Take-Home Pay Calculator
Estimate your net paycheck after federal tax, state tax, Social Security, and Medicare.
Last reviewed: June 2026| Item | Annual | Per Paycheck |
|---|---|---|
| Gross Pay | - | - |
| Pre-tax Deductions | - | - |
| Federal Income Tax | - | - |
| State Income Tax | - | - |
| Social Security | - | - |
| Medicare | - | - |
| Net Take-Home | - | - |
Quick Answer
Take-home pay is your gross wages minus taxes and deductions — federal and state income-tax withholding, Social Security and Medicare (7.65% combined), and benefits like health insurance or a 401(k). Enter your gross pay, filing status, and deductions above to estimate your net paycheck. Actual withholding depends on your W-4 and your state.
How the Take-Home Pay Calculator works
This calculator estimates take-home pay from annual salary or hourly rate, pay frequency, filing status, a legacy federal allowance field, state selection, pre-tax deductions, and extra withholding. It then shows federal income tax, state income tax, Social Security, Medicare, net pay, and an effective tax rate.
The model is intentionally transparent. It uses 2026 federal tax-rate schedule thresholds, 2026 standard deductions, the 2026 Social Security wage base, employee Social Security at 6.2%, Medicare at 1.45%, and Additional Medicare Tax above the filing-status threshold. State tax is a simplified effective or flat-rate estimate by state, not a state-specific payroll withholding table.
Federal and payroll assumptions
For 2026, the calculator uses standard deductions of $16,100 for single, $32,200 for married filing jointly, and $24,150 for head of household. The tax brackets are applied to estimated taxable income after standard deduction, pre-tax deductions, and the legacy allowance value. The allowance field is treated as an old-style W-4 approximation at $5,300 per allowance; current Forms W-4 use a different structure.
Social Security tax is estimated at 6.2% up to the 2026 wage base of $184,500. Medicare is estimated at 1.45% on gross wages, plus 0.9% Additional Medicare Tax above $200,000 for single and head of household or $250,000 for married filing jointly. The calculator does not model every payroll edge case, local tax, employer benefit rule, cafeteria-plan treatment, credit, dependent entry, bonus method, or state-specific deduction.
Default example
The default entry is $60,000 annual gross salary, biweekly pay, single filing status, California, one legacy allowance, no pre-tax deductions, and no extra withholding. The estimated annual federal tax is $4,384.00, state tax is $5,580.00, Social Security is $3,720.00, and Medicare is $870.00. Annual net take-home is $45,446.00, or about $1,747.92 per biweekly paycheck.
Hourly example
If you choose Hourly, the gross pay field becomes hourly rate and the calculator multiplies rate x hours per week x 52. For example, $25 per hour at 40 hours per week is treated as $52,000 annual gross before taxes and deductions. The selected result period then shows net pay per hour instead of per paycheck.
Common mistakes
- Confusing salary with pay period: the salary input is annual unless Hourly is selected.
- Assuming the state result is exact: the state field uses simplified rates and does not include every local or state-specific rule.
- Using allowances like a current W-4: the allowance input is a legacy approximation. Current W-4 entries for dependents, other income, deductions, and extra withholding are more detailed.
- Forgetting pre-tax deductions: 401(k), HSA, FSA, insurance premiums, and other benefits may affect taxable wages differently.
- Modeling bonuses as regular wages: bonuses and supplemental wages may use different withholding methods.
Official references
For exact payroll withholding, use official tables and your payroll system. Useful references include IRS Publication 15-T, IRS Publication 505, the IRS Tax Withholding Estimator, IRS 2026 inflation adjustments, and the SSA contribution and benefit base.