About RefundTally

RefundTally is an independent, advertising-supported website. RefundTally turns the official 2026 federal rate tables, standard deduction, Child Tax Credit and Earned Income Credit figures into transparent calculators so households can sketch a refund or balance due before they file.

What we publish

Five calculators — a 2026 federal refund and balance-due estimate, a Child Tax Credit / additional Child Tax Credit worksheet, an EITC estimate, a tax-bracket and effective-rate tool, and a standard-deduction versus itemized comparison — plus guides, a glossary and a methodology page. We do not prepare or e-file returns.

How we research

Dollar amounts and rate tables come from IRS Revenue Procedure 2025-32 and IRS news release IR-2025-103, with credit rules taken from those documents and from IRS pages on the Child Tax Credit, EITC, Free File and refunds. Each page links its sources. We summarize in our own words and re-checked the cited URLs on 12 November 2026. Every figure that comes from a third party is linked at the bottom of the page where it is used, and every page shows when it was last reviewed. If a carrier, retailer or organisation changes its published information, the official source wins over anything on this site.

How the tools work

Arithmetic runs in your browser from figures you enter. Nothing is uploaded to us. Results are estimates, not a completed Form 1040, and they omit many credits, adjustments and taxes (including most state tax and, unless you type it in, self-employment tax).

How we make money

RefundTally shows advertising (Google AdSense) and does not accept payment from insurers, brokers, banks or any company in exchange for coverage in our guides. We do not sell leads, and we do not sell or recommend any specific insurance policy or financial product.

Corrections

If you spot an error, tell us through the contact page. We correct factual mistakes quickly and update the “last updated” date when we do.