Paycheck Calculator calculates your net pay, or your income after federal income tax, FICA (social security and Medicare) and state income tax. Select pay period, filing status, include 401(k) or HSA contributions and view your net pay by period. Covers all 50 states and Washington, DC tax years 2025 and 2026. All applications are executed on your browser without sending anything you type to anywhere.
Your pay details
Where your pay goes
| Gross pay | |
|---|---|
| Federal income tax | |
| Social Security | |
| Medicare | |
| Additional Medicare | |
| State income tax | |
| Pre-tax deductions | |
| Post-tax deductions | |
| Net pay |
Effective tax rate · Marginal rate
Show the math
This is an estimate for planning. It covers federal income tax, FICA, and simplified state income tax. It does not include local or paid-leave taxes. Your employer’s payroll system may calculate a different amount.
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Table of Contents
What this paycheck calculator does
Use this paycheck calculator to calculate the estimated amount of gross salary/hourly pay remaining after estimated federal income tax, the estimated amount of Social Security and Medicare tax, simplified state income tax, and the deductions you enter. Choose a tax year, filing status, state and pay schedule to view an estimated amount per paycheck and a breakdown of the itemized deductions.
Select between pay per hour and pay per salary; you can opt into time and a half for overtime. Use optional fields to include 401(k)/403(b), HSA, FSA, health-premium and other deductions. The tax treatment will depend on the particular deduction and plan, so rely on the itemized deduction as an estimate and not as a payroll guarantee.
How your take-home pay is calculated
There are four steps to the calculation.
- Gross pay. The annual salary (or hourly rate x hours worked) in the period you chose.
- Deductions. Enter contributions and benefit deductions, if applicable, for each pay period. The impact on taxable income and FICA will vary by deduction and/or plan, consult the itemized result and benefits documentation.
- Federal tax & FICA. The standard deduction is taken, the remainder of the income goes through the marginal brackets and Social Security (6.2% up to the annual wage base) and Medicare (1.45%) are deducted. If you make more than the extra Medicare income, it’s subject to an extra 0.9%.
- State tax. The formula is a simplified version of state income tax for the state you’ve chosen. There are nine states without any tax on wage income: Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington and Wyoming.
What is not included
This is a planning estimate only, NOT a payroll system. It doesn’t account for local or city income tax, state disability or paid-family-leave programs or the method used by your employer. It also excludes any deductions you have not inputted. These are all substantial reasons why your actual paycheck may vary.
Tax year, methodology and sources
In the calculator, change the year to either tax year 2025 or 2026, corresponding to the year you are estimating. The calculator calculates the salary or hourly rate entered and the selected pay frequency to an estimated amount per pay period and uses the filing status and the standard deduction and tax brackets (with a simplified state income tax estimate) to estimate the federal income tax; it calculates Social Security and Medicare; it applies a simplified state income tax estimate; and it accounts for deductions and optional W-4 Step 3 federal tax credits and Step 4(c) extra withholding entered in the form to estimate the tax. The results are an approximation of the withholding from a paycheck and not a calculation of your actual tax liability.
Please consult the official sources below for current federal and state regulations. This calculator is designed to reflect only basic rules, updates, local tax, state payroll program and/or employer-specific withholding election and may not represent all of these.
Certain tax advantages are subject to eligibility requirements and/or information not provided by this calculator. When considering the accuracy of the estimate, make sure that special allowances or credits for qualified tips, overtime, etc. are not assumed to be included unless they are listed as an input or line item in the results.
- IRS Publication 15-T — federal income tax withholding methods and tables.
- IRS federal income tax rates and brackets — annual federal tax brackets by filing status.
- Social Security Administration contribution and benefit base — Social Security wage-base information.
- Federation of Tax Administrators: state tax agencies — links to state revenue and tax departments.
FAQ
How do I calculate my take-home pay?
Enter your gross annual income, tax year, payment frequency, filing status, and state; then, see the estimated net and itemized deductions. This provides an estimate only, and your employers’ payroll calculation may be different because you might have a different W-4, different benefits, and different taxes that your employer would calculate.
How many pay periods are there in a year?
Typically pay is weekly, which equals 52 payments per year; biweekly, which equals 26 payments per year; semi-monthly which equals 24 payments per year; and monthly which equals 12 payments per year. Biweekly (twice a week) paydays are every two weeks; semi-monthly (twice a month) paydays are each payday split into two amounts.
What is the difference between every other week pay and half-monthly pay?
Biweekly pay is payment that is made every other week, which results in 26 payments per year. Semi-monthly pays are paid on a twice monthly basis (24 checks per year). Select the schedule that appears on your pay stub—it’s not changing the amount of money that you are paid, it’s just changing how it is paid out throughout the year.
What happens to an hourly paycheck estimate when you work overtime?
Choose Hourly and enter the hourly rate and regular hours per week and overtime hours. The calculator assumes that overtime is 1.5 times the number of hours entered. Overtime rules and overtime hours are subject to actual working hours and law – check with employer.
Are 401(k), HSA and health deductions impacting take-home pay?
They lower the amount of cash that you receive by the amount deducted but do not have the same tax treatment. The remittance of federal, state and SS/Medicare wages will depend on the remittance and plan. Input the total per pay-period and check it against your payroll and benefits information from your employer.
Does the calculator take into account local taxes and paid leaves deductions?
No. Local/ city income tax, state disability insurance and paid-family-leave deductions are not included in the estimate. These can impact your paycheck, subject to your work and residing place.
Is paycheck withholding the same tax as what I will be paying?
No. Paycheck withholding is a portion of your earnings (during the year) deducted from your paycheck to pay your tax obligation. Final tax is calculated at the time of filing based on your total income, deductions, credits and other factors. Use the IRS Withholding Estimator to determine a personal estimate of federal withholding or talk to a tax professional.
Why might my actual paycheck be different than the estimate?
W-4 elections or information from the payroll system not entered here may be used by your employer. The amount can also be affected by local taxes, state disability or paid-leave programs, benefits costs, timing of the pay period, rounding, and other factors. Compare the itemized estimate with your pay stub and the official state guidance.
What tax year is this going to be?
Select the year of the paycheck earned – 2025 or 2026. The tax thresholds and withholding guidance may change from year to year, and cannot be substituted for withholding for another year.
What is meant by W-4 credits/extra withholding?
Open “Deductions & W-4.” Type in the annual amount in Step 3 credits and the extra amount you wish to be taken with each paycheck in Step 4(c). Do not use these fields as substitutes for a W-4 form filed with your employer, but rather use your completed W-4 and existing IRS guidance.
Does this calculator cover all states?
It provides state options for every 50 state and Washington, DC for tax years 2025 and 2026. State income tax is simplified and the estimate does not include all local taxes and state payroll deduction. For rules specific to your situation, follow the link to your state tax agency.
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Reviewed by: aFreeTools Editorial Team
Last updated: October 04, 2026
Freshness: The page’s content and sources were last reviewed October 4, 2026. Check related guidance and pay stub for situations that will require an exact withholding amount.
Disclaimer: This paycheck calculator is for informational and planning purposes only. It provides an estimate of take-home pay based on the information you enter and standard federal/state tax assumptions, but actual pay can vary due to local taxes, benefits, deductions, withholding elections, payroll rules, and employer-specific factors. Results are not a guarantee of wages, tax liability, or net pay and should not be considered tax, legal, accounting, or financial advice. Please verify final amounts with your employer’s payroll system or a qualified tax professional.