The Income-Tax Tornado

As your income climbs, it doesn't just push you into a higher bracket — it feeds a tornado that drags in surtaxes, phaseouts, cliffs, and surcharges. The nastiest part: the biggest thresholds (NIIT, Additional Medicare, Social Security taxation) aren't inflation-indexed, so the storm quietly pulls in more people every year. An ordered ladder of 25+ income-triggered detriments for 2026, the base brackets underneath — including the two biggest rate jumps — and how to shrink the storm.