Paycheck Calculator

From gross pay to take-home pay

Every paycheck starts at your gross pay and loses a few layers before it reaches your account:

1. Pre-tax deductions. Traditional 401(k) or 403(b) contributions, and health insurance premiums or HSA contributions paid through a cafeteria plan, come out first. They are not taxed now.
2. Federal income tax on what is left, after the standard deduction, using the 2026 brackets for your filing status.
3. Social Security (6.2%) and Medicare (1.45%), together called FICA. Health premiums through a cafeteria plan reduce the wages FICA is charged on; 401(k) deferrals do not.
4. State and local income tax, if your state and city have one.
5. After-tax deductions, such as Roth 401(k) contributions or union dues.

The calculator works each tax out for the whole of 2026, then divides it by the number of paychecks: 52 if you are paid weekly, 26 every two weeks, 24 twice a month and 12 monthly. For the yearly tax bill bracket by bracket, see the income tax calculator; to convert an hourly rate into a salary first, use the salary calculator.

The formula

G

gross pay per paycheck

R, H

401(k) and health deductions per paycheck

F

2026 federal income tax on n × (G − R − H) minus the standard deduction

S

Social Security: 6.2% of n × (G − H), on wages up to $184,500

M

Medicare: 1.45% of n × (G − H), plus 0.9% above $200,000 ($250,000 married filing jointly, $125,000 separately)

T

state and local tax: your flat rates × n × (G − R − H)

n

paychecks per year

A

after-tax deductions per paycheck

Each amount is rounded to the cent per paycheck, and take-home pay is what remains, so the breakdown always adds up to your gross pay.

Worked example

A single employee earns $75,000 a year, paid every two weeks. Each paycheck $150 goes to a traditional 401(k) and $100 to health insurance, and the state taxes income at a flat 4%.

1. Gross per paycheck: $75,000 ÷ 26 = $2,884.62
2. Wages for income tax: $75,000 − $3,900 (401(k)) − $2,600 (health) = $68,500; taxable income after the $16,100 standard deduction is $52,400
3. Federal income tax: $5,800 + 22% × ($52,400 − $50,400) = $6,240 a year, or $240.00 per paycheck
4. Social Security: 6.2% × $72,400 = $4,488.80 a year ($172.65 per paycheck); Medicare: 1.45% × $72,400 = $1,049.80 ($40.38)
5. State tax: 4% × $68,500 = $2,740 a year ($105.38)
6. Take-home: $2,884.62 − $150 − $100 − $240.00 − $172.65 − $40.38 − $105.38 = $2,076.21 per paycheck, $53,981.40 for the year

Why your actual paycheck may differ

This calculator spreads your annual tax liability evenly over the year. Your employer does something different: it withholds an estimate from each paycheck using the methods in IRS Publication 15-T and the answers on your Form W-4. The two usually land close together, but not exactly:

• Your W-4 changes withholding. Dependents, other income, a second job, extra withholding and deductions you list all move the amount taken out.
• Bonuses and irregular pay are withheld differently. Employers may withhold a flat 22% of supplemental wages such as bonuses and commissions, and must withhold 37% on supplemental wages above $1 million in a year.
• Social Security stops mid-year for high earners. Once your wages for the year reach $184,500, no more Social Security is taken, so later paychecks are larger. Here it is averaged over the year.
• Additional Medicare Tax is withheld on wages above $200,000 from one employer whatever your filing status; the calculator uses your filing status threshold, which is your actual liability.

Any gap between what was withheld and what you owe is settled on your tax return, as a refund or a balance due.

What this estimate leaves out

• Tax credits such as the child tax credit, which lower your tax and, through the W-4, your withholding.
• Other income and other jobs. The tax is worked out as if this job were your household’s only income, including on a joint return.
• State rules. A flat rate stands in for your state’s brackets, deductions and credits, and some states tax 401(k) contributions or charge payroll taxes for disability or family leave.
• New federal deductions for tips, overtime and seniors, and itemized deductions.