Paycheck Calculator - Estimate Your Take-Home Pay 2026

How to use this tool

Choose salary or hourly pay. Select whether you are paid an annual salary or an hourly rate. For hourly pay, enter your typical hours worked per week.
Select your pay frequency. Choose how often you get paid: weekly, biweekly, semimonthly, or monthly. This determines how your annual totals are split into paychecks.
Choose your filing status and state. Select single, married filing jointly, married filing separately, or head of household. Choose a state to include estimated state tax, or leave the state unset for a clearly labeled federal-only estimate.
Add pre-tax and post-tax deductions. Optionally enter your W-4 credits, other annual income, and extra federal withholding, plus your local income-tax rate, 401(k), HSA, and post-tax deductions.
Review your take-home pay breakdown. See your estimated net pay per paycheck and per year, broken down by federal tax, Social Security, Medicare, state tax, and deductions.

How this paycheck calculator works

Enter your salary or hourly rate, pay frequency, filing status, and state. Federal withholding is estimated from annualized 2026 tax brackets after the standard deduction. Optional W-4 fields add other annual income to that estimate, apply your entered Step 3 credits, and add Step 4(c) withholding to each paycheck. This is a simplified annual estimate rather than the IRS payroll worksheet calculation, so your employer's exact withholding may differ.

Social Security is 6.2% up to the 2026 wage base of $184,500. Medicare is 1.45% on modeled wages, with the 0.9% Additional Medicare Tax applied above the threshold for the filing status you select: $200,000 for single or head-of-household, $250,000 for married filing jointly, and $125,000 for married filing separately. A payroll employer may use a different threshold to decide when to withhold that additional tax during the year.

Traditional 401(k) contributions reduce federal and state taxable wages in this estimate but not FICA wages. HSA contributions reduce both income-tax and FICA wages. The optional local rate is applied to the same modeled wage base as state tax; actual city rules can treat deductions differently. The calculator subtracts estimated taxes and the pre- and post-tax deductions you enter to show take-home pay per check and per year.

2026 federal tax figures used

Federal brackets and the standard deduction are sourced from IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32 (the inflation adjustments for tax year 2026, including changes from the One, Big, Beautiful Bill), effective for wages earned in 2026. The Social Security wage base ($184,500 for 2026) comes from the Social Security Administration's 2026 announcement. FICA rates (6.2% Social Security, 1.45% Medicare, plus the 0.9% additional Medicare tax) are fixed by statute and have not changed.

Item	2026 value
Standard deduction (single)	$16,100
Standard deduction (married filing jointly)	$32,200
Standard deduction (head of household)	$24,150
Standard deduction (married filing separately)	$16,100
Social Security rate	6.2% up to the wage base
Social Security wage base	$184,500
Medicare rate	1.45% (no cap)
Additional Medicare tax	0.9% above $200,000 (single/HoH), $250,000 (joint), or $125,000 (separate)

How state income tax is estimated

Nine states (Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, and Wyoming) have no broad-based wage income tax, and this calculator shows $0 state tax for those. For the other 41 states plus D.C., this calculator uses a single approximate effective rate per state rather than that state's real graduated bracket schedule. The reference rates are based on a 2026 comparison for a single filer earning $75,000, using each state's standard deduction (ReturnMyTax 2026 state-rate methodology). The same rate is applied to the wages in this calculator, so it does not scale with your income or filing status. Enter an optional local rate for city income tax; local rules vary in how they treat deductions. Check your state and local revenue agencies for exact withholding schedules.

Pre-tax vs. post-tax deductions

A traditional 401(k) contribution reduces the wages subject to federal and state income tax, but it does not reduce wages subject to Social Security or Medicare - those payroll taxes apply to your full gross pay. An HSA contribution goes a step further: it is exempt from federal income tax, state income tax, and FICA tax when made through payroll. The local estimate uses the same income-tax wage base as the state estimate, which may not match every city rule. Post-tax deductions (such as a Roth 401(k) or after-tax insurance premiums) reduce your net pay but have no effect on any of the taxes calculated above, since they are taken out after taxes are withheld.

Caveats

This tool estimates withholding, not your final tax liability - your actual refund or amount owed at tax time depends on your total annual income, itemized deductions, tax credits, and other income sources. If no state is selected, the estimate is federal-only and state tax is omitted; select a state with no income tax to model that case explicitly. W-4 inputs are simplified estimates, state rates are flat approximations, and local tax depends on the rate you enter. Treat the results as a planning estimate, not a guarantee of your exact paycheck.

Frequently asked questions

How accurate is this paycheck calculator?

This calculator estimates federal withholding from annualized 2026 brackets using the standard deduction and any W-4 Step 3 credits, Step 4(a) other income, and Step 4(c) extra withholding you enter. Social Security and Medicare use the 2026 rates and wage base. State tax uses a single approximate effective rate, and local tax uses your entered percentage on the modeled wage base. Payroll tables and jurisdiction rules may differ, so treat the result as a planning estimate rather than a substitute for your pay stub or tax professional.

Why is my take-home pay different from what my employer withholds?

Your actual paycheck depends on your employer's payroll tables, W-4 details beyond these optional estimates (including multiple jobs and deductions), pre-tax benefits not modeled here, your state's real tax brackets, and local tax rules. All of these can shift your real withholding above or below this estimate.

Does contributing to a 401(k) reduce my taxes?

A traditional pre-tax 401(k) contribution reduces the wages subject to federal (and, in this calculator, state) income tax, lowering your withholding. It does NOT reduce the wages subject to Social Security or Medicare (FICA) tax - those are calculated on your full gross pay regardless of 401(k) contributions.

What is the Social Security wage base?

The Social Security wage base is the maximum amount of earnings subject to the 6.2% Social Security tax in a given year. For 2026 it is $184,500. Any wages earned above that amount are not subject to Social Security tax (though Medicare tax has no cap and still applies to every dollar).

What is the additional 0.9% Medicare tax?

On top of the standard 1.45% Medicare tax, an additional 0.9% Medicare tax applies above $200,000 for single and head-of-household filers, $250,000 for married filing jointly, or $125,000 for married filing separately. These liability thresholds are not adjusted for inflation. Employers generally begin withholding the extra amount when an employee’s wages from that employer exceed $200,000.

What do the optional W-4 adjustments do?

Step 3 credits reduce the estimated annual federal tax, Step 4(a) adds annual income that is not from jobs when estimating federal withholding, and Step 4(c) adds a flat amount to each paycheck. These are simplified inputs and do not reproduce the complete IRS withholding worksheet.

How do I estimate local income tax?

Enter the local income-tax percentage that applies to you. The calculator applies that rate to the same modeled wage base as state tax, after the entered 401(k) and HSA deductions. Cities may use different rules, so verify your local rate and taxable wage definition with the relevant tax agency.