Pay and salary

Take-Home Pay Calculator

What actually lands in your bank account, worked out with the real 2026 numbers: federal income tax from the IRS brackets for your filing status, Social Security up to the 2026 wage base, Medicare including the additional tax for higher earners, and state income tax for the states covered so far. If your state is covered, its tax is real; if it is not, the result says so instead of guessing.

How it works

Federal tax: your gross pay minus pre-tax 401(k) contributions, minus pre-tax health premiums, minus the 2026 standard deduction for your filing status ($16,100 single, $32,200 married filing jointly, $24,150 head of household, $16,100 married filing separately), run through the 2026 brackets in IRS Revenue Procedure 2025-32. Social Security is 6.2% of wages up to $184,500 (the Social Security Administration's 2026 wage base); health premiums reduce FICA wages but 401(k) contributions do not. Medicare is 1.45% on all wages, plus 0.9% on wages above $200,000 (single and head of household), $250,000 (joint) or $125,000 (separate). Per-paycheck figures are the annual amounts divided by your pay frequency. The 401(k) field assumes traditional pre-tax contributions. Roth 401(k) contributions come out of after-tax pay, so they generally do not reduce this year's federal taxable income; if yours are Roth, enter 0 to get the taxes right, and remember a real paycheck also has the Roth contribution itself deducted.

State coverage, honestly stated: Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington and Wyoming have no state income tax on wages, so state tax there is $0, and Pennsylvania taxes wages at a flat 3.07% with no standard deduction, on your full gross pay (Pennsylvania does not let 401(k) deferrals or health premiums reduce taxable wages). Every other state is being verified against its published figures before it is added; choosing "not covered yet" gives you federal tax and FICA only. Local and city taxes (such as New York City or Philadelphia) are not included anywhere.

Worked example

A $75,000 salary in Texas, single, paid every two weeks, contributing 5% to a 401(k): the contribution is $3,750, taxable income is $75,000 - $3,750 - $16,100 = $55,150, and federal tax is $6,845. Social Security is $4,650 and Medicare $1,087.50. Texas state tax is $0 because Texas does not have one. Take-home pay is $58,667.50 a year, $2,256.44 per paycheck, at an effective tax rate of 16.78%.

Frequently asked questions

Which tax year does this calculator use?

Tax year 2026. Federal brackets and standard deductions are from IRS Revenue Procedure 2025-32, and the Social Security wage base of $184,500 is the Social Security Administration's 2026 figure. The page is updated when the IRS publishes new figures.

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

No. Pre-tax 401(k) contributions reduce your federal income tax, but Social Security and Medicare are still charged on your full wages. Pre-tax health insurance premiums are different: paid through an employer plan, they reduce both income tax and FICA wages. This calculator models both rules.

Does this calculator work for Roth 401(k) contributions?

It models traditional pre-tax contributions, which reduce this year's taxable pay. Roth contributions are after-tax, so they do not reduce this year's federal income tax. If your contributions are Roth, enter 0%: the tax figures will be right, but the take-home shown will not subtract your Roth contribution, which a real paycheck does.

Why is my state not listed?

State tax is only included where the rules have been verified against published state figures: the nine states with no wage income tax, plus Pennsylvania's flat 3.07%. Other states are being verified one by one rather than estimated with made-up rates. Until yours is added, the calculator shows federal tax and FICA only, and says so on the result.

This calculator gives an estimate for planning, using 2026 federal figures and the state rules described above. It does not model credits, itemized deductions, or local taxes. See the disclaimer.