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Take-Home Pay Calculator (US)

Estimate your net paycheck after federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare, state tax, and pre-tax deductions — using the official tax year 2026 IRS brackets and standard deduction. Every line of the breakdown is shown.

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0% of salary
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Section 125 deductions — reduce income tax and FICA
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State taxes vary — enter your effective rate; many states are 0–7%

How this calculator works

Take-home pay is what remains after pre-tax deductions and four taxes are removed from gross pay:

Net pay = Gross − 401(k) − pre-tax health − Federal tax − Social Security − Medicare − State tax
  • Federal income tax is progressive. We subtract your 401(k), pre-tax health, and the 2026 standard deduction ($16,100 single, $32,200 married filing jointly, $24,150 head of household), then tax each slice of what is left at its bracket rate.
  • Social Security is 6.2% of wages up to the 2026 wage base of $184,500. Wages above that are not taxed.
  • Medicare is 1.4500000000000002% of all wages, plus an Additional Medicare Tax of 0.8999999999999999% on wages above $200,000 (single or head of household) or $250,000 (married filing jointly).
  • State income tax is your entered effective rate applied to wages after pre-tax deductions. State rules differ widely, so this is a deliberate simplification.
  • Traditional 401(k) deferrals escape income tax but not Social Security or Medicare. HSA and health premiums through a cafeteria plan escape all three.

Tax year 2026 federal brackets (taxable income)

RateSingleMarried filing jointlyHead of household
10% over $0over $0over $0
12% over $12,400over $24,800over $17,700
22% over $50,400over $100,800over $67,450
24% over $105,700over $211,400over $105,700
32% over $201,775over $403,550over $201,750
35% over $256,225over $512,450over $256,200
37% over $640,600over $768,700over $640,600

Source: IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32 (brackets, standard deduction); SSA 2026 COLA fact sheet (wage base). Verified 2026-09-26.

Worked example

A single filer earning $75,000, paid biweekly, with no pre-tax deductions and no state tax: taxable income is $75,000 − $16,100 = $58,900. Federal tax is $5,800 on the first $50,400 plus 22% of the remaining $8,500 = $7,670. Social Security is $4,650 and Medicare $1,087.50. Net pay is $61,592.50 a year, or about $2,369 per biweekly paycheck — an effective tax rate of 17.9%.

Ways to raise your take-home pay

  • Pre-tax 401(k) contributions cut federal tax at your marginal rate — every $1,000 deferred saves $220 in the 22% bracket. Compare traditional and Roth in our 401(k) vs Roth IRA guide.
  • Use employer health premiums and an HSA through payroll: they reduce FICA as well as income tax.
  • Check your W-4 once a year so withholding tracks this estimate rather than over-paying and waiting for a refund.
  • Put the number to work: run your net monthly pay through the budget calculator to split it 50/30/20.
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Frequently asked questions

How is take-home pay calculated?

Start with gross pay, subtract pre-tax deductions (401(k), HSA, health premiums), then subtract federal income tax, Social Security (6.2% up to the $184,500 wage base), Medicare (1.45%, plus 0.9% on wages above $200,000 or $250,000 for joint filers), and state income tax. What is left is your net pay, divided by the number of paychecks in the year.

Which tax year does this calculator use?

Tax year 2026. Federal brackets and the standard deduction come from IRS Revenue Procedure 2025-32; the Social Security wage base comes from the Social Security Administration's 2026 COLA fact sheet. Both were checked at source on 2026-09-26.

Why is my actual paycheck different?

Payroll withholding is an estimate of your annual tax spread across paychecks, and it depends on how you filled in Form W-4. This calculator estimates your true annual liability with the standard deduction and no credits, so it can differ from a single pay stub. Local (city or county) taxes, itemized deductions, tax credits, and after-tax deductions are not included.

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

No. Traditional 401(k) contributions reduce your federal and (in most states) state taxable income, but they are still subject to Social Security and Medicare tax. Pre-tax health premiums and HSA contributions made through a Section 125 cafeteria plan reduce all three, which is how this calculator treats them.

How do I find my state income tax rate?

Enter an effective rate, not the top bracket. Nine states have no wage income tax (enter 0). Most others land between roughly 2% and 7% effective for typical salaries. Divide the state tax on last year’s return by your gross wages for a quick personal number.