracket?
As you earn more, the portion of your income taxed at higher rates will increase. You may even find yourself in the top tax bracket, which now stands at 37% for single filers. But it’s more complex than figuring out your tax bracket and then calculating what percent of your earnings you will pay in taxes.
The IRS updates its federal income tax brackets and rates yearly, so you must know about the new ones as you plan your finances. A raise in salary could push you into a higher tax bracket, or getting fewer deductions than you did last year may send you to a lower one.
A tax bracket only applies to a range of your taxable income and only if you earn enough money that it uses. For example, if you are a single filer in 2023 and make $100,000, you fall into the 22% tax bracket. But you will still pay $22,000 in taxes since only a portion of your $100,000 is subject to the 22% rate.
There are many ways to reduce your tax bill, including credits and deductions. Tax credits, such as the expanded child credit, decrease your tax bill dollar for dollar, but they don’t affect your bracket. Tax deductions, however, reduce how much of your taxable income is subject to the brackets, which can help you get out of a higher tax bracket.
