09/23/2026
Knowing your bracket doesn't tell you your effective tax rate.
The bracket is about the next taxable dollar. The effective rate compares tax paid with income. One producer went from 17.6% to 11.4% on about $128K of income without changing his bracket.
Compare your own years with the same definition. Then ask whether income, deductions, entity treatment, or credits changed. Another producer's number isn't automatically the right target for you.
Do you know your effective rate from last year off the top of your head?
Going deeper on this Friday 9/25, 11 AM Central. Link in the comments.