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Paycheck Calculator
Estimate your take-home pay after 2026 federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare, and an optional state tax rate.
Your Pay
Leave state rate at 0 if you live in a no-income-tax state (e.g. TX, FL, WA, NV, TN, SD, WY, AK, NH) or want a federal-only estimate. This is a flat percentage you supply — we do not calculate your specific state's bracket structure. See the note below.
How this is calculated
This calculator estimates your effective annual federal tax by annualizing your gross pay, subtracting the 2026 standard deduction for your filing status, and applying the 2026 marginal tax brackets to the result — then dividing back down to your pay frequency. This is the standard simplified approach used by most consumer paycheck estimators. It is not the exact IRS Publication 15-T payroll withholding percentage-method table your employer actually uses, which additionally factors in your Form W-4 elections (filing status checkbox, the multiple-jobs worksheet, dependent credits, and any extra withholding you requested). Your real per-paycheck withholding can differ from this estimate for that reason — but your total annual federal tax liability, once you file your return, follows the same bracket math shown here.
2026 federal tax brackets used
| Rate | Single | Married Filing Jointly | Head of Household |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10% | $0 – $12,400 | $0 – $24,800 | $0 – $17,700 |
| 12% | $12,400 – $50,400 | $24,800 – $100,800 | $17,700 – $67,450 |
| 22% | $50,400 – $105,700 | $100,800 – $211,400 | $67,450 – $105,700 |
| 24% | $105,700 – $201,775 | $211,400 – $403,550 | $105,700 – $201,750 |
| 32% | $201,775 – $256,225 | $403,550 – $512,450 | $201,750 – $256,200 |
| 35% | $256,225 – $640,600 | $512,450 – $768,700 | $256,200 – $640,600 |
| 37% | over $640,600 | over $768,700 | over $640,600 |
2026 standard deduction: Single / Married Filing Separately: $16,100 · Married Filing Jointly: $32,200 · Head of Household: $24,150.
Source: IRS Revenue Procedure 2025-32, announced in "IRS releases tax inflation adjustments for tax year 2026" (IR-2025-103), published October 9, 2025 — irs.gov. These are tax year 2026 figures (returns filed in 2027).
FICA (Social Security & Medicare) rates used
- Social Security: 6.2%, applied to wages up to the 2026 wage base limit of $184,500. Wages above that are not subject to Social Security tax.
- Medicare: 1.45% on all wages, with no wage cap.
- Additional Medicare Tax: an extra 0.9% on wages above $200,000 (single/head of household) or $250,000 (married filing jointly).
Source: Social Security Administration 2026 COLA Fact Sheet — ssa.gov ($184,500 wage base for 2026); IRS Topic no. 751, Social Security and Medicare withholding rates — irs.gov.
Why state tax is a simple flat-rate input, not a full calculation
Every US state (and many cities) has its own income tax rules — nine states have no wage income tax at all (Texas, Florida, Washington, Nevada, Tennessee, South Dakota, Wyoming, Alaska, and New Hampshire, which taxes only certain investment income), while the other 41+ have their own brackets, standard deductions, and credits that change independently of federal rules and often change every year. Modeling all 50 states accurately in one pass would be a substantial undertaking on its own and a likely source of errors if done quickly. Instead, this calculator asks you to enter your own effective state/local tax rate as a flat percentage — you can find a reasonable estimate from your last pay stub, your state's department of revenue website, or a state-specific calculator, and enter it here for a fuller take-home-pay picture. Leave it at 0% for a federal-only estimate or if you're in a no-income-tax state.
Frequently asked questions
Why doesn't this match my actual paycheck exactly?
Real payroll withholding uses IRS Publication 15-T's percentage-method tables, which are driven by your Form W-4 — including whether you checked the "multiple jobs" box, claimed dependents, or requested extra withholding. This calculator uses a simplified annualized-bracket approach that closely approximates a single-job, standard-deduction taxpayer's effective tax, but it will not match your pay stub to the penny. It's a planning estimate, not a substitute for your actual pay stub or W-4.
What tax year is this based on?
Tax year 2026 — the brackets and standard deduction that apply to income earned during 2026 (the return for which is filed in 2027), per IRS Revenue Procedure 2025-32.
Does this include local city/county income tax?
Not automatically. If your city or county has its own income tax (for example, some Ohio and Pennsylvania municipalities, or New York City), fold that rate into the "state/local tax rate" field yourself for a fuller estimate.
Is my salary information uploaded anywhere?
No. Every calculation happens locally in your browser using JavaScript. Your pay, filing status, and other figures are never sent to a server.