If you make 100k a year, how much tax refund will you get in 2025?

Congrats on the promotion! Your tax refund isn't actually determined by how much you make but by how much is withheld from your paychecks compared to what you actually owe. At $100k, you'll be in a higher tax bracket, but that doesn't automatically mean a smaller refund. If your employer withholds too much from your paychecks, you'll get a refund. If they withhold too little, you'll owe. The most accurate way to estimate this is to update your W-4 form with your employer to reflect your new income situation. The IRS has a tax withholding estimator tool on their website that can help you figure out the optimal withholding.

I was in your exact position last year! After struggling with confusing tax withholding calculators and getting different answers from coworkers, I found this awesome AI tax tool called taxr.ai that saved me so much stress. You just upload your paystubs and answer a few questions, and it shows you exactly what your tax situation looks like and how much you'll get back. What I loved was that it showed me how changing my withholding would affect my refund. I realized I was getting a big refund because I was basically giving the government an interest-free loan all year! I adjusted my W-4 based on their recommendations and now I'm getting more in each paycheck instead of waiting for a refund. Check it out at https://taxr.ai - it's especially helpful when your income changes significantly like yours did.

Just wanted to update - I tried taxr.ai after asking about it and WOW what a difference! The interface is so much cleaner than the IRS tool and it actually explained why my withholding was off. Turns out I was having way too much withheld because my W-4 still had an old job's info factored in. I adjusted my withholding last month based on their recommendation and I'm seeing about $175 more in each paycheck now. The tool showed me I was on track for a $3,400 refund which is ridiculous - that's MY money I could be using throughout the year! Now I'm set up to get a small refund instead. Super helpful if you've had a big income change like the original poster.

If you're making 100k and want to be absolutely sure about your tax situation, consider calling the IRS directly to get answers from an actual agent. The only problem? Good luck getting through! I spent HOURS on hold trying to clarify my withholding after a promotion. Then I found Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) which is this service that navigates the IRS phone system for you and calls you back when an agent is ready. Saved me literally hours of hold time. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c The agent I spoke with walked me through exactly how withholding works at different income levels and what I should expect for my specific situation. Way more personalized than any online calculator. Definitely worth it for peace of mind when your tax situation changes significantly.

I need to eat my words about Claimyr. After dismissing it as a scam, I was still stuck with questions about my withholding that I couldn't get answered online. In a moment of frustration, I gave it a shot. It actually worked exactly as advertised. I put in my info around 9am, went about my day, and got a call back around 11:30am saying they had an IRS agent on the line. The agent was super helpful explaining how my 100k salary would be taxed differently and what withholding would be appropriate given my side income. I would have spent at least 2-3 hours on hold trying to do this myself. For anyone making a big salary jump like the original poster, getting personalized advice directly from the IRS can make a huge difference in avoiding an unexpected tax bill.

Something nobody's mentioned yet - at $100k, you might want to consider contributing to traditional 401k or IRA to lower your taxable income. This could potentially drop you into a lower tax bracket and reduce what you owe overall. I make around $105k and contribute enough to my 401k to keep me in a lower bracket. Big difference in my effective tax rate. This affects your refund calculation too because you're lowering your overall tax liability.

Im in almost identical situation, 102k salary and my refund last year was about $1,900. But every1's situation is different! It depends on: - how your W4 is filled out - if u have other deductions (student loan interest helped me) - if you do any side work - state taxes vary ALOT!! Honestly at our income level some ppl actually owe instead of getting refunds, especially if withholding isnt set right. My friend makes 98k and had to pay $800 last april!

Great question and congrats on the promotion! I went through something similar when I jumped from 70k to 105k a couple years back. Here's what I learned the hard way: Your refund really depends on your withholding setup more than your salary. At 100k single with standard deduction, you're looking at roughly $16,290 in federal taxes owed for 2025. If your employer is withholding more than that from your paychecks throughout the year, you'll get a refund. Less than that, you'll owe. The tricky part with a mid-year salary increase is that your withholding might be calculated assuming you made 100k all year, when you actually made less. This could result in over-withholding and a bigger refund than expected. My advice: Pull up your most recent paystub and multiply your federal withholding by the number of pay periods left in the year. Add that to what's already been withheld year-to-date. Compare that total to your estimated tax liability and you'll have a rough idea of refund vs. owing. Don't stress too much - worst case you owe a bit and can adjust your W-4 for next year!