Paycheck Calculator 2026
Estimate your take-home pay after federal, FICA, and state taxes
Frequently Asked Questions
Federal income tax (2026 brackets), FICA (6.2% Social Security up to the $184,500 wage base, plus 1.45% Medicare with an additional 0.9% on wages over $200,000), and state income tax where available. It does not include local city/county/school-district taxes except for Maryland's mandatory county tax and New York City's resident income tax, both included as optional add-ons.
Yes — if you select New York and check "I live in New York City," the calculator adds NYC's resident income tax (a graduated 3.078%-3.876% tax on top of NY state tax) on the same taxable income base. This only applies to NYC residents — it doesn't apply if you work in NYC but live elsewhere in New York.
We've built exact tax-bracket calculations for California, New York, Maryland (including county tax), Montana, New Mexico, Vermont, Virginia, New Jersey, Minnesota, Oregon, Hawaii, South Carolina, Connecticut, Missouri, Maine, Kansas, Alabama, Rhode Island, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Washington DC, plus flat-rate calculations for 16 flat-tax states (including Iowa's new 2026 flat 3.8% rate). States without an income tax (Alaska, Florida, Nevada, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, Wyoming, New Hampshire) show $0 state tax. For states not yet listed above, this calculator currently shows federal and FICA taxes only — we're adding full state bracket support for the remaining states.
Unlike most states' flat standard deduction, Wisconsin uses a sliding-scale deduction that phases out as income rises — $6,702 (single) or $9,461 (married) at lower incomes, reducing by 12% (single) or 20% (married) of income above $17,780/$25,727, down to $0 once income reaches $73,630 (single) or $73,032 (married). This calculator applies that exact phase-out rather than a flat number.
Yes — enter a 401(k) contribution percentage and any other pre-tax deductions (health insurance, HSA/FSA). The 401(k) amount reduces your federal and state taxable income but not your FICA wages (401(k) contributions are still subject to Social Security and Medicare tax, per IRS rules). Other pre-tax deductions entered here are treated as cafeteria-plan (Section 125) benefits, which reduce federal, state, AND FICA taxable wages.
Not exactly. Employers use IRS withholding tables (which factor in your W-4 elections) to withhold an estimate throughout the year — this calculator estimates your actual annual tax liability based on the standard deduction only, assuming no additional withholding adjustments, dependents, or itemized deductions.
An extra 0.9% Medicare tax applies to wages over $200,000 (regardless of filing status, at the employer-withholding level) — this is on top of the standard 1.45% Medicare tax, which has no wage cap.
How your take-home pay is calculated
The calculator starts from your gross pay and subtracts the main deductions in the order your employer applies them:
- Pre-tax deductions: 401(k) contributions, health insurance premiums, HSA and FSA contributions.
- Federal income tax on income above the 2026 standard deduction ($16,100 single, $32,200 married filing jointly), using the 2026 brackets of 10% to 37%.
- FICA: 6.2% Social Security up to $184,500 of wages and 1.45% Medicare on all wages.
- State income tax for your state, using flat rates or brackets where they apply.
Example
A single employee earning $60,000 a year in Texas, which has no state income tax, pays about $5,020 of federal income tax and $4,590 of FICA. Take-home pay is about $50,390 a year, or $1,938 every two weeks. Contributing 6% to a 401(k) lowers federal tax to $4,588 but also reduces take-home pay to about $1,816 per paycheck, while $3,600 a year goes into retirement savings.
2026 federal brackets (single)
| Taxable income | Rate |
|---|---|
| Up to $12,400 | 10% |
| $12,401 to $50,400 | 12% |
| $50,401 to $105,700 | 22% |
| $105,701 to $201,775 | 24% |
| $201,776 to $256,225 | 32% |
| $256,226 to $640,600 | 35% |
| Over $640,600 | 37% |
Brackets apply only to the income inside them, so moving into a higher bracket never reduces take-home pay.
Why your real paycheck may differ
- Your W-4 choices, such as extra withholding or claimed dependents, change federal withholding.
- Some cities and counties add local income tax, and a few states have disability or family leave payroll deductions.
- 401(k) contributions reduce income tax but not FICA.
For bonuses, see the bonus paycheck calculator. Hourly workers can check overtime with the overtime calculator and the new deduction with the no tax on tips and overtime calculator.