Effective rate total tax ÷ total income; the rate you actually pay overall (always below your marginal rate). Where it's taught Income & Take-Home Pay Try it with a calculator Paycheck Calculator Appears in 2 other lessons Tax Brackets: Your Bracket Is Not Your Tax RateThe Benefits Cliff: When a Raise Leaves You Worse Off Related terms FICA / payroll taxGross payMarginal rateStandard deductionTake-home (net) payTax bracket