US Take-Home Pay Calculator (2026)
See what actually lands in your paycheck after federal tax, Social Security, Medicare, and your state’s income tax. Free, instant, and private - nothing you type leaves your browser.
Estimated take-home pay
$0
- Gross salary
- $0
- Federal income tax
- $0
- Social Security
- $0
- Medicare
- $0
- State income tax
- $0
- Total tax
- $0
- Effective tax rate
- 0%
Estimate only - not tax advice. Excludes 401(k)/HSA, insurance, credits, and local city taxes. See notes below.
How your take-home pay is calculated
Your gross salary is the headline number on your offer letter - but it is not what you actually get to spend. Several taxes come out before the money reaches you. This calculator walks through each one using current 2026 figures so you can see where your money goes.
- 1. Federal income tax. The IRS lets you subtract a standard deduction ($16,100 for a single filer in 2026), then taxes the rest in progressive brackets from 10% up to 37%. Only the income inside each bracket is taxed at that rate - a common misunderstanding.
- 2. FICA (Social Security + Medicare). Social Security takes 6.2% of wages up to the 2026 cap of $184,500; Medicare takes 1.45% of all wages, plus an extra 0.9% on very high earners.
- 3. State income tax. This varies a lot. Nine states (like Texas and Florida) take nothing. Some use a single flat rate; others use progressive brackets like the federal system.
- 4. What is left is your estimated take-home pay - shown per year, per month, and per biweekly paycheck.
What this estimate does not include
To keep it simple and fast, this v1 assumes a single filer taking the standard deduction, with no pre-tax 401(k)/HSA contributions, health-insurance premiums, tax credits, local city taxes, or a second income. Those can meaningfully change your real paycheck, so treat this as a solid ballpark rather than an exact withholding figure. Married-filing-jointly and more states are coming.
Frequently asked questions
What is take-home pay?
Take-home pay (or net pay) is what actually reaches your bank account after taxes are withheld from your gross salary - federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare (FICA), and state income tax where it applies.
How is my take-home pay calculated?
We start from your gross annual salary, subtract the federal standard deduction, apply the 2026 federal tax brackets, add Social Security (6.2% up to the annual wage cap) and Medicare (1.45%), then apply your state’s 2026 income tax. What is left is your estimated take-home pay.
Does this include state income tax?
Yes. Choose your state and we apply its 2026 rules - from no-income-tax states like Texas and Florida to flat-rate and progressive states. Nine US states have no state income tax on wages.
Why might my real paycheck be different?
This is an estimate. It does not include pre-tax 401(k) or HSA contributions, health-insurance premiums, tax credits, local city taxes, or a working spouse - any of which can change your actual withholding.
Which tax year does this use?
It uses 2026 tax-year figures for federal, FICA, and state taxes, last reviewed 2026-07-01, sourced from the IRS and state revenue departments.
Sources & last reviewed
- Federal brackets + standard deduction: IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32 (tax year 2026).
- FICA: IRS Topic No. 751 & 560 (Social Security 6.2% up to $184,500; Medicare 1.45%; +0.9% over $200k single).
- State income tax: each state’s Department of Revenue (2026 rates), reviewed 2026-07-01.
- Last reviewed: 2026-07-01. Rates change - we update when they do.