The average taxpayer handed over about $12,582 in combined federal and state income taxes and payroll taxes for the 2024 tax year, based on Census Bureau data. That number is expected to fall this year as new tax law changes work their way into 2025 returns, giving many filers a modest break at tax time.
Most of that tax burden goes to Washington. Federal income taxes alone averaged roughly $7,250 per taxpayer for 2024. Add in about $3,412 in FICA payroll taxes and another $1,920 in state income taxes, and the total climbs past $12,500. Those figures represent averages across all households, including the roughly 40% that owe no federal income tax at all, according to Tax Policy Center research. That group skews heavily toward lower income earners.
What Taxpayers Actually Owe Once You Filter Out Nonpayers
Strip out the households that pay nothing in federal income tax, and the picture changes sharply. Among taxpayers who did owe money for 2024, the average combined bill for federal and state income taxes plus FICA topped $24,000. That gap between the overall average and the average among actual payers shows just how much the tax burden concentrates among working and middle to upper income households.
Payroll taxes deserve attention too, since they hit nearly every paycheck regardless of income level. For lower earners especially, FICA taxes often add up to more than what they owe in federal income tax, making it the biggest federal tax bite many of them feel.
Age 46 to 55 Carries the Heaviest Load
Taxpayers between 46 and 55 years old paid the highest average tax bill of any age group, around $18,672 for 2024. That age band typically includes peak earning years, when salaries tend to be highest and income tax liability climbs along with them.
Where someone lands in this range matters for planning purposes. Knowing that your age group tends to owe more can help with setting aside money for estimated payments or adjusting withholding before the next filing season arrives.
Why 2025 Bills Should Come in Lower
The One Big, Beautiful Bill Act rewrote more than 100 provisions of the tax code, and many of those changes apply starting with 2025 filings. New and expanded deductions are expected to shrink the average tax bill by about $611, according to a Tax Foundation analysis, with middle and upper income households seeing the biggest cuts relative to their earnings.
| Tax Category | Average Amount, 2024 Tax Year |
|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $7,250 |
| FICA (payroll) tax | $3,412 |
| State income tax | $1,920 |
| Total (average taxpayer) | $12,582 |
| Total among those who owe federal tax | $24,000+ |
Early signs suggest the relief is already showing up. The IRS reports that refunds issued so far in the 2026 filing season are running 10.9% higher than at the same point last year, a sign that the law's changes are flowing through to actual returns rather than staying theoretical.
What the Data Behind These Averages Leaves Out
These estimates come from Census Bureau survey data run through a tax simulation model, which projects federal, state, and FICA liability for each household surveyed. That approach produces more current figures than the IRS's own tax year microdata, which currently only extends through 2022, but it remains a simulation rather than actual filing records. Individual results will vary based on income, deductions claimed, and state of residence, so these averages work best as a benchmark rather than a prediction for any one household's bill.