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VNPTAD Calculators

Paycheck Calculator

Enter your salary and see exactly where it goes — federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare, state withholding and pre-tax deductions, broken out line by line for 2026.

Paycheck Calculator: visual overview of the calculation
$
Your pay before any deductions.
$
Traditional, per year. Lowers income tax but not FICA.
$
Per year, taken pre-tax through payroll. Lowers income tax and FICA.
$
Per year. Roth 401(k), union dues, garnishments.
$
Per paycheck. W-4 step 4(c).

Take-home pay per bi-weekly paycheck

$2,368.94

Annual take-home

$61,592.50

Effective tax rate 17.88%

Paycheck breakdown
Item Per paycheck Per year
Gross pay $2,884.62 $75,000.00
Federal income tax -$295.00 -$7,670.00
Social Security -$178.85 -$4,650.00
Medicare -$41.83 -$1,087.50
Take-home pay $2,368.94 $61,592.50

Choose your state

How your take-home pay is calculated

Payroll runs your gross pay through four subtractions, in a specific order. The order matters, because each step changes the base the next step is applied to.

  1. Pre-tax benefit deductions come out first. Health, dental and vision premiums, FSA contributions and payroll HSA contributions are taken under a Section 125 cafeteria plan. They reduce the wages used for income tax and for Social Security and Medicare.
  2. Retirement contributions come out next. A traditional 401(k) or 403(b) reduces the wages used for income tax only. FICA is still charged on that money.
  3. FICA is charged on the remaining wages. Social Security takes 6.2% up to $184,500, then stops for the year. Medicare takes 1.45% with no cap, plus another 0.9% on wages above $200,000.
  4. Income tax is applied last. The standard deduction comes off first — $16,100 for a single filer in 2026 — and the remainder runs through the progressive brackets. State tax follows its own rules, which range from no tax at all to nine brackets.

Where people are surprised

The bracket you are in is not the rate you pay

Being "in the 22% bracket" means the 22% rate applies to the slice of your income inside that bracket, not to all of it. A single filer earning $80,000 pays 10% on the first slice, 12% on the next, and 22% only on what is left. Their effective federal rate lands closer to 11% than 22%.

Two states, same salary, very different paycheck

A $90,000 salary in Texas and the same salary in California produce paychecks that differ by thousands of dollars a year, entirely because of state withholding. Nine states take nothing from wages at all. If you are comparing job offers across state lines, compare take-home pay, not salary.

A pre-tax dollar is not worth the same everywhere

A dollar moved into a health premium or HSA escapes income tax and the 7.65% FICA charge. A dollar moved into a traditional 401(k) escapes income tax only. For a worker in the 22% bracket that is roughly 30 cents of savings versus 22 cents. Both are worth doing; they are not interchangeable.

What this calculator does not include

Being clear about the edges is what makes an estimate usable. This tool does not account for:

  • Local city or county income taxes, such as those in New York City, Philadelphia and much of Ohio
  • State disability insurance and paid family leave premiums, including California SDI and Washington's PFML and WA Cares
  • Tax credits, including the Child Tax Credit and Earned Income Tax Credit, which reduce what you owe at filing rather than what is withheld
  • Itemized deductions, self-employment income, and capital gains
  • The flat 22% supplemental withholding applied to bonuses and commissions

For most salaried workers with a straightforward W-4, the result lands within a few dollars of an actual pay stub. If yours is further off than that, the difference is almost always one of the items above.

Frequently asked questions

Why is my take-home pay lower than this calculator says?

The most common reasons are deductions an outside calculator cannot see: employer-specific benefits, a state disability or paid-leave premium, a local city or county income tax, or wage garnishment. Compare the calculator line by line against your pay stub and the gap will usually sit in one row.

Does a 401(k) contribution reduce Social Security and Medicare tax?

No. Traditional 401(k) contributions reduce your federal and state income tax, but Social Security and Medicare are still calculated on the full amount. Section 125 deductions such as health premiums, FSA and payroll HSA contributions do reduce FICA, which is why the same dollar saved through a cafeteria plan is worth more than one saved through a 401(k).

What is the difference between my marginal rate and my effective rate?

The marginal rate is what the next dollar you earn is taxed at. The effective rate is your total tax divided by your total pay. Because the United States uses progressive brackets, your effective rate is always lower than your marginal rate — a raise into a higher bracket never lowers your take-home pay.

Why did my paycheck get bigger late in the year?

Social Security tax stops once your year-to-date wages pass the wage base, which is $184,500 for 2026. If you earn more than that, your paychecks after crossing the threshold are larger by 6.2% of your gross, and the deduction restarts in January.

How do I change how much tax is withheld?

File a new Form W-4 with your employer. Step 4(c) adds a flat extra amount to each paycheck, and Step 4(b) reduces withholding if you expect large deductions. Employers must apply a new W-4 by the start of the first payroll period ending 30 or more days after you submit it.

Does this calculator handle bonuses?

Not separately. Employers usually withhold on a bonus at a flat supplemental rate of 22%, which is often more than the bonus actually owes. That excess comes back as part of your refund. To approximate the effect, add the bonus to your annual gross figure.

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