Take-Home Paycheck Calculator
See your net pay after federal tax, FICA, retirement contributions and deductions.
About Take-Home Paycheck Calculator
Your paycheck is reduced by several layers of withholding. Federal income tax uses the progressive bracket system for your selected tax year; pre-tax retirement and health insurance reduce this base first. FICA taxes are separate: Social Security applies only up to the annual wage base (which rises each year), while Medicare has no cap. An additional 0.9% surtax applies on wages above the threshold. State taxes vary widely — this calculator uses a flat rate as an approximation. Figures depend on the selected tax year.
Formulas
FICA — Social Security
Social Security Tax = min(FICA wages, wage base) × Social Security rate
- W_FICA
- Gross wages minus FICA-exempt deductions
- WB
- Social Security wage base for the selected year
- r_SS
- Social Security rate (6.2%)
FICA — Medicare
Medicare = FICA wages × 1.45% + max(0, wages above threshold) × 0.9%
- T
- Threshold: $200,000 for single/head; $250,000 for married filing jointly (not indexed by law)
Worked example
With the default values below, Take-Home Paycheck Calculator returns Take-Home Pay (per Period) of $2,510.92. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.
Inputs used
- Tax yearone of 2026, 2025, 2024
- 2026
- Gross Pay per Periodminimum 0 $
- 4,000 $
- Pay Frequencyone of Weekly (52×/yr), Bi-weekly (26×/yr), Semi-monthly (24×/yr), Monthly (12×/yr), Quarterly (4×/yr), Annually (1×/yr)
- Bi-weekly (26×/yr)
- Filing Statusone of Single, Married filing jointly, Head of household
- Single
- Federal Withholding Allowances / Extra Withholdingminimum 0 $
- 0 $
- Pre-Tax Retirement Contribution (per period)minimum 0 $
- 400 $
- Pre-Tax Health Insurance Premium (per period)minimum 0 $
- 200 $
- Other Pre-Tax Deductions (per period)minimum 0 $
- 0 $
- State Income Tax Rate (%)accepts 0–15
- 5
- Post-Tax Deductions (per period)minimum 0 $
- 0 $
Results
- Take-Home Pay (per Period)
- $2,510.92
- Annual Take-Home Pay
- $65,284
- Federal Income Tax (per Period)
- $408.38
- Social Security Tax (per Period)
- $235.60
- Medicare Tax (per Period)
- $55.10
- State Income Tax (per Period)
- $190.00
- Total Pre-Tax Deductions (per Period)
- $600.00
- Effective Total Tax RateAll taxes as a share of gross pay.
- 22.23%
- Federal Marginal Rate
- 22%
- Tax Year
- 2026
Step by step
- 1Using 2026 tax year rules2026 figures from IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32, reflecting the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
- 2Gross pay per period= $4,000.00
- 3Annual gross= $104,000
- 4Federal taxable income (after deductions & standard deduction)= $72,300
- 5Annual federal income tax= $10,618
- 6Social Security (6.2% up to $184,500)= $6,126
- 7Medicare (1.45%)= $1,433
- 8State income tax= $4,940
- 9Take-home per biweekly paycheck= $2,510.92
Assumptions and limits
- The result is derived only from the 10 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
- In particular, this calculator does not take inflation or fees or charges into account.
- Figures are rounded for display to 2 decimal places, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.
- Uses tax brackets and FICA rates for the selected tax year. State tax uses a flat-rate approximation. Actual withholding depends on your W-4 elections and employer payroll system.
- This is an estimate for general information and not professional financial, tax or legal advice. See the full disclaimer for the limits that apply to this kind of calculator.
How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.
Uses tax brackets and FICA rates for the selected tax year. State tax uses a flat-rate approximation. Actual withholding depends on your W-4 elections and employer payroll system.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is Social Security capped but Medicare is not?
Social Security benefits are also capped — you receive benefits based on your highest 35 years of earnings, and the maximum benefit is calculated from wages up to the wage base. Medicare has no benefit cap (it covers all qualified medical expenses), so the tax has no wage cap either.
What is the additional Medicare surtax?
The Additional Medicare Tax of 0.9% was added by the Affordable Care Act. It applies to earned income above $200,000 (single) or $250,000 (married filing jointly). Unlike the base Medicare tax, this is not split with an employer — you pay the full 0.9% yourself.
Does a 401(k) contribution reduce my FICA taxes?
No. Traditional 401(k) contributions reduce federal (and often state) income tax but are still subject to Social Security and Medicare taxes. Health insurance premiums paid through a Section 125 cafeteria plan do reduce FICA.
My state uses a progressive bracket, not a flat rate — what should I enter?
Enter your effective state rate (total state tax ÷ gross income) as a reasonable approximation. For exact state tax, use your state's withholding tables or a state-specific calculator.
Which tax year does this use?
You can select 2024, 2025, or 2026 from the Tax Year field at the top. The calculator uses that year's brackets, standard deductions, and Social Security wage base. The wage base rises each year, which can affect your net pay calculation.