Paycheck calculator
Enter your gross pay and how often you're paid to estimate what lands in your account after federal taxes, FICA and pre-tax deductions.
Take-home pay per paycheck
$2,092.60
16.30% of your gross pay goes to tax
How to use it
- Enter your gross pay for one paycheck and how often you're paid. For a salary, pick once a year and enter the yearly figure.
- Pick your filing status. This sets the standard deduction and brackets.
- Add your 401(k) percentage and any pre-tax benefit premiums from your pay stub.
- Enter a state rate if your state has an income tax, then read your take-home pay.
Worked example
$2,500 every two weeks, single, no deductions, no state tax.
Yearly gross is $65,000. Taxable income is $65,000 − $16,100 = $48,900, so federal tax is $1,240 + 12% of $36,500 = $5,620.00. Social Security $4,030.00, Medicare $942.50. Yearly take-home $54,407.50, or $2,092.60 per paycheck; taxes take 16.30% of gross.
How this is calculated
Your pay is multiplied up to a year, and federal taxable income is that yearly gross minus pre-tax retirement, pre-tax benefits and the standard deduction, with the 2026 bracket rates applied to it. Social Security is 6.2% of wages up to $184,500; Medicare is 1.45%, plus 0.9% above $200,000 ($250,000 married). Take-home is the yearly gross minus deductions and all those taxes, divided back to one paycheck. Your actual withholding follows your W-4 and can differ, especially with bonuses or a mid-year start; not tax advice.
yearly gross = gross per paycheck × paychecks per year
federal taxable income = yearly gross − pre-tax retirement − pre-tax benefits − standard deduction
federal tax = the 2026 bracket rates applied to taxable income; Social Security = 6.2% of wages up to $184,500; Medicare = 1.45%, plus 0.9% above $200,000 ($250,000 married)
take-home = yearly gross − deductions − federal − Social Security − Medicare − state, divided back to one paycheck
This annualizes your pay and applies the year’s tax, which is what your withholding is designed to approximate. Actual withholding follows your W-4 and can differ, especially with bonuses or a mid-year start.
Rates, sources and limits
- US federal income tax, tax year 2026 rates effective 1 Jan 2026, checked 13 Sep 2026. Source
- Social Security and Medicare, 2026 rates effective 1 Jan 2026, checked 13 Sep 2026. Source
Federal estimate for tax year 2026 using the standard deduction. Not tax advice; actual withholding and liability depend on your full return.
Rates current as of 2026. Last reviewed 13 Sep 2026 by the CalcRabbit team. Estimates only, not financial, tax or medical advice.
Frequently asked questions
Why is my actual paycheck different?
Withholding is an estimate that follows your W-4 entries and IRS tables, and it doesn't know about a mid-year raise or a second job. Local taxes, state disability insurance, union dues and after-tax deductions also aren't included here. The yearly total should be close to your real tax bill if your income is steady.
Does a 401(k) contribution reduce Social Security tax?
No. It reduces federal and most state income tax, but Social Security and Medicare are calculated on your pay before retirement contributions. Health premiums under a Section 125 plan do reduce all of them.
What if I'm married and my spouse works?
Use married filing jointly and enter your combined pay per period, or run each paycheck separately with the single brackets as a rough guide. Two earners using the joint brackets on one paycheck each will underestimate the tax.
Which states have no income tax?
Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington and Wyoming. Most other states have rates between 2% and 6% at typical incomes; California, New York and a few others go higher.