Paycheck Calculator

How This Is Calculated

This paycheck calculator estimates your net take-home pay by applying federal income tax, state income tax, and FICA (Social Security and Medicare) to your gross annual salary.

Federal income tax is calculated using IRS 2026 progressive tax brackets (Publication 15-T). Your taxable income equals gross salary minus the standard deduction ($16,100 for single filers, $32,200 for married filing jointly).

State income tax depends on your state. 15 states use a flat rate (e.g., Colorado 4.40%, Illinois 4.95%, Pennsylvania 3.07%). 27 states use progressive brackets, where higher income pays a higher rate (e.g., California up to 13.3%, New York up to 10.9%).

Nine states have no income tax on wages: Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, and Wyoming.

FICA is the payroll tax that funds Social Security and Medicare. You pay 6.2% for Social Security (on wages up to 184,500) and 1.45% for Medicare on all wages. High earners pay an extra 0.9% for Medicare on income above $200,000 (single) or $250,000 (married).

Based on IRS 2026 federal tax brackets (Rev. Proc. 2025-32) and published state tax rates. Standard deduction applied: $16,100 single / $32,200 married joint. FICA: 6.2% Social Security up to 184,500 wage base + 1.45% Medicare (+ 0.9% Additional Medicare above $200K single).

See our full methodology for every formula, data source, and assumption, including pre-tax deductions not modeled here.

Who should use this

Anyone earning W-2 wages in the US who wants to preview take-home pay before accepting an offer, adjusting their W-4, or comparing job offers across states. Most useful for single-job, standard-deduction filers; less accurate if you have multiple jobs, 1099 income, or complex pre-tax benefits.

Key inputs

• Gross annual salary: your total wages before taxes.
• State: sets your state income tax. Nine states have none.
• Filing status: single, married, or head of household. This sets your brackets and standard deduction.

How to interpret results

If your take-home is under 70% of gross, you likely live in a high-tax state (CA, NY) or have pre-tax deductions this tool does not model. The U.S. median is about 73% (BLS 2024).

Two rates matter. Your marginal rate is the tax on your next dollar — the top bracket you hit. Your effective rate is your total tax divided by income — the average you actually pay. At $100,000 single, the marginal rate is 22% but the effective rate is near 14% after the standard deduction.

Your real paycheck may be smaller if your employer withholds for benefits like health insurance or a 401(k).