Federal income tax
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Paycheck Calculator — Take-Home Pay Estimator 2026
Turn gross pay into take-home pay, or work backwards: tell us the net you need and we solve for the gross salary. Federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare are calculated for tax year 2026.
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take-home pay per paycheck
Social Security + Medicare
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State income tax
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Effective tax rate
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Annual gross pay
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Annual take-home
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Where the money goes
A single employee earning $85,000 in 2026 has about $16,373 withheld over the year before any state tax: roughly $9,870 federal income tax, $5,270 Social Security and $1,233 Medicare. Net pay lands near $68,628, or $2,639.52 on each of 26 biweekly checks. Notice that Social Security stops at the $184,500 wage base — payroll deductions actually shrink as a percentage of pay once you cross it.
How this calculator works
Take-home pay is gross pay minus federal income tax withholding, minus employee FICA, minus state income tax, minus any pre-tax benefits. These are the steps it runs, all in your browser:
1. Annualize your pay. Gross pay per check is multiplied by the number of pay periods — 26 for biweekly, 24 for semi-monthly, 52 for weekly, 12 for monthly.
2. Subtract pre-tax deductions. 401(k) deferrals and similar amounts reduce the wages subject to income tax. They do not escape Social Security or Medicare, so FICA is still charged on the full gross figure.
3. Apply the 2026 standard deduction ($16,100 single, $32,200 married filing jointly, $24,150 head of household) and run the result through the 2026 brackets of 10%, 12%, 22%, 24%, 32%, 35% and 37%. Each slice of income is taxed only at its own rate — someone in the 22% bracket does not pay 22% on everything.
4. Add FICA. Social Security is 6.2% of covered wages up to the $184,500 wage base (maximum $11,439.00 per employee for 2026). Medicare is 1.45% with no cap. Employees above $200,000 ($250,000 joint, $125,000 filing separately) owe an extra 0.9% Medicare surtax above the threshold.
5. Divide back down to one pay period and report it against gross. In reverse mode, the same chain is solved by bisection for the gross figure that produces your target take-home.
Reading your pay stub
Your pay stub already contains most of what this calculator models, and comparing the two is the fastest way to catch a W-4 mistake. Box 1 of a Form W-2 shows wages subject to federal income tax after pre-tax deductions; Box 3 shows Social Security wages, which will be higher than Box 1 whenever you contribute to a 401(k); Box 5 shows Medicare wages, usually the largest of the three. If Box 3 and Box 5 disagree, or if they exceed $184,500 in a year with one employer, ask payroll to check.
Two structural quirks explain most surprises. First, withholding is computed per pay period and annualized, so a one-off bonus can be withheld at a high flat supplemental rate (22% federally for bonuses under $1 million) even though your actual marginal rate is lower — the difference comes back as a refund. Second, Social Security withholding stops once you cross the wage base mid-year, so take-home pay visibly jumps several hundred dollars per check in whichever month that happens.
Frequently asked questions
Which payroll taxes are taken out of a paycheck in 2026?
Two federal payroll taxes, together called FICA. Social Security (OASDI) is 6.2% on the first $184,500 of wages in 2026, so the most withheld from one employee is $11,439.00. Medicare is 1.45% on every dollar with no wage cap. Employees earning more than $200,000 ($250,000 married filing jointly, $125,000 married filing separately) also pay Additional Medicare Tax of 0.9% on wages above that threshold. On top of FICA come federal income tax withholding, any state and local income tax, and voluntary or pre-tax deductions. This tool does not model union dues, garnishment orders or after-tax benefits such as Roth contributions, all of which also reduce take-home pay.
How accurate is this paycheck estimate?
Treat it as an estimate, not a payroll quote. The calculator uses the 2026 federal tax brackets and standard deduction for your filing status and assumes a W-4 with no extra withholding adjustments. Real withholding depends on your W-4 entries, whether you or a spouse holds multiple jobs, itemized deductions, credits, union dues, garnishment orders and your employer's own payroll method. Most estimates land within a few percent of a real paycheck for a simple W-2 situation with no unusual items, and further off for everyone else. Compare against a recent pay stub rather than assuming it is exact.
What is the difference between gross pay and net pay?
Gross pay is what your employer agrees to pay before any deductions — your hourly rate times hours worked, or your stated salary. Net pay, sometimes called take-home pay, is what actually reaches your bank account after federal income tax withholding, Social Security, Medicare, state and local tax and any benefits premiums. A single employee on $85,000 a year in 2026 has about $16,373 withheld in federal tax and FICA, leaving roughly $68,628 net, or about $2,640 on each of 26 biweekly paychecks.
How much does contributing to a 401(k) reduce my take-home pay?
Traditional 401(k) deferrals come out before federal income tax, so they reduce your taxable wages and your withholding, but they remain subject to Social Security and Medicare. Because of that, a contribution costs you less than its face amount in take-home pay: someone in the 22% federal bracket who puts $200 per paycheck into a 401(k) sees take-home pay drop by roughly $156, not $200, once the 7.65% FICA still charged on the deferral is accounted for. This calculator applies exactly that treatment — pre-tax deductions reduce income tax but not FICA. Health premiums paid through a Section 125 cafeteria plan are exempt from FICA too, and since this tool has one combined pre-tax field, it will slightly overstate FICA for those dollars.
Does this calculator handle state income tax?
Only as a flat rate that you enter yourself, because the differences are too large to guess. Nine states including Texas, Florida and Washington levy no wage income tax at all. Others use progressive brackets that change shape with income, and some cities add their own local tax on top. Enter your own effective state rate as a percentage of pay and treat the result as an approximation; a genuinely accurate state figure needs that state's own brackets and your filing status. Zero is a legitimate entry and simply models a no-income-tax state.
How do biweekly and semi-monthly pay change the result?
Only the size of each check changes, not the annual tax. Biweekly pay runs 26 pay periods a year, semi-monthly runs 24, weekly 52 and monthly 12. Your annual take-home pay is identical either way, so the per-check figure for semi-monthly pay is larger simply because there are fewer checks. This matters when budgeting: if you are paid biweekly you receive two extra checks a year, and two months each year contain three paychecks — worth planning around if you set bills by calendar month rather than by paycheck.
Last updated — 2026 tax-year figures. Brackets and limits change yearly, so always confirm with IRS and SSA sources.
Estimates for general information only, not tax advice — see our disclaimer.