Paycheck Calculator
Estimate your take-home pay after federal income tax, state income tax, and FICA (Social Security & Medicare) - updated for 2026 tax brackets, by state.
Built and maintained by Jefferson Almeida · Last updated
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Your estimated take-home pay
How your take-home pay is actually calculated
The number on your offer letter is not the number that hits your bank account. Between the two sits a sequence of deductions that come out in a specific order, and understanding that order explains almost every "wait, where did my money go?" moment.
Here's the actual sequence:
- Start with gross pay. Your annual salary divided by the number of pay periods. Weekly is 52, biweekly is 26, semi-monthly is 24, monthly is 12. Biweekly and semi-monthly are not the same thing, and this trips people up constantly - biweekly means every other Friday, which produces 26 checks and two "extra paycheck" months a year. Semi-monthly means the 15th and the last day, which produces 24 slightly larger checks and no bonus months.
- Subtract pre-tax deductions. Traditional 401(k) contributions, health and dental premiums, HSA and FSA contributions. These come out before taxes are calculated, which is what makes them valuable: a dollar into a traditional 401(k) reduces your taxable income by a dollar. The retirement calculator shows what those contributions compound into over a career.
- Calculate FICA on the result. Social Security is 6.2% and Medicare is 1.45%, for a combined 7.65%. Critically, FICA is calculated on your gross pay minus only certain pre-tax items - 401(k) contributions reduce your income tax but not your Social Security and Medicare tax. Health insurance premiums typically reduce both.
- Calculate federal income tax on taxable income. Your employer estimates this from your W-4 using IRS withholding tables.
- Subtract state and local tax. Varies enormously, covered below.
- Subtract post-tax deductions. Roth 401(k), garnishments, union dues, some insurance products.
The 2026 numbers this calculator uses
Federal income tax brackets, single filer:
| Rate | Taxable income |
|---|---|
| 10% | Up to $12,400 |
| 12% | $12,400 – $50,400 |
| 22% | $50,400 – $105,700 |
| 24% | $105,700 – $201,775 |
| 32% | $201,775 – $256,225 |
| 35% | $256,225 – $640,600 |
| 37% | Over $640,600 |
Married filing jointly:
| Rate | Taxable income |
|---|---|
| 10% | Up to $24,800 |
| 12% | $24,800 – $100,800 |
| 22% | $100,800 – $211,400 |
| 24% | $211,400 – $403,550 |
| 32% | $403,550 – $512,450 |
| 35% | $512,450 – $768,700 |
| 37% | Over $768,700 |
Standard deduction for 2026: $16,100 single, $32,200 married filing jointly, $24,150 head of household.
FICA for 2026: Social Security is 6.2% on the first $184,500 of wages - earn more than that and Social Security tax simply stops for the rest of the year. Medicare is 1.45% with no cap at all, plus an Additional Medicare Tax of 0.9% on wages above $200,000 (single) or $250,000 (married filing jointly) - though your employer starts withholding it at $200,000 whatever your filing status. Because both of those thresholds are triggered by year-to-date wages, they change your take-home part-way through the year on an unchanged salary: why your paycheck changed when your pay didn't traces exactly which check moves and by how much.
The single most misunderstood thing about tax brackets
Being "in the 22% bracket" does not mean you pay 22% of your income in tax. It means the 22% rate applies only to the dollars that fall inside that bracket.
Take a single filer earning $70,000 in 2026. Subtract the $16,100 standard deduction and taxable income is $53,900. That's taxed as:
- The first $12,400 at 10% = $1,240
- The next $38,000 at 12% = $4,560
- The remaining $3,500 at 22% = $770
- Total federal income tax: $6,570
That's an effective rate of about 9.4% on the full $70,000 - not 22%. This is why "a raise pushed me into a higher bracket and I took home less" is essentially never true. Only the dollars above the threshold get the higher rate.
Which states have no income tax in 2026?
Nine states currently don't tax wage income: Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, and Wyoming. If you select one of these, only federal tax and FICA will apply.
If you're 65 or older, two separate deductions apply
Tick the 65-or-older box and the estimate changes, because people over 65 get two distinct deductions that stack on top of each other. They are frequently confused for one another.
1. The OBBBA senior deduction - $6,000 per person. Created by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act for tax years 2025 through 2028. Each qualifying person aged 65 or older by the end of the year gets up to $6,000, so a married couple where both are 65+ can claim up to $12,000. You get it whether you itemize or take the standard deduction.
It phases out at 6% of the amount your MAGI exceeds $75,000 ($150,000 on a joint return), reaching zero at $175,000 (or $250,000 joint). The phase-out is calculated once and then applied to each person - so a couple both aged 65+ with $200,000 of MAGI get $3,000 each, $6,000 total, not $9,000.
It is not available to married couples filing separately, and every person claiming it needs a valid Social Security number.
2. The long-standing extra standard deduction for age. Separate from the above, and it survives regardless of what happens to the OBBBA provision in 2029. For 2026 it is $2,050 if you're unmarried (including head of household) and $1,650 per qualifying person if you're married. It's also available a second time over for blindness, which this calculator does not model.
What this means in practice: a single 66-year-old earning $60,000 gets the $16,100 standard deduction, plus $2,050 for age, plus the full $6,000 senior deduction - $24,150 of deductions against $60,000 of income, versus $16,100 for an otherwise identical 40-year-old.
Head of household is not the same as single
Head of household is available if you're unmarried, paid more than half the cost of keeping up a home, and had a qualifying person - usually a child or dependent relative - live with you for more than half the year. It is meaningfully better than filing single: the 2026 standard deduction is $24,150 instead of $16,100, and the brackets are wider, so more income is taxed at lower rates.
One caveat specific to this tool: the state tax portion of the estimate uses simplified single-filer state brackets for every filing status. Many states offer a larger standard deduction or wider brackets for head-of-household filers, so if you select HOH the state figure here is likely to be a little high.
Why your real paycheck differs from any calculator
- Your W-4 doesn't match your actual situation. Withholding is an estimate. If you claimed dependents, listed multiple jobs, or entered extra withholding, your employer's number will differ from a generic calculation.
- Two jobs. Each employer withholds as if theirs is your only income, which routinely under-withholds and produces an April surprise.
- Bonuses are withheld differently. Supplemental wages are typically withheld at a flat 22% federal rate regardless of your bracket, which is why bonuses feel brutally taxed. It usually evens out at filing.
- Local taxes. Some cities and counties levy their own income tax on top of state tax.
- Overtime and irregular hours. A week with overtime produces a larger check, and withholding tables treat it as though every check were that size - so more tax comes out than you will ultimately owe. Work out the gross figure first with the overtime calculator.
- Mid-year benefit changes shift your pre-tax deductions and change every subsequent check.
FAQ
Why is my first paycheck at a new job smaller?
Partial pay periods, benefits that haven't started, and withholding defaults that haven't settled. Check the third or fourth check for a representative number.
Does a 401(k) contribution reduce my Social Security tax?
No. Traditional 401(k) contributions reduce federal and state income tax but not Social Security or Medicare tax. Health insurance premiums under a Section 125 plan typically reduce both.
Is this calculator exact?
No - it's a close estimate built on current federal brackets, FICA rates, and state data. Your actual withholding depends on your specific W-4, benefit elections, and local taxes. For decisions that matter, confirm with your payroll department or a tax professional.
Sources: 2026 federal brackets and standard deduction, including head of household, and the age-65 additional standard deduction of $2,050/$1,650 (IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32 §3.01 and §3.15). Senior deduction: IRC §151(d)(5)(C), added by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (Pub. L. 119-21 §70103). 2026 Social Security wage base (Social Security Administration). FICA and Additional Medicare Tax rates (IRS Publication 15; IRC §3101(b)(2)).
💡 Did you know?
The word "salary" comes from the Latin salarium. The popular story that Roman soldiers were literally paid in salt is a myth, but the word's root really is tied to sal (salt), likely referring to an allowance soldiers received to buy it. "Paycheck" itself is much newer - it doesn't show up in print until around the 1890s, once employers started issuing paper checks instead of cash-filled pay envelopes.