Enter your pay details and see exactly where every dollar goes — federal tax, state tax, Social Security, Medicare — and what actually lands in your bank account each payday.
Your gross pay is only the starting point. Before money reaches your bank account, it passes through up to four layers of deductions. First, pre-tax contributions like a traditional 401(k), HSA, or health premiums come out — these reduce your taxable income, which is why maxing them lowers your tax bill. Second, federal income tax is figured using the progressive bracket system: in 2026, a single filer's first $12,400 of taxable income is taxed at 10%, the next slice up to $50,400 at 12%, then 22% up to $105,700, and so on through 24%, 32%, 35% and 37%. Only the dollars inside each bracket get that bracket's rate.
Before any rate applies, you subtract the 2026 standard deduction — $16,100 for single filers, $32,200 for married couples filing jointly — which is why a $60,000 salary doesn't mean $60,000 of taxable income. Third, FICA taxes: 6.2% for Social Security on wages up to the $184,500 wage base, plus 1.45% Medicare on every dollar, plus an additional 0.9% Medicare surtax once wages pass $200,000 single or $250,000 joint. Fourth, state income tax, which ranges from zero in eight states to over 13% at the top in California. What remains is your net, or take-home, pay.
All federal math uses IRS Revenue Procedure 2025-32 for tax year 2026: the seven rates (10%, 12%, 22%, 24%, 32%, 35%, 37%) are unchanged from 2025, but every bracket threshold moved up about 2.7% for inflation, and the standard deduction rose to $16,100 single / $32,200 joint. FICA uses the Social Security Administration's 2026 wage base of $184,500. State estimates use each state's 2026 brackets or flat rate (Tax Foundation, as of January 2026), applied after the state's own standard deduction where one exists.
Two things this simplified model does not do: it ignores tax credits (like the Child Tax Credit), itemized deductions, and local/city income taxes levied in places like New York City or parts of Ohio and Pennsylvania. If those apply to you, your actual take-home will differ — usually modestly, sometimes meaningfully.
Employers don't compute your exact annual tax — they withhold based on your Form W-4, which tells them about other income, deductions, and credits. A W-4 claiming extra withholding, or one spanning two jobs, will produce paychecks above or below this calculator's liability estimate. Bonuses, commissions, and overtime are often withheld at the flat 22% supplemental rate regardless of your bracket. Pre-tax vs. Roth 401(k) choices also matter: Roth contributions don't reduce taxable pay, so choosing Roth lowers your take-home today in exchange for tax-free withdrawals later.
The most useful way to use this tool is comparatively: change one input at a time — a raise, a move to another state, bumping your 401(k) from 3% to 6% — and watch take-home move. That isolates the decision you're actually making, which is more valuable than chasing a to-the-penny prediction.
The calculator annualizes everything, applies the progressive brackets to taxable income, then divides back into your pay frequency.
Take a single filer earning $75,000 a year in Texas (no state income tax), paid every two weeks, contributing 5% to a 401(k).
Gross per paycheck: $2,884.62. Subtract the $144.23 401(k) contribution, and taxable wages are about $2,740. Annualized, federal taxable income after the $16,100 standard deduction is roughly $55,150 — putting the top dollars in the 22% bracket. Estimated federal tax per paycheck: about $443. FICA adds roughly $221 (Social Security + Medicare). Take-home: approximately **$2,077 per paycheck**, or about $54,000 a year.
Change the state to California and the same worker loses roughly another $200+ per paycheck to state tax — which is exactly why the state selector matters.
Your employer estimates your annual tax from your W-4, divides it across pay periods, and withholds that slice each payday. Our calculator reverses the process: it annualizes your pay, applies the 2026 federal brackets to taxable income (after the standard deduction and pre-tax contributions), then divides back into paychecks. It is an estimate of your tax liability, which is very close to correct withholding for straightforward W-4s.
FICA is the Federal Insurance Contributions Act tax — 6.2% for Social Security on wages up to $184,500 in 2026, plus 1.45% for Medicare on all wages, plus an extra 0.9% Medicare surtax on wages above $200,000 (single) or $250,000 (joint). Your employer matches the 6.2% + 1.45% separately.
It usually isn't, in the end — but withholding on bonuses and overtime often uses a flat 22% federal supplemental rate, which can look high on that one paycheck. When you file your return, supplemental wages are taxed at your normal marginal rates, so any over-withholding comes back as a refund.
Your marginal rate is the tax on your last dollar of income (for example 22%). Your effective rate is total tax divided by total income — always lower, often dramatically, because the 10% and 12% brackets shelter your first dollars. A $75,000 single earner in 2026 has a 22% marginal rate but an effective federal rate under 12%.
The three levers are: increase pre-tax contributions (401(k), HSA, FSA) which shrink taxable income; adjust your W-4 if you consistently get large refunds (you're giving an interest-free loan); and, biggest of all, raise your gross pay — negotiating salary, overtime, or a second income stream. Moving to a lower-tax state is the nuclear option.
For most W-2 employees with simple taxes it is within a few dollars per paycheck of reality. It cannot model every situation: multiple jobs, itemized deductions, tax credits, local taxes, or unusual W-4 elections will move the true number. Treat it as a planning estimate, not tax advice.