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Glossary

Effective tax rate

Total tax divided by total income: the rate you actually paid across all brackets. It always sits below the marginal rate, which is why saying you are in the 22% bracket overstates most tax bills. For a company it is tax expense over pretax income, and it differs from the 21% statutory rate because of state taxes, foreign income, and permanent differences.

Full treatment

Taxes guide

Related terms

All terms