Take-Home Paycheck Calculator
Convert your gross salary to take-home pay after 2026 federal tax, FICA, state tax, and 401(k) contributions.
What is a take-home paycheck calculator?
A paycheck calculator converts your gross salary into the amount that actually lands in your bank account each payday, after federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare (FICA), state income tax and pre-tax retirement contributions. Enter your annual salary, how often you are paid, your filing status, your state's rate and your 401(k) percentage, and it shows take-home pay per paycheck and per year along with each deduction.
It uses the 2026 federal tax brackets and standard deduction and the 2026 Social Security wage base. The result is an estimate of your annual tax liability spread evenly across paychecks; your employer's actual withholding depends on your Form W-4 and may run a little higher or lower — the difference shows up as a refund or a bill in April.
Where a $75,000 salary goes
Single filer, paid biweekly, contributing 6% to a 401(k), in a state with a 5% flat income tax:
| Line | Per year | Per biweekly paycheck | Share of gross |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross salary | $75,000.00 | $2,884.62 | 100% |
| 401(k) contribution (6%, pre-tax) | − $4,500.00 | − $173.08 | 6.0% |
| Federal income tax | − $6,680.00 | − $256.92 | 8.9% |
| Social Security (6.2%) | − $4,650.00 | − $178.85 | 6.2% |
| Medicare (1.45%) | − $1,087.50 | − $41.83 | 1.45% |
| State income tax (5%) | − $2,720.00 | − $104.62 | 3.6% |
| Take-home pay | $55,362.50 | $2,129.33 | 73.8% |
About a quarter of gross pay goes to taxes and another 6% to retirement. The federal income tax works out to 8.9% of gross even though this earner is in the 22% bracket — because the standard deduction shields the first $16,100 and the lower brackets take the next $50,400 at 10% and 12%. Only the last few thousand dollars are taxed at 22%.
2026 federal income tax brackets
Brackets apply to taxable income — gross pay minus pre-tax deductions and the standard deduction ($16,100 single, $32,200 married filing jointly, $24,150 head of household for 2026).
| Rate | Single | Married filing jointly | Head of household |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10% | $0 – $12,400 | $0 – $24,800 | $0 – $17,700 |
| 12% | $12,400 – $50,400 | $24,800 – $100,800 | $17,700 – $67,450 |
| 22% | $50,400 – $105,700 | $100,800 – $211,400 | $67,450 – $105,700 |
| 24% | $105,700 – $201,775 | $211,400 – $403,550 | $105,700 – $201,775 |
| 32% | $201,775 – $256,225 | $403,550 – $512,450 | $201,775 – $256,200 |
| 35% | $256,225 – $640,600 | $512,450 – $768,700 | $256,200 – $640,600 |
| 37% | over $640,600 | over $768,700 | over $640,600 |
Brackets are marginal: crossing into the 24% bracket does not tax all your income at 24%, only the dollars above the threshold. A raise never leaves you with less take-home pay.
FICA: Social Security and Medicare
Every W-2 employee pays 6.2% for Social Security on wages up to the annual wage base ($184,500 for 2026 — nothing above that) and 1.45% for Medicare on all wages, plus an extra 0.9% Medicare tax on wages over $200,000. Your employer pays a matching 7.65%. Unlike income tax, FICA has no deductions or exemptions, and 401(k) contributions do not reduce it — only pre-tax health premiums and other Section 125 "cafeteria plan" deductions do. Self-employed people pay both halves (15.3%) through self-employment tax.
State income tax
Nine states have no wage income tax: Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington and Wyoming. Roughly a dozen more use a single flat rate (Arizona 2.5%, Colorado 4.4%, Illinois 4.95%, Pennsylvania 3.07%, and others), and the rest use progressive brackets, with top rates from about 4% to California's 13.3%. Several cities — New York City, Philadelphia, and many in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Maryland — add a local income tax on top. The calculator applies a single flat rate to your taxable income; enter your state's flat rate, or an effective rate if your state is progressive, and add any city tax.
Pay frequency
Your annual take-home pay does not change with pay frequency, but the size of each check does. On the $75,000 example above: weekly $1,064.66, biweekly $2,129.33, semi-monthly $2,306.77, monthly $4,613.54. Biweekly pay (26 checks) produces two "extra" three-paycheck months a year — a useful budgeting quirk if your bills are monthly.
Formula
Gross salary flows through the deductions in this order:
- Pre-tax 401(k) = salary × contribution %. Reduces income subject to federal and (in most states) state income tax. Does not reduce FICA.
- Taxable income = salary − 401(k) − standard deduction (2026: $16,100 single / $32,200 married filing jointly / $24,150 head of household).
- Federal income tax = taxable income run through the 2026 marginal brackets for your filing status.
- Social Security = 6.2% × salary, up to the $184,500 wage base.
- Medicare = 1.45% × salary, plus 0.9% on salary above $200,000.
- State income tax = taxable income × your state rate.
- Take-home pay = salary − 401(k) − federal tax − Social Security − Medicare − state tax; divide by the number of pay periods for each paycheck.
Not modelled: pre-tax health, dental and vision premiums, HSA/FSA contributions, tax credits (child tax credit, earned income credit), itemised deductions, local income taxes, and after-tax deductions such as Roth 401(k) or garnishments. Each of these moves the real number a little; the big items are all here.
Worked example
$75,000 salary, single, paid biweekly, 6% to a 401(k), 5% state tax:
- 401(k): 75,000 × 6% = $4,500
- Taxable income: 75,000 − 4,500 − 16,100 = $54,400
- Federal tax: 12,400 × 10% = 1,240; (50,400 − 12,400) × 12% = 4,560; (54,400 − 50,400) × 22% = 880 → $6,680
- Social Security: 75,000 × 6.2% = $4,650; Medicare: 75,000 × 1.45% = $1,087.50
- State tax: 54,400 × 5% = $2,720
- Take-home: 75,000 − 4,500 − 6,680 − 4,650 − 1,087.50 − 2,720 = $55,362.50 a year, or $2,129.33 every two weeks
Without the 401(k) contribution, take-home rises to about $58,650 — so the $4,500 saved for retirement costs only about $3,300 in current take-home, because it comes off the top of the 22% federal and 5% state brackets.
How to use this calculator
- Enter your gross annual salary (before any deductions). For hourly pay, multiply your rate by hours per week and by 52.
- Choose how often you are paid: weekly (52), biweekly (26), semi-monthly (24) or monthly (12).
- Choose your filing status: single, married filing jointly, or head of household.
- Enter your state income tax rate — 0 for the nine no-tax states, the flat rate for flat-tax states, or an effective rate for progressive states. Add any city income tax.
- Enter the percentage of salary you contribute to a traditional (pre-tax) 401(k) or 403(b).
- Read your take-home pay per paycheck and per year, and each deduction.
Making the estimate match your real paycheck
- Health insurance — employer plans typically deduct $100–$400 a month pre-tax; subtract it from the salary you enter to see the effect on both income tax and FICA.
- Bonuses and overtime — taxed as ordinary income over the year, but withheld at a flat 22% federal rate on the bonus check itself, so the check looks smaller than the annual math suggests.
- Two earners — run each salary separately with the married filing jointly status, but be aware that combined income can push you into a higher bracket than either salary alone; the W-4 has a checkbox for this.
- A raise — run the calculator before and after. Because brackets are marginal, a $5,000 raise in the 22% bracket nets roughly $3,300 after federal, FICA and a 5% state tax.
Related tools
- Income tax calculator — full-year federal tax with credits and deductions
- Loan calculator — what a car or personal loan costs out of that take-home pay
- Compound interest calculator — what that 401(k) contribution grows into
Frequently asked questions
Does this include FICA?
Yes. Social Security is 6.2% of wages up to the 2026 wage base of $184,500, and Medicare is 1.45% of all wages plus 0.9% on wages above $200,000. Together they are 7.65% for most people, and your employer pays the same again on your behalf. FICA is not reduced by 401(k) contributions or the standard deduction.
Is my Roth 401(k) handled the same way?
No. Roth contributions are made after tax: they do not reduce your taxable income now, but withdrawals in retirement are tax-free. To model a Roth 401(k), enter 0% in the retirement field and subtract the contribution from the take-home figure yourself. The same applies to a Roth IRA, which is funded from take-home pay outside payroll.
Why does my actual paycheck look different?
Several reasons: your employer withholds according to your W-4, which may over- or under-estimate your annual tax; pre-tax health, dental, HSA and FSA deductions reduce both taxable income and FICA; you may have local income tax, after-tax deductions, or tax credits; and progressive-state residents pay less than a single flat rate suggests in the lower brackets. This calculator captures the large items so the estimate is usually within a few percent.
Can I see what a raise actually nets me?
Yes — run the calculator with your current salary, then with the new one, and compare take-home pay. In the 22% federal bracket with a 5% state tax, each extra $1,000 of salary nets about $655 after federal income tax, FICA and state tax. A raise never reduces your take-home pay; only the dollars above a bracket threshold are taxed at the higher rate.
What are the 2026 federal tax brackets?
For single filers: 10% to $12,400, 12% to $50,400, 22% to $105,700, 24% to $201,775, 32% to $256,225, 35% to $640,600 and 37% above that, applied to taxable income after the $16,100 standard deduction. Married-filing-jointly thresholds are roughly double. The full table for all three statuses is above. These figures are indexed to inflation and change every January.
How much of my paycheck goes to taxes?
For a single earner on $75,000 in a 5% state, about 20% — 8.9% federal income tax, 7.65% FICA and 3.6% state — before any retirement contribution. The share rises with income: at $150,000 it is closer to 29%, and at $300,000 around 33%, because more income falls into the higher brackets and the extra Medicare tax applies. Nine states with no income tax knock 3–6 points off those figures.
Should I contribute to my 401(k) if it lowers my take-home pay?
Almost always yes, and at least up to any employer match. Because contributions come off the top of your highest bracket, a $4,500 contribution costs only about $3,300 in take-home pay for someone in the 22% federal and 5% state brackets — and an employer match on top is an immediate 50%–100% return. See what it grows into with the compound interest calculator.