Paycheck Calculator
Estimate your take-home pay per paycheck from your annual salary, accounting for income-tax withholding, FICA payroll tax, and pre- and post-tax deductions. Runs entirely in your browser.
Take-home per paycheck
-
Show the math
Take-home is your gross paycheck less payroll tax, income tax, and deductions:
net = gross − pre-tax − federal income tax − FICA − post-tax
federal tax = 2026 bracket tax on (income-tax wages × periods − standard deduction) ÷ periods
Gross per paycheck is your salary ÷ pay periods. Federal income tax is estimated by annualizing your pay after both kinds of pre-tax deduction, subtracting the 2026 standard deduction for your filing status ($16,100 single · $32,200 joint · $24,150 head of household), applying the 2026 brackets, and spreading the year's tax over your paychecks; enter a percentage to override it. FICA: Social Security is 6.2% of wages up to $184,500 (2026), and Medicare is 1.45% of all wages plus 0.9% on wages over $200,000. Traditional 401(k) deferrals are still FICA wages; Section 125 health items are not. FICA is averaged across the year here; in practice Social Security stops once your year-to-date pay passes the cap. This is a planning estimate: it leaves out state and local tax, credits, and W-4 adjustments.
What this does
A paycheck calculator estimates your take-home pay per paycheck from your annual salary, accounting for income-tax withholding, FICA payroll tax, and pre- and post-tax deductions.
How to use it
- Enter your annual salary, pay frequency, and filing status.
- Leave the federal withholding override blank for a bracket estimate, or enter your own percentage.
- Add any pre-tax retirement, pre-tax health (Section 125), and post-tax deductions.
- Read your estimated net pay per paycheck.
How it works
Gross per paycheck is your salary divided by pay periods. Federal income tax is estimated by annualizing your pay after pre-tax deductions, subtracting the 2026 standard deduction for your filing status, applying the 2026 brackets, and spreading the year’s tax over your paychecks. FICA is 6.2% Social Security on wages up to the annual wage base, 1.45% Medicare on all wages, and 0.9% Additional Medicare on wages over $200,000. Traditional 401(k) deferrals still count as FICA wages; Section 125 health items (premiums, HSA, FSA through payroll) do not. A pre-tax deduction can’t take the pay that the paycheck’s Social Security, Medicare and income tax come out of, so a very large one is capped. Post-tax deductions come off last.
Understanding your result
Real withholding depends on your W-4, credits, and your state, so treat this as a planning estimate rather than exact payroll. State and local income taxes are not included.
Example
A single filer with a $60,000 salary paid biweekly gets $2,307.69 gross. The 2026 bracket estimate is $5,020 of federal tax a year ($193.08 a paycheck), and FICA is $176.54 ($143.08 Social Security, $33.46 Medicare), leaving about $1,938 take-home before other deductions and state tax.
Sources & methodology
- IRS, Tax Withholding Estimator, Estimate federal income-tax withholding
- IRS, Publication 15 (Circular E), Employer’s Tax Guide, Wage withholding; 401(k) deferrals are exempt from income-tax withholding but not from Social Security and Medicare
- IRS, Topic no. 751 Social Security and Medicare withholding rates, 6.2% / 1.45% rates and 0.9% Additional Medicare over $200,000
- SSA, Cost-of-Living Increase and Other Determinations for 2026 (90 FR 49047), 2026 Social Security wage base of $184,500
Last updated .
Frequently asked questions
How is take-home pay estimated?
Your gross per paycheck is your annual salary divided by the number of pay periods. Federal income tax is estimated from the 2026 brackets and standard deduction for your filing status (or your own percentage), FICA (Social Security + Medicare) is applied to gross less any Section 125 health deductions, and any post-tax deductions come off last.
Does Social Security tax stop at a certain salary?
Yes. The 6.2% Social Security tax applies only up to the annual wage base, while Medicare has no cap and adds 0.9% on wages over $200,000. The calculator applies both and averages them across the year; in practice Social Security withholding stops once your year-to-date pay passes the cap.
Why isn’t this my exact paycheck?
Real withholding depends on your W-4 (credits, extra withholding, other income), your employer’s payroll method, and your state and local taxes. This tool spreads the year’s estimated federal tax evenly over your paychecks and leaves out state tax, so it is a planning estimate rather than exact payroll.
What goes in pre-tax vs post-tax deductions?
Traditional 401(k) and 403(b) deferrals lower the income that is taxed, but Social Security and Medicare still apply to them. Section 125 cafeteria-plan items (health, dental and vision premiums, FSA, and HSA contributions through payroll) lower both income tax and Social Security and Medicare. Post-tax items (Roth 401(k), garnishments) come out after tax.
Do you store my salary?
No. Everything is calculated locally in your browser, nothing you enter is uploaded or saved.
Related tools
Commission Calculator
Work out sales commission at a percentage rate, plus optional base pay, for total earnings. Calculates in your browser.
Salary to Hourly Calculator
Convert an annual salary to an equivalent hourly wage (or an hourly rate back to a yearly salary) based on the hours and weeks you actually work. Calculates in your browser.
Freelance Hourly Rate Calculator
Work out the hourly rate to charge as a freelancer so you hit your target take-home income after taxes and business expenses, based on the hours you actually bill. Runs in your browser.
Tip Calculator
Calculate the tip and total on a bill at any percentage, and split it evenly between any number of people. Fast, private, and works entirely in your browser.