About Tax Break Calculators

Tax Break Calculators is a small, independent site with one job: help regular people figure out what the new federal tax deductions from the 2025 tax law are actually worth to them, without a sales pitch and without wading through 40 pages of IRS instructions.

Where the rules come from

Every calculator follows the IRS's own guidance: the Schedule 1-A (Form 1040) instructions for the tips, overtime, car loan interest and senior deductions; IRS newsroom guidance on each deduction; the final Treasury regulations on the car loan interest deduction (September 2026); and the IRS inflation-adjustment revenue procedures for the 2025 and 2026 bracket tables and standard deduction. Each calculator page links to its sources at the bottom.

How the estimates work

We apply the caps and phase-out formulas exactly as the IRS worksheets describe them, including the rounding conventions (tips and overtime round the excess income down to the nearest $1,000; the car loan deduction rounds up). We then estimate federal income tax before and after the deduction using the bracket table for the year you choose and the standard deduction for your filing status. The difference is your estimated savings.

The estimates assume federal income tax only, the standard deduction, and no credits. State taxes, itemized deductions, the alternative minimum tax, and unusual situations aren't modeled. That covers the large majority of people who'll claim these deductions, but it is an estimate, not a filing.

Who runs this

The site is built and maintained by a small-business owner in Kentucky who has spent years in the restaurant industry, where tipped and overtime pay is everyday life, and who got tired of explaining "no, it's not actually tax-free" to staff. If you spot an error or the IRS changes a rule, let us know and we'll fix it.

How the site makes money

The site shows ads and may include affiliate links to tax software. That never changes the math. We don't sell your email address; if you give it to us to unlock a result, we use it to send occasional updates when a rule changes, and you can unsubscribe with one click.