CALCULATOR TOOLS
Paycheck Calculator 2026 (Take-Home Pay)
Take-home pay after 2026 federal tax, Social Security, Medicare and state income tax for all 50 states and DC.
Calculated in your browser – nothing you enter is sent or stored.
This free paycheck calculator shows how much of your pay you actually take home in 2026. Enter a salary or hourly wage, how often you are paid and where you live, and it subtracts federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare and state income tax for every state and Washington, D.C. – plus any 401(k), health insurance or local tax you enter – to show your net pay per paycheck, per month and per year.
How to Use the Paycheck Calculator
- Choose salary or hourly. For hourly pay, enter your rate, regular hours and any overtime hours per week (paid at time and a half).
- Pick your pay frequency: weekly (52 paychecks), every two weeks (26), twice a month (24) or monthly (12).
- Select your state and filing status. Add children under 17 and other dependents to apply the federal tax credits you claim on Form W-4.
- Add deductions. 401(k) as a percentage of pay, pre-tax benefits such as health insurance or an HSA per paycheck, and any after-tax deductions.
How Your Take-Home Pay Is Calculated
Take-home pay = gross pay − federal income tax − Social Security − Medicare − state and local income tax − deductions
Example: a single worker in Texas earning $75,000 a year, paid every two weeks:
- Federal taxable income: $75,000 − $16,100 standard deduction = $58,900, which gives $7,670 of federal income tax.
- Social Security: 6.2% × $75,000 = $4,650. Medicare: 1.45% × $75,000 = $1,087.50.
- Texas has no state income tax, so take-home pay is $61,592.50 a year, or $2,368.94 per paycheck.
The same salary in California adds about $2,788 of state income tax, leaving roughly $2,261.72 every two weeks.
2026 Federal Income Tax Brackets
The IRS adjusts brackets for inflation every year. These are the 2026 rates on taxable income – your pay after pre-tax deductions and the standard deduction. Each rate applies only to the income inside its band, so moving into a higher bracket never lowers your take-home pay.
| Rate | Single | Married filing jointly | Head of household |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10% | $0 – $12,400 | $0 – $24,800 | $0 – $17,700 |
| 12% | $12,401 – $50,400 | $24,801 – $100,800 | $17,701 – $67,450 |
| 22% | $50,401 – $105,700 | $100,801 – $211,400 | $67,451 – $105,700 |
| 24% | $105,701 – $201,775 | $211,401 – $403,550 | $105,701 – $201,750 |
| 32% | $201,776 – $256,225 | $403,551 – $512,450 | $201,751 – $256,200 |
| 35% | $256,226 – $640,600 | $512,451 – $768,700 | $256,201 – $640,600 |
| 37% | Over $640,600 | Over $768,700 | Over $640,600 |
The 2026 standard deduction is $16,100 for single filers, $32,200 for married couples filing jointly and $24,150 for heads of household. The child tax credit is $2,200 per qualifying child under 17.
Social Security and Medicare (FICA)
FICA taxes are a flat percentage of wages and fund Social Security and Medicare. Your employer pays the same amount again on top of your salary.
- Social Security: 6.2% of wages up to the 2026 wage base of $184,500. Above that, no more Social Security tax is withheld for the rest of the year – the maximum is $11,439.
- Medicare: 1.45% of all wages, plus an Additional Medicare Tax of 0.9% on wages over $200,000.
- 401(k) contributions do not reduce FICA taxes, but most pre-tax health insurance, HSA and FSA deductions (Section 125 plans) do.
States With No Income Tax on Wages
Nine states don't tax wages: Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington and Wyoming. Washington taxes only some capital gains, and New Hampshire ended its tax on interest and dividends in 2025. In those states your paycheck has only federal tax and FICA taken out.
Fifteen states use a single flat rate – for example Arizona (2.5%), Pennsylvania (3.07%), Illinois (4.95%), North Carolina (3.99%) and Colorado (4.4%). The rest use graduated brackets, with California's top rate of 13.3% the highest in the country.
How to Increase Your Take-Home Pay
- Update your W-4. If you got a large refund last year, too much is being withheld. The IRS Tax Withholding Estimator helps you set it accurately.
- Use pre-tax benefits. HSA and FSA contributions lower federal, state and FICA taxes at the same time.
- Contribute to a traditional 401(k). Each dollar lowers your taxable income now, so a $100 contribution may reduce your take-home pay by only $70 to $80.
Why Your Paycheck May Differ
This calculator estimates the tax you owe on a full year of wages and spreads it evenly over your paychecks. Employers use the IRS percentage-method tables in Publication 15-T, so actual withholding is usually within a few dollars per paycheck. State figures use 2026 brackets, standard deductions and personal exemptions or credits. Phase-outs, local income taxes you don't enter, and state disability or paid-leave programs (California, New Jersey, New York, Washington and others) are not included. Bonuses are often withheld at a flat 22% federal rate.
Planning a big purchase? Once you know your take-home pay, try the mortgage calculator or the car payment calculator. Paid by the hour? Total your week with the time card calculator.
Sources
- IRS – Tax inflation adjustments for tax year 2026 (Rev. Proc. 2025-32)
- SSA – 2026 Social Security changes (wage base $184,500)
- IRS – Publication 15-T, Federal Income Tax Withholding Methods
- IRS – Tax Withholding Estimator
- Tax Foundation – State Individual Income Tax Rates and Brackets, 2026
Last reviewed: October 2026 by the ShrinkBee team. Results are estimates for planning and education, not financial, tax, legal or medical advice.
Hours Calculator Time Card Calculator Mortgage Calculator Compound Interest Calculator