10/07/2026
Marginal rate = the rate on your last dollar earned. It's the top layer you reach, and it's the number most people mean when they say "I'm in the X% bracket."
Effective rate = your total tax divided by your total income. It's the blended average across every layer, and it's always lower than your marginal rate.
Why it matters: marginal rate is the number for decisions, should I take the bonus, do the Roth conversion, realize the gain? Effective rate is the number for context, what your tax burden actually looks like.
Confusing the two is how people end up turning down income they should've taken.
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