Paycheck Calculator USA 2026 – Estimate your Net Income
Paycheck Calculator USA 2026 – Calculate Your Exact Take-Home Pay After Taxes
See Exactly What Hits Your Bank Account Each Payday
Enter your salary or hourly rate, filing status, state, and deductions. Get your exact federal tax, FICA, state tax, and net take-home pay instantly. Built for US workers using official 2026 IRS brackets and rates.
2026 IRS brackets: 10% to 37%. Accounts for standard deduction and filing status.
6.2% on wages up to $184,500 in 2026. Stops once you hit the wage base.
1.45% on all wages. Additional 0.9% surtax on wages above $200,000 (single).
Estimated for all 50 states. Nine states have zero state income tax.
401(k), HSA, FSA, health insurance. Lowers federal and state taxable income.
Weekly, biweekly, semimonthly, and monthly pay schedules all supported.
Works for both hourly workers and salaried employees across all industries.
Download a full paycheck breakdown report as a PDF for your records.
Know exactly what you take home from your annual salary before accepting a job offer.
Calculate net pay from your hourly rate and weekly hours across any pay period.
Compare take-home pay from two job offers side by side before making a decision.
Plan your monthly budget accurately using your real after-tax income, not gross.
Enter your annual salary or hourly rate. For hourly workers, include your weekly hours. The calculator converts to annual gross pay first.
Choose how often you get paid and your W-4 federal filing status. These directly affect how much tax is withheld each period.
Enter any pre-tax deductions such as 401(k) or health insurance. These reduce your taxable income. Post-tax deductions like Roth 401(k) come out after taxes.
See your federal tax, Social Security, Medicare, state tax, and every deduction itemized clearly. Your exact net take-home per paycheck is shown prominently.
Annual Salary / Pay Periods
Annual Gross - Pre-Tax Deductions - Standard Deduction
Annual Federal Tax (from brackets) / Pay Periods
Gross Per Period x 6.2% (up to $184,500 annually)
Gross Per Period x 1.45% (+ 0.9% above $200,000)
Annual State Tax (estimated) / Pay Periods
Gross - Federal Tax - SS - Medicare - State Tax - Deductions
The 2026 standard deduction is $16,100 (single), $32,200 (married filing jointly), $24,150 (head of household), and $16,100 (married filing separately). Source: IRS Revenue Procedure 2025-32.
2026 Federal Tax Brackets
The seven federal income tax rates are 10%, 12%, 22%, 24%, 32%, 35%, and 37%. For single filers in 2026, the 22% bracket starts at $50,401 and the 24% bracket starts at $105,701. These brackets are adjusted for inflation each year per IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32. Most Americans fall in the 12% or 22% brackets.
FICA Taxes: Social Security and Medicare
In 2026, the Social Security wage base is $184,500. You pay 6.2% up to that amount, then stop for the rest of the year. Medicare is 1.45% on all wages with no cap. If your wages exceed $200,000, an additional 0.9% Medicare surtax kicks in automatically per IRS rules.
Pre-Tax vs Post-Tax Deductions
Pre-tax deductions such as traditional 401(k), health insurance, and HSA reduce your gross pay before federal and state income taxes are calculated. This lowers your taxable income and your withholding. Roth 401(k) and most other post-tax deductions do not reduce your taxable income but still reduce your take-home amount. See our pre-tax deduction calculator for more detail.
State Income Tax Varies Widely
Nine states have no state income tax in 2026: Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, and Wyoming. California has the highest top rate at 12.3%. State tax calculations in this tool are estimates using simplified effective rates. For exact state withholding, check your state's revenue department.
Pay Frequency Affects Withholding Timing
Your gross annual income is the same regardless of pay frequency. However, weekly workers receive 52 smaller checks, while monthly workers receive 12 larger ones. Federal withholding tables are applied differently by frequency, which can cause small differences in per-period tax amounts. Use our pay frequency calculator to compare schedules.
W-4 and Withholding
Your W-4 filing status is the most important factor in federal withholding. Married filing jointly workers typically have less withheld per paycheck than single workers at the same income level because of the higher income thresholds in the joint brackets. If you want to adjust your withholding, use the IRS Tax Withholding Estimator.
These examples use the 2026 IRS tax brackets, standard deductions, and FICA rates. State taxes are excluded for simplicity. Actual paychecks may vary.
After standard deduction of $16,100, taxable income is ~$17,180. Federal effective rate approx. 5.1%.
With 401(k) contribution, taxable income drops to ~$53,700. Effective federal rate approx. 14.8%.
California adds a significant state tax burden. Combined effective rate (federal + CA + FICA) is approx. 34%.
Married status lowers federal withholding substantially. Illinois flat rate of 4.95% applies to all wage income.
These examples are estimates for illustration only. Use our gross to net calculator and take-home pay calculator for more detailed scenarios.
A paycheck calculator estimates your take-home pay after federal income tax, FICA taxes (Social Security and Medicare), state income tax, and any pre-tax or post-tax deductions. It shows how much you actually receive on each pay date, not just your gross salary.
Federal income tax is withheld using the IRS 2026 percentage method tables from Publication 15-T. Your annual gross pay is reduced by the standard deduction and any pre-tax deductions to get taxable income. Tax is then calculated using the 2026 brackets ranging from 10% to 37%. That annual tax is divided by your pay periods per year to get the per-paycheck withholding amount.
FICA stands for Federal Insurance Contributions Act. In 2026, employees pay 6.2% for Social Security on the first $184,500 of wages, and 1.45% for Medicare on all wages with no cap. If your wages exceed $200,000 (single) or $250,000 (married jointly), an additional 0.9% Medicare surtax applies to the amount above that threshold. Use our FICA tax calculator for a dedicated breakdown.
Yes. This calculator includes estimated state income tax for all 50 US states. Nine states have no state income tax in 2026: Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, and Wyoming. For graduated bracket states, a simplified effective rate method is used. State tax estimates should be verified with your state's revenue department for exact withholding.
You can include 401(k) contributions (2026 limit: $23,500/year), health insurance premiums, HSA contributions (2026 self-only limit: $4,300, family limit: $8,550), FSA contributions, and other employer-sponsored pre-tax benefit deductions. These reduce your federal and state taxable income but do not reduce your FICA tax base.
This calculator uses the official 2026 IRS tax brackets from Revenue Procedure 2025-32, the 2026 Social Security wage base of $184,500, and current published state income tax rates. Results are estimates for planning purposes. Your actual paycheck may differ based on your employer's payroll system, local city taxes not included here, specific W-4 additional withholding elections, and other employer-specific deductions. Consult your payroll department or a CPA for exact figures.
Gross pay is your total earnings before any taxes or deductions are removed. Net pay is what actually lands in your bank account after federal tax, FICA, state tax, and deductions are subtracted. The gap between gross and net can range from 20% to over 40% depending on your income, state, and deductions. For a direct comparison, try our gross to net calculator.
Yes. Select the Hourly option and enter your hourly rate plus weekly hours. The calculator multiplies your hourly rate by 52 weeks to get your annual gross, then applies all federal, FICA, and state taxes to calculate your exact net take-home pay per paycheck. For overtime calculations, also check the overtime calculator.
- IRS Revenue Procedure 2025-32: Official 2026 federal income tax brackets and standard deduction amounts. Published October 2025.
- IRS Publication 15-T (2026): Federal Income Tax Withholding Methods. Final version released December 11, 2025.
- IRS Topic No. 751: Social Security tax rate of 6.2% and Medicare tax rate of 1.45% for employees.
- NerdWallet / SSA: 2026 Social Security wage base confirmed at $184,500, up from $176,100 in 2025.
- Paycor / Kiplinger 2026 State Tax Data: State income tax rates for all 50 US states as of January 2026.
- IRS HSA Contribution Limits 2026: Self-only HDHP $4,300, Family HDHP $8,550.
This tool uses official IRS published data for federal taxes and authoritative secondary sources for state rates. State tax estimates are simplified. For exact withholding, consult your state revenue department or employer payroll system.
This calculator runs entirely in your browser. No income data, salary figures, or personal information is stored, logged, or transmitted to any server. Nothing you enter is saved beyond your current browser session.
This tool was developed and reviewed for accuracy and usability by Eman Ali Mughal. All tax calculations use official IRS-published data for the 2026 tax year. Results are estimates intended for personal financial planning, not tax advice.