How is my take-home pay calculated?

The calculator converts your pay to an annual gross, subtracts pre-tax deductions and the 2026 standard deduction for your filing status to get taxable income, then applies the 2026 federal tax brackets. It adds FICA (Social Security and Medicare) on your gross wages and an optional flat state tax, then divides the remaining net by your number of pay periods to show your take-home per paycheck.

What is FICA and how much is it?

FICA is the combined Social Security and Medicare payroll tax. For 2026 it is 6.2% Social Security on wages up to the 184,500 dollar wage base, plus 1.45% Medicare on all wages, with an extra 0.9% Medicare on wages above 200,000 dollars (single) or 250,000 dollars (married filing jointly). FICA is charged on your gross wages, so 401k contributions do not reduce it.

Why is the state tax just one rate?

State income tax rules vary enormously, so the calculator uses a single flat rate you enter as a simplified estimate. Nine states have no income tax at all (enter 0), some use a flat rate, and others have their own brackets. Use your state effective rate for the closest estimate, then verify against your states official tables.

How accurate is this take home pay calculator?

It gives a close estimate of your salary after taxes using the 2026 federal brackets, standard deduction and FICA limits. Your real paycheck can differ because of W-4 withholding settings, post-tax deductions, local city taxes and tax credits. Use it as a planning guide, not as official tax advice.

Paycheck Calculator: Take-Home Pay After Taxes

This free paycheck calculator shows your take-home pay and salary after taxesin seconds. Enter your gross pay, pick a pay frequency and filing status, and see your net pay after federal income tax, FICA and state tax, all on 2026 figures.

What is a paycheck calculator?

A paycheck calculator is a free take home pay calculator that turns your gross wages into the net amount that actually lands in your bank account. Instead of guessing, you enter your salary or hourly rate and the tool estimates your salary after taxes: federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare and an optional state tax. It works for any pay schedule, so you can plan a budget, compare two job offers or sanity-check a new pay stub in under a minute.

How to use the paycheck calculator

Enter your gross pay. Type the amount before any taxes or deductions, then choose how often you are paid: annual, monthly, bi-weekly, weekly or hourly. For hourly pay, also enter your hours per week.
Choose your filing status. Single, married filing jointly, or head of household. This sets the 2026 standard deduction and the federal tax brackets used.
Add pre-tax deductions. Enter your yearly 401(k), HSA or pre-tax insurance contributions. These lower your federal taxable income (but not your FICA).
Enter a state tax rate. Type your state effective income tax rate as a percentage, or leave it at 0 if you live in a no-income-tax state. It is a simplified estimate.
Read your results. Your take-home per paycheck, annual take-home, federal tax, FICA, estimated state tax and effective tax rate all recalculate instantly.

How take-home pay is calculated

First, every pay figure is converted to an annual gross, for example, hourly pay becomes hourly rate times hours per week times 52 weeks. From there your taxable income is annual gross minus your pre-tax deductions minus the 2026 standard deduction for your filing status (16,100 dollars single, 32,200 married filing jointly, 24,150 head of household), and is never less than zero.

Federal income tax is the sum of each marginal bracket applied to that taxable income, you only pay the higher rate on the part of your income that falls inside each band, not on everything. FICA is added on top of your gross wages: 6.2% Social Security up to the 184,500 dollar wage base plus 1.45% Medicare on all wages, with an extra 0.9% Medicare on very high earnings. Your optional state tax is a flat percentage of gross minus pre-tax deductions. Your net pay is annual gross minus pre-tax deductions, federal tax, FICA and state tax, divided across your pay periods.

Example: salary after taxes

Say you earn a 60,000 dollar salary, file as single and live in a no-income-tax state with no extra deductions. After the 16,100 dollar standard deduction, your federal taxable income is about 43,900 dollars, which the 2026 brackets tax at roughly 5,000 dollars. FICA adds about 4,590 dollars (6.2% Social Security plus 1.45% Medicare on the full 60,000). That leaves close to 50,400 dollars a year, or about 1,940 dollars per bi-weekly paycheck. Add a state rate or a 401(k) contribution and the calculator updates the take-home figure instantly so you can see the effect.

State income tax at a glance

State rules vary a lot, which is why the state field is a single estimate you control. Nine states haveno income tax (enter 0): Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington and Wyoming. Several others charge a flat rate, including (2026 examples): Arizona 2.5%, Colorado 4.4%, Illinois 4.95%, Indiana 2.95%, Kentucky 3.5%, Michigan 4.25%, North Carolina 4.5%, Ohio 2.75%, Pennsylvania 3.07%, Utah 4.5%, Georgia 4.99%, Idaho 5.3%, Louisiana 3%, Mississippi 4% and Massachusetts 5%. States with graduated brackets (such as California or New York) are not flat, use your effective rate for the closest estimate.

Why your real paycheck may differ

W-4 settings: employers withhold based on your W-4, which can differ from your actual tax liability.
Post-tax deductions: Roth 401(k), garnishments and some benefits come out after tax and are not modeled here.
Local taxes: some cities and counties add their own income tax on top of state tax.
Credits and extra income: the Child Tax Credit, dependents, bonuses and side income all change the real figure.

Frequently asked questions

Does it work for hourly and bi-weekly pay?

Yes. Pick the matching pay frequency and the calculator converts to an annual gross, then shows your take-home for that same period. For hourly, enter your hours per week and it assumes 52 paid weeks a year.

Do 401(k) contributions lower my taxes?

Pre-tax 401(k), HSA and similar contributions reduce your federal taxable income, so they cut your income tax. They do not reduce FICA, because Social Security and Medicare are charged on your gross wages before those deductions.

What is an effective tax rate?

It is your total tax (federal income tax plus FICA plus state) divided by your gross pay, shown as a percentage. It is lower than your top marginal bracket because only part of your income is taxed at the highest rate.

Which year do the numbers use?

The standard deductions, federal brackets and FICA limits are the 2026 figures. The state rate is whatever you enter, so update it if your state changes its rate.

Paycheck calculator by state

Get a take-home pay estimate tuned to your state income tax:

Estimates only and not tax advice; verify important figures against IRS and your state tax authority.