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Work & Pay

Paycheck Calculator

Estimate what actually lands in your account after federal tax, Social Security, Medicare, state tax and your deductions.

Enter your pay and your estimated take-home appears here. Nothing you type leaves your device.

How are you paid?

Tax situation

We model states with no income tax and states with a single flat rate. Others need an effective rate.

$2,200 credit each

$500 credit each

Deductions

Percent of gross pay. Cuts income tax but not Social Security or Medicare.

Health, dental, vision, FSA or HSA. These cut income tax and FICA.

Roth 401(k), union dues

Form W-4, step 4(c), per paycheck.

Estimate. A real-world figure based on the assumptions listed below, which you can change. Figures are for tax year 2026.

How this calculator works

Your pay is annualised first, then run through the published tax tables for the year, then divided back down to a per-paycheck figure. Working annually is what lets the standard deduction, the tax brackets and the Social Security wage cap all apply correctly.

Pre-tax deductions are handled by type, because they are not equivalent. Health and dental premiums, FSA and HSA contributions come out before both income tax and Social Security and Medicare. A traditional 401(k) deferral reduces income tax but not FICA — a distinction many paycheck calculators get wrong, and one that changes the answer by hundreds of dollars a year.

Federal income tax uses the bracket schedule and standard deduction published in the IRS revenue procedure for the tax year, then subtracts the child tax credit and other-dependent credit with the statutory phase-out applied.

State tax is modelled precisely for states with no wage income tax and for states with a single flat rate. For states with graduated brackets, the calculator says so and asks you for an effective rate rather than inventing one.

The formula

Exactly what happens to your numbers, step by step.

  1. Federal taxable wages

    taxable wages = annual gross − pre-tax benefits − retirement deferrals

  2. Federal income tax

    tax = brackets(taxable wages − standard deduction)
      − child tax credit − other dependent credit

    Credits are reduced by $50 for every $1,000 of income above the phase-out threshold, and can never take the tax below zero.

  3. Social Security and Medicare

    Social Security = 6.2% × min(FICA wages, wage base)
Medicare        = 1.45% × FICA wages
Additional      = 0.9% × amount above the statutory threshold

    FICA wages exclude Section 125 benefits but include retirement deferrals.

  4. Take-home pay

    net = gross − pre-tax − federal − FICA − state − after-tax deductions

A worked example

An $80,000 salary, single filer, paid every two weeks, living in Texas, with no deductions.

What you enter

Annual salary
$80,000
Filing status
Single
Pay frequency
Every two weeks
State
Texas

The working

Standard deduction
−$16,100
Taxable income
$63,900
Federal income tax
$8,770
Social Security (6.2%)
$4,960
Medicare (1.45%)
$1,160
Annual take-home
$65,110

About $2,504 every two weeks

That is roughly 81% of gross pay. In a state with income tax the figure would be lower; adding a 5% 401(k) contribution would lower take-home further but cut the federal tax bill.

Assumptions

Every result here rests on these. Change your inputs and the result changes with them.

  • This is an annualised estimate, not a reproduction of IRS Publication 15-T wage-bracket withholding. Your employer withholds based on the Form W-4 you filed, which may produce a different figure.
  • The standard deduction is applied. Itemising, above-the-line deductions and other credits are not modelled.
  • Every paycheck is assumed to be the same size, with no bonuses or irregular pay.
  • Bonuses are often withheld at a flat supplemental rate by employers; that is not modelled here.
  • State figures cover states with no income tax and states with a flat rate. Local and municipal income taxes are never included.

What this cannot tell you

  • It cannot tell you your refund or balance due — that depends on your whole tax return, not just wage withholding.
  • Graduated-rate states are not modelled. Entering an effective rate is an approximation, not that state’s actual bracket calculation.
  • Retirement plan limits, HSA limits and benefit eligibility rules are not enforced.

Questions people ask

Why does this differ from my actual paycheck?

Withholding is driven by the Form W-4 on file with your employer, which may claim different dependents or extra withholding than you entered here. Employers also handle bonuses, commissions and mid-year pay changes differently. Treat this as a good annual estimate rather than a prediction of one specific paycheck.

Does a 401(k) contribution reduce my Social Security tax?

No. Traditional 401(k) deferrals reduce your income tax but Social Security and Medicare are still charged on the full amount. Only Section 125 benefits — health premiums, FSA and HSA contributions — escape FICA as well, which is why they are entered separately here.

Why is my state not modelled?

Because modelling it properly means implementing its bracket schedule, credits, phase-outs and often local taxes as well. Rather than publish a number we cannot stand behind, we say plainly that the state is not modelled and let you supply an effective rate.

Is my salary information stored anywhere?

No. The calculation runs entirely in your browser. Nothing you type is sent to a server, written to the URL, or saved. That is a design decision, not a policy promise.

What is the Additional Medicare Tax?

An extra 0.9% on wages above $200,000 for single filers and $250,000 for joint filers. Unlike most tax figures these thresholds are fixed in statute and are not adjusted for inflation, so more people cross them each year.

Related calculators

Sources and review

Sources

Methodology version 1.0.0 · Last reviewed · Tax year 2026