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 per paycheck and Take-home per year along with each deduction.
It uses the 2026 federal tax brackets and standard deduction, the 2026 Social Security wage base and the 2026 401(k) limit. The result is an estimate of your annual tax 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 when you file.
Where a $75,000 salary goes
Single filer, paid biweekly, contributing 6% to a 401(k), with a 5% state rate:
| 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 fifth of gross pay (20.2%, or $15,137.50) 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 of what is left after the 401(k), and the lower brackets take the next $50,400 at 10% and 12%. Only the last $4,000 is 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 – $201,750 |
| 32% | $201,775 – $256,225 | $403,550 – $512,450 | $201,750 – $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, so at most $11,439) and 1.45% for Medicare on all wages. Employers must also withhold an extra 0.9% Additional Medicare Tax on wages over $200,000, whatever the filing status, and the calculator does the same. The tax actually owed, settled on Form 8959 with your return, starts at $250,000 of combined wages for married filing jointly, $125,000 for married filing separately and $200,000 for everyone else. Your employer matches the 6.2% and 1.45%, but not the 0.9%. 401(k) deferrals do not reduce FICA; cafeteria-plan benefits such as pre-tax health premiums may.
State income tax
The calculator multiplies one state rate by the same taxable income it uses for federal tax: salary minus the 401(k) minus the federal standard deduction. Real state rules differ — states set their own deductions, exemptions and brackets, some have no wage income tax, and some cities add their own. Enter 0, your state's flat rate, or an effective rate for a state with brackets, plus any city rate; a negative rate counts as 0. Your state revenue department publishes current rates.
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 means 26 checks in 12 months, so in most years two months contain three paydays — useful to know if your bills are monthly.
Formula
Gross salary flows through the deductions in this order:
- Pre-tax 401(k) = salary × contribution %, capped at the 2026 employee limit of $24,500 (catch-up contributions are not modeled). Reduces income subject to federal and state income tax in the calculator. 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), never below 0.
- 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 (the employer withholding rule, used for every filing status).
- 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.
The FICA (SS + Medicare) line shows Social Security and Medicare added together.
Worked example
Example 1: $75,000, single, biweekly
$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 $58,647.50 — so the $4,500 saved for retirement costs $3,285 in current take-home, because it comes off the top of the 22% federal bracket and the 5% state rate.
Example 2: the 401(k) limit
$200,000, single, biweekly, 15% to a 401(k), 5% state tax. Fifteen percent would be $30,000, but the calculator caps the contribution at $24,500. Taxable income is 200,000 − 24,500 − 16,100 = $159,400, giving federal tax $30,854, FICA $14,339 ($11,439 Social Security plus $2,900 Medicare) and state tax $7,970. Take-home is $122,337 a year, or $4,705.27 per paycheck — the same for any percentage from 12.25% up.
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 if your state has no wage income tax, the flat rate for a flat-tax state, or an effective rate for a state with brackets. 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.
What this calculator does not do
- No 401(k) catch-up contributions (age 50 and over); the 401(k) line stops at $24,500.
- No pre-tax health premiums, HSA or FSA, Roth or other after-tax deductions, tax credits, or itemized deductions.
- One flat state rate on federal taxable income, no separate city line, and no married filing separately.
- Not your employer's W-4 withholding: it spreads an annual estimate evenly over your paychecks.
Making the estimate match your real paycheck
- Health insurance — if your premiums are taken pre-tax through a cafeteria plan, subtract a year of them from the salary you enter to see the effect on both income tax and FICA.
- Bonuses — taxed as ordinary income over the year, but employers may withhold a flat 22% on supplemental wages (37% above $1 million), so a bonus check can look different from the annual math.
- Two earners — for married filing jointly, enter your combined salary. Separate runs apply the $32,200 deduction and the low brackets twice: for $80,000 and $60,000 they show $5,240 + $2,840 = $8,080 of federal tax, against $13,140 for the combined $140,000. Social Security stops at $184,500 per earner, so if one salary is above that, the combined run overstates FICA.
- A raise — run the calculator before and after. Going from $75,000 to $80,000 (single, no 401(k), 5% state) adds $3,267.50 a year to take-home pay.
Related tools
- Income tax calculator — federal tax, effective rate and marginal bracket from taxable income
- 401(k) calculator — what your contributions could grow into
- Compound interest calculator — growth of savings over time
- Why your paycheck is smaller than your salary
Sources
- IRS — Revenue Procedure 2025-32 (2026 inflation-adjusted items) (brackets and standard deduction)
- IRS — Publication 15 (2026), Employer's Tax Guide (Social Security wage base, FICA rates, supplemental wages)
- IRS — Topic no. 560, Additional Medicare Tax
- IRS — 401(k) limit increases to $24,500 for 2026 (IR-2025-111)
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. Together they are 7.65% for most people, and your employer pays a matching 7.65%. FICA is not reduced by 401(k) contributions or the standard deduction. The calculator also adds the 0.9% Additional Medicare Tax that employers withhold on wages over $200,000 whatever your filing status. For a joint filer the tax actually owed starts at $250,000 of combined wages and is settled on Form 8959 with your return: a $240,000 salary filed jointly shows $15,279 of FICA, including $360 of Additional Medicare Tax, none of which is owed if your spouse has no wages.
Is my Roth 401(k) handled the same way?
No. Roth contributions are made after tax: they do not reduce your taxable income now. To model a Roth 401(k), enter 0% in the retirement field and subtract the contribution from the take-home figure yourself.
Why does my actual paycheck look different?
Your employer withholds according to your W-4, which may differ from your actual annual tax; pre-tax health, HSA and FSA deductions reduce taxable pay; you may have local tax, after-tax deductions or credits; and your state's own rules rarely match one flat rate on federal taxable income.
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. For a single filer going from $75,000 to $76,000 with a 5% state rate, the extra $1,000 nets $653.50 with no 401(k), or $609.70 with a 6% contribution (which also puts $60 more into the 401(k)). 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 double the single ones up to the 32% bracket. The full table for all three statuses is above. The thresholds are adjusted for inflation each year.
How much of my paycheck goes to taxes?
For a single earner on $75,000 with a 5% state rate and no 401(k), about 22% — 10.2% federal income tax, 7.65% FICA and 3.9% state ($16,352.50 in all). The share rises with income: at $150,000 it is 28.6%, and at $300,000 it is 33.0%, because more income falls into the higher brackets and, at $300,000, the extra Medicare tax applies. With a 0% state rate, the state part (3.9 to 4.7 points in these three cases) drops out.
Should I contribute to my 401(k) if it lowers my take-home pay?
That is your decision, but the cost is smaller than the contribution. Because contributions come off the top of your income, $4,500 costs only $3,285 in take-home pay for the $75,000 earner above. If your employer matches contributions, the match is extra pay you only get by contributing. The 2026 employee limit is $24,500, and the calculator will not go above it. See what the money could grow into with the 401(k) calculator.