How is take-home pay calculated?

Take-home (net) pay = gross pay − pre-tax deductions − federal income tax − state income tax − FICA (Social Security and Medicare). This calculator estimates each of those pieces from your salary or hourly wage, filing status, and state.

FICA stands for the Federal Insurance Contributions Act, and covers two payroll taxes: Social Security (6.2% of wages, up to an annual wage base) and Medicare (1.45% of all wages, plus an additional 0.9% on income above $200,000 single / $250,000 married filing jointly). Employers pay a matching share separately, which doesn't come out of your paycheck.

Why is my actual paycheck different from this estimate?

This calculator uses simplified federal tax brackets and a single flat estimated rate per state, rather than your state's exact (often progressive) bracket structure, local/city taxes, or your specific W-4 withholding elections. Real paychecks are also affected by things like health insurance premiums, HSA/FSA contributions, and benefits that vary by employer.

What counts as a pre-tax deduction?

Common pre-tax deductions include traditional 401(k) or 403(b) retirement contributions, health/dental/vision insurance premiums paid through payroll, and HSA or FSA contributions. These reduce your taxable income before federal and state tax are calculated, which is why increasing them can raise your take-home pay less than you might expect, but lowers your tax bill.

How does filing status affect my take-home pay?

Filing status changes both your standard deduction and the income thresholds for each tax bracket. Married filing jointly generally has roughly double the bracket thresholds of single filers, while head of household falls in between — so the same gross income can result in different federal tax amounts depending on filing status.

Which states have no state income tax?

As of this writing, Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, and Wyoming do not tax wage income at the state level. Selecting one of these states in the calculator shows $0 estimated state tax.

Does this calculator account for overtime pay?

No. The hourly mode multiplies your rate by your entered hours per week and assumes that same schedule for all 52 weeks of the year — it doesn't apply overtime premiums (like time-and-a-half) for hours over 40 in a week. For an accurate overtime estimate, add your expected overtime pay to your gross income manually.

How accurate is the federal tax estimate?

It applies the current published federal marginal tax brackets and standard deduction to your income progressively — the same core method the IRS uses — but doesn't account for itemized deductions, tax credits (like the Child Tax Credit), or other adjustments that a full tax return would include.

Is this the same as tax withholding on my W-4?

Not exactly. Employer payroll withholding uses IRS withholding tables driven by your W-4 elections, which can differ from your actual annual tax liability estimated here — sometimes significantly, if your W-4 is outdated or your income changed. This calculator estimates your likely real tax burden, not your specific paycheck withholding.

Is my data stored anywhere?

No. All calculations run locally in your browser. Nothing you enter is transmitted to a server or stored.

Paycheck Calculator

Estimate your take-home pay after federal tax, state tax, and FICA from your salary or hourly wage, pay frequency, filing status, and state.

Last updated July 31, 2026

Gross annual salary ($)

Pay frequency

Filing status

State

Pre-tax deductions / yr ($)

Estimated take-home pay per paycheck

$1,988.58

of $2,692.31 gross (22.7% effective tax rate)

Federal income tax (annual)

$6,486.00

California state tax (annual)

$4,056.00

FICA — Social Security & Medicare (annual)

$5,355.00

Net take-home pay (annual)

$51,703.00

This is a simplified estimate using approximate federal brackets and a flat estimated state tax rate — not an official payroll calculation. It does not account for local/city taxes, tax credits, filing adjustments, or your actual W-4 withholding elections. Check an actual pay stub or the IRS withholding estimator for precise figures.

How to use the paycheck calculator

1
Enter your salary or hourly rate and hours per week.
2
Choose your pay frequency, filing status, and state.
3
Add any pre-tax deductions (401k, health insurance) you contribute annually.
4
Your estimated take-home pay per paycheck, plus the federal tax, state tax, and FICA breakdown, update instantly.

How take-home pay is calculated

Gross pay is reduced by pre-tax deductions, then federal tax, state tax, and FICA are calculated on what remains.

Worked example: a single filer in California earning $70,000/year, paid biweekly, contributing $2,400/year to a 401(k):

Taxable income for federal tax = $70,000 − $2,400 (401k) − $15,000 (2025 single standard deduction) = $52,600
Federal tax (applying each bracket to its portion of income) = $6,486
FICA = 6.2% Social Security ($4,340, under the wage base) + 1.45% Medicare ($1,015) = $5,355
Estimated California state tax (flat approximate rate) on $67,600 = $4,056
Net annual pay = $70,000 − $2,400 − $6,486 − $4,056 − $5,355 = $51,703

Divided across 26 biweekly paychecks, that's a gross pay of $2,692.31 per paycheck and an estimated net take-home pay of $1,988.58 per paycheck — an effective combined tax rate of about 22%.

Federal tax brackets and standard deduction

Rate	Single	Married filing jointly
10%	$0 – $11,925	$0 – $23,850
12%	$11,925 – $48,475	$23,850 – $96,950
22%	$48,475 – $103,350	$96,950 – $206,700
24%	$103,350 – $197,300	$206,700 – $394,600
32%+	above $197,300	above $394,600

The standard deduction is $15,000 (single), $30,000 (married filing jointly), or $22,500 (head of household). These figures use the most recently published federal tables as an approximation; exact future-year figures adjust annually for inflation.

Why this is an estimate, not a paystub

This calculator is built to give a realistic, fast estimate of your take-home pay — not to replicate your employer's exact payroll system. A few things it deliberately simplifies:

State tax uses one flat approximate rate per state rather than that state's real (often progressive) bracket structure, and ignores state-specific standard deductions or credits.
Local and city taxes (like those in New York City or parts of Ohio and Pennsylvania) aren't included at all.
W-4 withholding is not modeled — your actual paycheck withholding depends on your specific W-4 elections and the IRS withholding tables (Publication 15-T), which can differ from your true annual tax liability estimated here.
Overtime, bonuses, and irregular pay aren't factored into the hourly calculation, which assumes the same hours every week of the year.

Use this tool to sanity-check an offer, compare take-home pay across states, or estimate the effect of a raise or a change in 401(k) contributions — but treat your actual pay stub, W-2, or a tax professional as the authoritative source for real tax filing decisions.

Deciding whether to increase your 401(k) contribution or start investing? Try the Compound Interest Calculator →

Paid hourly and need to total up your shifts first? Our Time Card / Hours Calculator → adds up clock-in/clock-out times and breaks before you estimate take-home pay here.

Wondering what home price your take-home pay actually supports? Our House Affordability Calculator → turns your income into a max home price using real DTI limits.

Frequently asked questions

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