Taxes for Teens Project

Free companion site

Taxes for Teens

This is the free companion site for the Taxes for Teens Project. Every video, tool, and link your packet asks you to use is here, in the same order as the packet.

In the project you follow four adults (Jordan, Dana and Chris Lee, and Angela) through a whole year of taxes: the W-4 they filled out when hired, their paychecks, their W-2s, and the Form 1040 they file in April. Work through the sections in order, or jump to the one your teacher assigned.

5 videos3 interactive tools + W-4 calculatorTax Year 2026 numbersFree to use

Classroom practice only. The people, employers, addresses, identification numbers, and tax documents in this project are fictional examples. When an activity opens an outside financial website, use only the fictional information from your packet—never your own or your family's personal information.

Tax Year 2026Part IPart IIPaycheckPay stubW-4 calculatorW-2Part IIIBracketsWays to fileKeep going

Get the full classroom-ready project

Taxes for Teens Project

Everything on this site is the free companion to the complete printable and digital project for middle & high school.

• Follow four adults from their first W-4 to Tax Day
• Pay stub, W-4, W-2 & Form 1040 simulations with Tax Year 2026 numbers
• Standard and guided versions of every math activity
• Editable PowerPoint & Google Slides, with answer keys

View on TeachersPayTeachers ↗

Opens in a new tab · Mister G's Teacher Shop

★Reference

Tax Year 2026 at a Glance

The same numbers as the reference page in your packet. Tax Year 2026 means money earned January 1 to December 31, 2026, reported on a tax return filed by April 15, 2027.

Standard deduction

Filing status	Amount
Single	$16,100
Married Filing Jointly	$32,200
Head of Household	$24,150

Other numbers

Social Security tax	6.2% of pay (employer pays 6.2% too)
Medicare tax	1.45% of pay (employer pays 1.45% too)
Child Tax Credit	Up to $2,200 per child under 17

Single

Over	Not over	Tax is
$0	$12,400	10% of taxable income
$12,400	$50,400	$1,240 + 12% of the amount over $12,400
$50,400	$105,700	$5,800 + 22% of the amount over $50,400

Married Filing Jointly

Over	Not over	Tax is
$0	$24,800	10% of taxable income
$24,800	$100,800	$2,480 + 12% of the amount over $24,800
$100,800	$211,400	$11,600 + 22% of the amount over $100,800

Head of Household

Over	Not over	Tax is
$0	$17,700	10% of taxable income
$17,700	$67,450	$1,770 + 12% of the amount over $17,700
$67,450	$105,700	$7,740 + 22% of the amount over $67,450

Higher incomes reach the 24%, 32%, 35%, and 37% brackets. These are Tax Year 2026 figures used throughout the classroom project. Tax laws and filing-season programs can change, so use the current IRS website for real-life tax decisions.

01Watch

What Are Taxes?

Taxes help governments pay for public services such as schools, roads, police, firefighters, and health programs. This first video covers what taxes are, why they exist, and where the money goes. It starts simple on purpose.

Packet: What Are Taxes? Part I · Use the video and your own reasoning. A few questions ask you to apply the ideas instead of repeat a sentence from the video.

YouTube

What Are Taxes?

What taxes are, who collects them, and the public services they pay for.

02Watch

What Are Taxes? Part II

Ever wonder why a $10 hoodie can ring up for more than $10? This video covers income tax, payroll tax, and sales tax: who pays each, how income-tax rates rise by bracket, and—in the video's example—why a ready-to-eat rotisserie chicken is taxed while a frozen one is not.

Packet: What Are Taxes? Part II

YouTube

Understanding Taxes

Income, payroll, and sales tax, plus deductions, credits, and Tax Day.

Two useful reminders: “Progressive” means each slice of taxable income is taxed at its own rate; crossing a bracket does not make every dollar get taxed at the higher rate. Also, sales-tax rules for prepared food vary by state and locality, so treat the chicken example as the example used in the video—not a nationwide rule.

03Watch

Understanding Your Paycheck

The first paycheck at a new job is almost always smaller than people expect. This video explains every line that makes the difference: gross pay, net pay, withholding, and FICA.

Packet: Understanding Your Paycheck

YouTube

Understanding Your Paycheck

Gross pay, net pay, and every deduction in between.

04Explore

Jordan's Pay Stub

This interactive version matches the classroom Earnings Statement in your packet, including the regular and holiday pay rows. Tap any line to see what it means. The math questions are still yours to do on paper.

Packet: Earnings Statement · Understanding an Earnings Statement

MIDTOWN GROCERY CO.
1200 W. Market St., Mesa, AZ 85201

EARNINGS STATEMENT
Period ending 06/06/2026
Pay date 06/12/2026

JORDAN RIVERA
Assistant Store Manager · paid every two weeks

Federal W-4: Single · $20.00 additional federal withholding · Arizona Form A-4: 2.0% withholding rate

EarningsThis periodYear to date

Regular pay: $22.50 × 72.00 hours1,620.0021,240.00 Holiday pay: $22.50 × 8.00 hours180.00360.00 Gross Pay1,800.0021,600.00

Before-tax deduction

Traditional 401(k) retirement, 5%− 90.00− 1,080.00

Taxes

Federal Income Tax− 141.35− 1,696.20 Social Security Tax− 111.60− 1,339.20 Medicare Tax− 26.10− 313.20 AZ State Income Tax Withheld− 34.20− 410.40 Total Deductions− 403.25− 4,839.00 NET PAY1,396.7516,761.00

Taxable wages and other informationThis periodYear to date

Federal income tax wages1,710.0020,520.00 Social Security & Medicare wages1,800.0021,600.00 Employer 401(k) match, 3%54.00648.00 Paid time off balance (hours)36.00 Sick time balance (hours)16.00

Direct deposit to checking account ending in 4821$1,396.75$16,761.00

Tap a line on the pay stub.

05Calculate

H&R Block W-4 Calculator

It is July, halfway through the year, and Dana and Chris Lee want to know if their paychecks are on track. Adults use a W-4 calculator whenever something changes: a new job, a marriage, a new baby, or a spouse who starts working. This optional extension shows you what the Lees should do before it is too late.

Packet: W-4 Calculator Activity (Optional Extension)

W-4 Calculator and Withholding Estimator

Answer every question using the Lees' information table in your packet: two jobs, one daughter, and 13 of 26 paychecks received. If the calculator asks something the table doesn't cover, choose the simplest answer (No, None, or $0).

Open the W-4 Calculator ↗

Opens in a new tab · H&R Block · External tools can change their questions, layout, and estimates over time.

Use the Lees' information, never your own. This is a real financial company's tool. Do not enter your real Social Security number, your family's real income, or a real bank account. Everything you type should come from your packet.

Focus on the idea, not one permanent dollar answer. Because this is an outside calculator, your exact estimate may change when the site updates. The important conclusion is whether the Lees appear underwithheld and what kind of W-4 change the tool recommends. If the H&R Block tool is unavailable, your teacher may skip this optional extension or use the official IRS Tax Withholding Estimator.

06Explore

Jordan's W-2

Every January, each employer sends a W-2 that summarizes the year's wages and taxes withheld. This interactive version matches the simplified classroom W-2 in your packet. Tap any box to see what it means.

Packet: Understanding a W-2 · The Lees' W-2s

a Employee's social security number123-45-1234 b Employer identification number (EIN)45-9876543 c Employer's name, address, and ZIP codeMIDTOWN GROCERY CO. 1200 W. MARKET ST. MESA, AZ 85201 d Control number000417 e/f Employee's name, address, and ZIP codeJORDAN RIVERA 4514 MAPLE ST., APT. 3 MESA, AZ 85203 1 Wages, tips, other compensation44,460.00 2 Federal income tax withheld3,675.10 3 Social security wages46,800.00 4 Social security tax withheld2,901.60 5 Medicare wages and tips46,800.00 6 Medicare tax withheld678.60 7 Social security tips 8 Allocated tips 9 Unused 10 Dependent care benefits 11 Nonqualified plans 12a See instructions for box 12D 2,340.00 13 Statutory employee · Retirement plan · Third-party sick pay☐ ☒ ☐ 12b 12c 14 Other (simplified classroom form) 12d

15 State · Employer's state ID no.AZ AZ-0081744 16 State wages, tips, etc.44,460.00 17 State income tax889.20 18 Local wages, tips, etc. 19 Local income tax 20 Locality name

Form W-2 Wage and Tax Statement2026Copy B · Employee's federal return

Tap a box on the W-2.

Classroom simplification: The real 2026 W-2 contains details that are not needed for this project. The packet keeps the boxes students need for the activities while preserving the main W-2 concepts.

07Watch

What Are Taxes? Part III

Follow Ray, a college student finishing an internship, from gross income all the way down to what he actually owes. It is the clearest walkthrough of AGI, deductions, and credits in the whole project.

Packet: What Are Taxes? Part III · Ray's Taxes: Then and Now

YouTube

Taxes 101

One person's return, start to finish: gross income, AGI, deductions, credits, tax owed.

Answer Part III with the video's numbers, not today's. The video uses 2016 amounts, and personal exemptions no longer exist. The video's core sequence—income, adjustments, deductions, tax, and credits—is still useful. Then, on Ray's Taxes: Then and Now, you redo Ray's example with Tax Year 2026 rules.

08Try it

Tax Brackets: Slice by Slice

Type in any taxable income, pick a filing status, and watch it fill the brackets one slice at a time. Then press + $1,000 raise to see why crossing into a higher federal income-tax bracket does not make the raise disappear: only the dollars above the threshold use the higher rate.

Packet: Tax Brackets: Slice by Slice · The raise comparison below shows federal income tax only; actual take-home pay can also be affected by payroll tax, state/local tax, and other deductions.

Filing statusSingleMarried Filing JointlyHead of Household Taxable income ($) Slice it + $1,000 raise

Try these: $30,000 Single is Sam Carter from your reference page. Try $49,900, then press the raise button. Try a big number like $300,000 to see the higher brackets.

09Watch

Ways to File Your Taxes

Paper forms, tax software, and professional preparation are different ways people can file. The best fit depends on the complexity of the return, the amount of help someone wants, and the cost. Watch the video, then use both the video and your own reasoning to complete the pros-and-cons chart in your packet.

Packet: Ways to File Your Taxes · The video may not state every pro or con word-for-word.

YouTube

Ways to File Your Taxes

Paper filing, tax software, and professional preparers compared.

IRS Free File ↗Guided Free File has an AGI limit that changes by filing season; Free File Fillable Forms are available for taxpayers comfortable preparing their own federal forms. Find a free VITA site ↗Free, in-person help from IRS-certified volunteers for qualifying taxpayers. Eligibility guidelines can change by filing season.

Why the packet labels filing limits carefully: this project is about Tax Year 2026, but those returns are filed in 2027. Programs such as IRS Free File and VITA publish filing-season eligibility rules separately, so always check the current IRS links for real-life limits.

10Keep going

Where Taxes Show Up Next

Taxes connect to almost every money decision adults make. These projects pick up where this one leaves off.

Checking Account ProjectMany employers use direct deposit, and the IRS says direct deposit is the fastest way to receive a tax refund. A checking or savings account makes electronic deposits easy. Personal Finance & BudgetingEvery budget starts with the money you actually have available to spend—your net pay—not simply gross pay. Investing & Stock MarketTraditional 401(k)s, employer matches, and how workplace retirement saving connects to taxes. Savings Account UnitInterest you earn can be taxable income, and banks may report it on Form 1099-INT.

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