Paycheck Calculator
Gross salary in, real take-home out. Every federal tax and pre-tax deduction, itemised for the 2026 tax year.
Your numbers
Your paycheck
Uses 2026 federal brackets, the 2026 standard deduction, a 6.2% Social Security rate up to the $184,500 wage base, 1.45% Medicare with the 0.9% additional Medicare tax above $200,000 ($250,000 married filing jointly), and the $24,500 elective deferral limit. State tax is a flat rate you enter, because state systems differ too much to model in one field. Assumes no itemised deductions, credits or other income.
Your salary is not your pay. Between the two sit federal income tax, two payroll taxes, whatever your state takes, and the money you divert into retirement and benefits before anyone taxes it. This calculator walks a dollar of gross salary through each of those in the order the IRS actually applies them, and shows what lands in your account.
The order things come out
The sequence matters more than most people expect, because different deductions escape different taxes.
- Section 125 deductions — health premiums, HSA and FSA contributions through a cafeteria plan — come out first and escape both income tax and FICA. That makes them the most valuable dollar-for-dollar deduction on the list.
- Traditional 401(k) contributions escape income tax but not FICA. You still pay Social Security and Medicare on money you defer, which is why a 401(k) reduces your tax bill less than its headline rate suggests.
- The standard deduction then comes off what is left, and the brackets apply to the remainder.
2026 federal brackets
Seven rates, applied in slices. Only the income inside each band is taxed at that band's rate — crossing into the 24% bracket does not tax your whole salary at 24%.
The 2026 standard deduction is $16,100 single, $32,200 married filing jointly, and $24,150 head of household.
FICA: the tax that does not care about your deductions
Social Security takes 6.2% of wages up to a $184,500 base in 2026, then stops — which is why high earners see their paychecks grow late in the year. Medicare takes 1.45% with no cap, plus an extra 0.9% on wages above $200,000 ($250,000 for joint filers). Your employer matches the 6.2% and the 1.45% but not the additional Medicare tax.
Why your actual paycheck may differ
This is an annualised estimate, not a withholding simulation. Real payroll systems withhold using the IRS percentage-method tables and whatever you put on your Form W-4, which is why refunds and balances due exist at all. Bonuses are usually withheld at a flat supplemental rate. And state tax is entered here as a single flat percentage because state systems range from zero to graduated brackets with their own deductions and local add-ons.
Turning take-home into a plan
Once you know your real take-home, the useful question is what share of it you keep. Feed the annual figure into the savings rate calculator to see how many working years your current spending implies, or the budget calculator to split it into needs, wants and savings.
Questions, answered
How accurate is this paycheck calculator?
For federal income tax and FICA on a straightforward salary it should be close, because it uses the published 2026 brackets, standard deduction and payroll rates. It is an annualised estimate rather than a copy of your employer's withholding tables, so your actual pay stub may differ by a small amount, and state tax is a flat rate you supply.
Does a 401(k) contribution reduce my Social Security tax?
No. Traditional 401(k) deferrals reduce taxable income for income tax but are still subject to Social Security and Medicare. Cafeteria-plan deductions such as health premiums and HSA contributions do reduce FICA wages, which is why they save more per dollar.
What is the 401(k) limit for 2026?
The elective deferral limit is $24,500. Those aged 50 and over can add $8,000, and there is a larger $11,250 catch-up for people who turn 60, 61, 62 or 63 during the year.
Why does my paycheck get bigger later in the year?
Social Security tax applies only to the first $184,500 of wages in 2026. Once you pass that base, the 6.2% stops for the rest of the calendar year and your net pay rises.
What is the difference between effective and marginal rate?
Your marginal rate is what the next dollar is taxed at. Your effective rate is total tax divided by total income, and it is always lower, because the earlier slices of income were taxed at lower rates.