Free Paycheck Calculator — See Your Exact Take-Home Pay in Seconds

Enter your salary or hourly wage and instantly find out how much you actually bring home after federal income tax, state tax, Social Security, and Medicare deductions. Updated with 2026 IRS tax brackets for all 50 states.

What to enter: Salary or hourly rate is required. Everything else can be left blank if it does not apply — blank fields count as $0 or use the default shown in the field.

Income

Tax year

Deductions (per paycheck)

All fields in this section are optional. Leave blank if you have no deductions of that type.

How to Calculate Your Take-Home Pay

  1. Enter Your Gross Pay

    Type in your annual salary or hourly wage. You can also enter your hours per week and pay frequency — weekly, bi-weekly, semi-monthly, or monthly.

  2. Select Your State and Filing Status

    Choose your US state and filing status: single, married filing jointly, married filing separately, or head of household. Each affects your standard deduction and tax bracket.

  3. Get Your Net Pay Instantly

    See a full breakdown of your paycheck including federal income tax, state income tax, Social Security (6.2%), Medicare (1.45%), and any pre-tax deductions like 401(k) or HSA contributions.

Related paycheck & salary calculators

Free paycheck calculator for all 50 states

Use our free paycheck calculator and take-home pay calculator to estimate net pay after federal taxes, state income tax, Social Security, Medicare, and payroll deductions. Whether you need a salary calculator, hourly paycheck calculator, or bi-weekly paycheck calculator, this tool answers: how much will my paycheck be after taxes?

The payroll calculator supports tax years 2025 and 2026 with IRS-updated federal brackets, standard deductions, and FICA wage bases. Select your state for a state tax calculator estimate across all 50 states and Washington, D.C.

What taxes are taken out of a paycheck?

Most U.S. paychecks include federal income tax withholding (use our federal tax calculator logic), state income tax in most states, Social Security (6.2% up to the annual wage base), Medicare (1.45%), and optional local income tax in cities such as New York City or Philadelphia.

Pre-tax deductions — traditional 401(k), health insurance, HSA, and FSA — reduce taxable income and lower withholding. A paycheck calculator with 401k deductions shows how traditional contributions increase take-home pay. Post-tax Roth 401(k) does not reduce current tax but still reduces net pay.

Who should use a net pay calculator?

Employees comparing job offers, negotiating salary, budgeting monthly expenses, or planning 401(k) contributions benefit from a gross-to-net calculator and paycheck deduction calculator. HR professionals reviewing W-2 paycheck scenarios can use it for quick estimates.

If you receive bonuses, overtime, or tips, use our overtime pay calculator, bonus tax calculator, and guides for supplemental withholding and OBBBA deductions when filing.

Paycheck calculator FAQ

What is a paycheck calculator?

A paycheck calculator is a free online tool that estimates your take-home pay after all deductions. It accounts for federal income tax, state income tax, FICA taxes (Social Security and Medicare), and any pre-tax deductions like 401(k) or health insurance to show you your actual net pay.

How is take-home pay calculated?

Your take-home pay is calculated using this formula: Net Pay = Gross Pay minus (Federal Tax + State Tax + Social Security + Medicare + Benefits Deductions). Federal income tax rates for 2026 range from 10% to 37% depending on your income bracket and filing status.

What is the difference between gross pay and net pay?

Gross pay is your total salary or wages before any deductions. Net pay — also called take-home pay — is what you actually receive after taxes and deductions are subtracted. On average, US workers take home about 70-75% of their gross pay, though this varies by state and income level.

How much tax is taken out of a paycheck?

For 2026, paycheck deductions typically include: federal income tax (10%–37% depending on your bracket), Social Security at 6.2% on earnings up to $184,500, Medicare at 1.45% (plus an extra 0.9% above $200,000), and state income tax which ranges from 0% in states like Texas and Florida to over 13% in California.

Which states have no income tax?

Nine US states have no state income tax: Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, and Wyoming. Workers in these states only pay federal taxes and FICA on their paychecks.

What is a W-4 and how does it affect my paycheck?

A W-4 is the IRS tax withholding form you fill out when starting a new job. It tells your employer how much federal income tax to withhold from each paycheck. Claiming more allowances reduces withholding and increases your take-home pay, but may result in a tax bill at year-end.

How does a 401(k) affect my paycheck?

Traditional 401(k) contributions are deducted from your gross pay before taxes, which lowers your taxable income and reduces the federal and state tax withheld from each paycheck. For 2026, the 401(k) contribution limit is $24,500.

What is FICA tax?

FICA stands for Federal Insurance Contributions Act. It includes two payroll taxes: Social Security (6.2% up to the $184,500 wage base in 2026) and Medicare (1.45% with no income cap). Your employer matches these contributions, paying another 7.65% on your behalf.

View all 18+ paycheck tax questions →

Our free paycheck calculator helps employees and job seekers across the United States understand their real earnings. Whether you are evaluating a new job offer, planning a household budget, or simply curious about your tax withholding, our salary and hourly paycheck calculator gives you instant, accurate results. We support all pay schedules — weekly, bi-weekly, semi-monthly, and monthly — and cover all 50 US states plus Washington D.C. with 2026 federal and state tax rates. Use our net pay calculator to factor in 401(k) contributions, HSA deductions, health insurance premiums, and additional withholding to get the most accurate picture of your take-home pay.