1015 Tax Tables: What They Are and Where to Find Them
Learn how to locate and use the official IRS tax tables. This guide clarifies common misconceptions to help you accurately determine your tax liability.
Federal income tax tables are a tool issued by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for calculating an individual’s tax. These tables provide a method for most people to determine their tax obligation without performing complex calculations using tax rate schedules. They are designed for taxpayers with a taxable income under a specific threshold, which for the 2024 tax year is $100,000. The function of these tables is to simplify the tax filing process by cross-referencing income with filing status to find a predetermined tax amount.
Locating the Correct Tax Tables
A common point of confusion for taxpayers is the search for “1015 tax tables.” The IRS does not issue a document with this name for individual income tax calculation. The correct and official tax tables are published annually within the Instructions for Form 1040, U.S. Individual Income Tax Return.
To locate these tables, taxpayers should go to the official IRS website and search for “Form 1040 Instructions” for the relevant tax year. The IRS provides these documents as free PDF downloads. For those with taxable income of $100,000 or more, the instructions will direct them to use a different calculation method, such as the Tax Computation Worksheet.
Information Needed to Use the Tax Tables
To use the tax tables, two pieces of information must be determined from your tax return: your filing status and your taxable income. Your filing status is based on your marital and family situation. The five filing statuses are:
- Single
- Married Filing Jointly
- Married Filing Separately
- Head of Household
- Qualifying Surviving Spouse
The second necessary figure is your taxable income. This is not your total salary or gross income; rather, it is the portion of your income that is subject to taxation after all allowable adjustments and deductions have been subtracted. The calculation begins with your gross income, from which you subtract specific deductions to arrive at your Adjusted Gross Income (AGI). From AGI, you then subtract either the standard deduction or your itemized deductions to find your taxable income. This final number, located on line 15 of Form 1040, is the figure you will use with the tax tables.
How to Read the Tax Tables
Once you have identified your filing status and calculated your taxable income, the process of using the tax tables is mechanical. The tables are structured as a grid. The first two columns on the left side of the page show income ranges in increments of $50. You must first locate the row that contains your specific taxable income amount. For instance, if your taxable income is $45,120, you would find the line that reads “At least 45,100 But less than 45,150.”
After finding the correct income row, you will look across that row to the columns on the right, which correspond to the different filing statuses. You will find the column header that matches your filing status—for example, “Single” or “Married filing jointly.” The number located where your income row and your filing status column intersect is your tax liability. This is the amount of tax you owe, which should be entered on line 16 of your Form 1040.