How this calculator works
Enter your annual salary, or your hourly rate and weekly hours, how often you’re paid and your filing status. The calculator estimates your 2026 federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare and state income tax, and shows your take-home pay per paycheck and per year, with a line for each deduction.
What comes out of every paycheck
- Federal income tax, by brackets, after the standard deduction of $16,100 (single), $32,200 (married filing jointly) or $24,150 (head of household).
- Social Security: 6.2% of wages up to $184,500 in 2026.
- Medicare: 1.45% of all wages, plus 0.9% above $200,000 ($250,000 if married filing jointly).
- State income tax: from nothing in states like Texas and Florida to over 10% at the top in California. Enter your state’s rate as an estimate.
- 401(k) contributions, if you make them, before income tax.
Example: a $60,000 salary
Single, paid every two weeks (26 paychecks), in a state with no income tax:
| Per paycheck | Per year | |
|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $2,307.69 | $60,000 |
| Federal income tax | −$193.08 | −$5,020 |
| Social Security | −$143.08 | −$3,720 |
| Medicare | −$33.46 | −$870 |
| Take-home pay | $1,938.08 | $50,390 |
The federal tax comes from taxable income of $43,900 ($60,000 minus the $16,100 standard deduction): 10% on the first $12,400 and 12% on the rest, $5,020 in total. In a state with a 5% income tax, each paycheck would lose another $115.38, leaving $1,822.69.
2026 federal tax brackets
| Rate | Single | Married filing jointly |
|---|---|---|
| 10% | Up to $12,400 | Up to $24,800 |
| 12% | $12,400 – $50,400 | $24,800 – $100,800 |
| 22% | $50,400 – $105,700 | $100,800 – $211,400 |
| 24% | $105,700 – $201,775 | $211,400 – $403,550 |
| 32% | $201,775 – $256,225 | $403,550 – $512,450 |
| 35% | $256,225 – $640,600 | $512,450 – $768,700 |
| 37% | Over $640,600 | Over $768,700 |
These apply to taxable income, after the standard deduction. Moving into a higher bracket only taxes the dollars above the line at the higher rate, never your whole salary. That’s why the $60,000 earner is in the 12% bracket but pays just 8.4% of gross pay in federal income tax, or 16% including Social Security and Medicare.
What changes your take-home pay
- A 401(k). Putting 5% of that $60,000 salary into a traditional 401(k) saves $360 of federal tax, so each paycheck drops by $101.54 while $115.38 goes into your retirement account.
- Children. The child tax credit is $2,200 per child under 17. A married couple earning $120,000 with two kids gets $4,400 off their federal tax and takes home $4,045.38 every two weeks.
- Hourly pay. $20 an hour for 40 hours a week is $41,600 a year; paid weekly, that’s $684.72 take-home.
- High salaries. At $250,000, Social Security stops once you pass $184,500, around the 20th paycheck of the year, and the extra 0.9% Medicare starts above $200,000.
What this calculator doesn’t include
Local income taxes, pre-tax health insurance, HSA and FSA contributions, and the refundable part of the child tax credit, which you get back when you file. The new federal deductions for tips and overtime pay (2025 through 2028) and the extra deduction for people 65 and older are also claimed on your tax return rather than through your paycheck. If you work for yourself, the self-employment tax calculator covers your case.