How much of the $1,700 EFTC credit can you actually use?

This free educational estimator answers one question in plain English. Five minutes. No account. Nothing stored, transmitted, or logged. Your inputs run entirely in your browser. The result is a dollar-figure capacity, a printable Refund Boost Plan with monthly or biweekly payroll-deduction amounts, and a one-page summary you can hand to your HR department or tax preparer.

Run the capacity calculator.

Step 1 — Filing status (single, married filing jointly, head of household, married filing separately). Step 2 — Quick path: do you have your most recent Form 1040 handy? If yes, enter Line 22 directly for the fastest estimate. If no, continue through Steps 3-6 (income, deductions, family, other credits) for a full estimate. Step 7 returns your dollar-figure EFTC capacity (color-coded — green if full $1,700, amber if partial, red if zero) and your Refund Boost Plan. The estimator uses 2026 tax parameters as a proxy for 2027; we will update to 2027 figures once the IRS publishes them. This is an educational tool, not tax advice — please consult a qualified tax professional for guidance on your specific situation.

1. Filing 2. Path 3. Inputs 4. Result

Step 1 — Filing status

How will you file your 2027 federal tax return?

Married filing jointly Single Head of household Married filing separately

Why we ask for Line 22 specifically.

Line 22 of Form 1040 is labeled 'Subtract line 21 from line 18. If zero or less, enter -0-.' That is your federal income tax after all nonrefundable credits have been applied — Child Tax Credit, Credit for Other Dependents, education credits, and so on. It isolates the income-tax liability that EFTC can offset. We deliberately do not use Line 16 (which is pre-credit tax, leading to an overestimate of capacity) or Line 24 (which includes self-employment tax and additional Medicare tax — taxes that EFTC cannot offset). Line 22 is the cleanest single number for an EFTC capacity estimate.

Privacy and data handling.

This calculator does not store, transmit, or log your inputs. All calculations run client-side in your browser. There is no analytics cookie, no tracking pixel, no third-party advertising script on this page. If you choose to email yourself a copy of your Refund Boost Plan, the email is composed locally and opens in your default mail client; we never see the content. If you print the results, the print output is generated locally. Closing this tab erases everything.

Important legal disclaimer.

This estimator provides general educational information based on publicly available IRS rules. It is not tax advice and does not account for all possible tax situations, including but not limited to alternative minimum tax (AMT), Net Investment Income Tax, additional Medicare tax, state taxes, or any tax treatment specific to your individual circumstances. Results are approximate. 1 Abacus Fund and FundEDU are not tax preparation services, accounting firms, or law firms. Consult a qualified tax professional — a CPA, Enrolled Agent, or tax attorney — for advice specific to your situation. Tax rules are subject to change. This tool currently uses 2026 tax parameters as a proxy for 2027; actual 2027 figures may differ.