Paycheck Calculator: Estimate Your 2026 Take-Home Pay

How a salary turns into a deposit

Payroll runs the same sequence every cycle. First, pre-tax money comes off the top: 401(k) contributions escape federal and state income tax, and cafeteria-plan dollars like HSA contributions and health premiums escape FICA as well. Next, the standard deduction for your filing status shields a slice of what remains, and federal tax brackets apply marginally to the rest: each bracket rate taxes only the income inside that bracket, never your whole salary. That is why the effective rate this tool reports is always lower than the bracket you are "in." FICA runs in parallel on nearly every dollar: 6.2% for Social Security up to the $184,500 wage base and 1.45% for Medicare with no cap. Your state then applies its own deduction and its own rates, which range from nothing at all to double digits.

A $75,000 example, line by line

Take a single filer in California earning $75,000 who contributes 6% ($4,500) to a 401(k). Federal income tax comes to about $6,680, FICA takes $5,738, and California adds roughly $2,581. Take-home lands near $55,502 for the year, about $2,135 per biweekly check, an effective tax rate of 20.0%. Notice the quiet win: the $4,500 contribution only lowers take-home by $3,150, because the contribution itself dodges income tax. The 401(k) calculator shows what those pre-tax dollars grow into once a match and compounding join in.

Why the state dropdown moves the number so much

Federal tax is the same in Fargo and San Francisco; the state line is where geography shows up. A handful of states withhold nothing from wages, flat-tax states take one rate from most dollars, and bracketed states climb steeply at higher incomes. On the example above, the California line is money that a Texas twin simply keeps, though other costs of living claw some of it back. If you are weighing an offer in another state, run it twice and compare the per-check numbers rather than guessing from headlines.

What payroll takes that this tool does not

This estimate models statewide income taxes only. City and county income taxes, State Disability Insurance, health premiums beyond what you enter, and credits like the child tax credit are all outside it, which is why a real stub can differ by a few percentage points. One-off checks behave differently too: employers usually withhold a flat federal percentage from bonuses and RSU vests, which our bonus tax calculator breaks down separately. Once the take-home number is solid, it becomes the honest starting line for a budget: every plan built on gross pay is optimistic by five figures.