Paycheck Calculator 2026
Estimate your take-home pay from a salary or hourly wage, including federal tax, FICA (Social Security & Medicare), state tax, and pre-tax and post-tax deductions like a 401(k).
Salaried or Paid Hourly?
Use Salary if you’re paid a fixed annual amount. Use Hourly if you’re paid per hour, including any overtime — the calculator annualises your hours to estimate tax withholding, then converts back to your pay period.
Salary Paycheck Calculator
Enter your annual salary and deductions to estimate net pay
Used only to apply a simplified standard deduction and marginal tax brackets — not a substitute for your actual W-4.
State tax rates vary widely by state — enter your state’s approximate flat or effective rate (use 0 if your state has no income tax).
Salary Result
Estimated gross-to-net breakdown per pay period
Fill in your salary and deductions, then click Calculate My Paycheck to see your estimated take-home pay.
Hourly Paycheck Calculator
Enter your hourly rate, hours and deductions to estimate net pay
Overtime is calculated at 1.5× your hourly rate for hours entered above your regular hours, in line with typical US overtime rules.
Hourly Result
Estimated gross-to-net breakdown per pay period
Fill in your rate, hours and deductions, then click Calculate My Paycheck to see your estimated take-home pay.
Withholding Reference Figures
Simplified figures used by this calculator’s estimate. Real payroll withholding uses IRS Publication 15-T percentage-method tables and your actual W-4, so treat these as planning estimates rather than exact numbers — always check a current pay stub or the IRS Tax Withholding Estimator for precise figures.
| Item | Rate / Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Social Security (FICA) | 6.2% | Applied up to the annual Social Security wage base |
| Medicare (FICA) | 1.45% | Applies to all wages, no cap |
| Additional Medicare Surtax | 0.9% | On wages above ~$200,000 (single) — not modeled here |
| Standard Deduction — Single | ~$15,000 | Simplified estimate, subtract before tax brackets apply |
| Standard Deduction — Married Filing Jointly | ~$30,000 | Simplified estimate |
| Standard Deduction — Head of Household | ~$22,500 | Simplified estimate |
| Federal Tax Brackets | 10% – 37% | Progressive marginal brackets, illustrative figures |
Paycheck Calculator FAQ
Everything people ask before estimating their take-home pay.
Take-home pay starts with gross pay for the period, subtracts pre-tax deductions such as 401(k) contributions and health insurance premiums, then subtracts estimated federal income tax, FICA (Social Security and Medicare), and state tax, and finally subtracts any post-tax deductions to arrive at net pay.
FICA funds Social Security and Medicare. Social Security tax is withheld at 6.2% of wages up to an annual wage base set by the Social Security Administration each year, and Medicare tax is withheld at 1.45% of all wages, with an additional 0.9% Medicare surtax on earnings above certain thresholds for higher earners.
Real payroll withholding depends on your exact W-4 elections, multiple jobs, tax credits, local or city taxes, benefits elections, and the IRS’s official percentage-method withholding tables, none of which a simplified calculator can fully replicate. This tool gives a reasonable estimate for planning purposes, not the exact figure your employer’s payroll system will produce.
Gross pay is your total earnings for the pay period before anything is withheld. Net pay, also called take-home pay, is what actually lands in your bank account after taxes and deductions are subtracted from gross pay.
Pre-tax deductions, such as traditional 401(k) contributions or premiums for an employer health plan, are subtracted from gross pay before income tax is calculated. This lowers your taxable income, which reduces the federal and state tax withheld, so your take-home pay drops by less than the full deduction amount.
The same annual salary produces a different amount per paycheck depending on how often you’re paid: weekly (52 paychecks a year), biweekly (26), semi-monthly (24), or monthly (12). Biweekly and semi-monthly are often confused, since biweekly pay is usually a slightly smaller amount paid twice as often, occasionally producing an extra “third paycheck” month.