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Paycheck Calculator (Take-Home Pay)

See what you take home in 2026 after federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare, state tax and your 401(k) and health deductions, per paycheck and per year. It works for salaried and hourly pay.

Updated October 2026 Runs in your browser. Nothing is stored Results update as you type Amounts in $ (USD)

Your numbers

How you are paid

Your gross pay for the year, before anything is taken out. Include any bonus you expect, if you want it in the yearly figures.

$2,884.62 gross per paycheck

The status you expect to use on your tax return. It sets your standard deduction and tax brackets. A qualifying surviving spouse uses the married filing jointly figures.

The share of each paycheck you put in a pre-tax 401(k). It is not subject to federal income tax now, but Social Security and Medicare tax still apply. Your combined 401(k) contributions are capped at the 2026 limit.
%

$144.23 a paycheck

What you pay per paycheck for health, dental and vision premiums, HSA or FSA contributions and similar benefits through your employer’s cafeteria plan. These generally escape income tax, Social Security and Medicare tax.
/paycheck

Enter your average state rate, plus any city or county income tax. Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington and Wyoming have no income tax on wages in 2026, so enter 0 there. The rate is applied to your pay after pre-tax deductions, though states differ in how they treat those.
%

Varies by state. Nine states have no income tax on wages in 2026.

More options
The share of each paycheck you put in a Roth 401(k). It comes out after all taxes, so it lowers your take-home by the full amount and does not reduce your tax this year. It shares the yearly limit with your traditional 401(k).
%

Only sets your 401(k) limit. From age 50 your plan may allow a catch-up on top of the $24,500 limit: $8,000, or $11,250 if you reach 60, 61, 62 or 63 in 2026.

Estimated take-home pay per biweekly paycheck

$2,186.09

$56,838 a year. This estimates tax on the year’s pay; your actual withholding depends on your Form W-4.

Take-home pay per year
$56,838
75.8% of your $75,000 gross pay
Effective tax rate
15.7%
Federal, Social Security, Medicare and state tax as a share of gross pay
Marginal tax rate
22%
Federal bracket. 29.7% on your next dollar with payroll and state tax
Federal income tax
$6,273
On $52,550 of taxable income after the $16,100 standard deduction

Your $144.23 traditional 401(k) contribution lowers each paycheck by only $112.50, because it comes out before income tax. That saves you $825 in income tax this year.

Where your gross pay goes

  • Take-home pay$56,83876%
  • Federal and state income tax$6,2738%
  • Social Security and Medicare$5,5397%
  • 401(k), health and other deductions$6,3508%

Where each paycheck goes

$0$1K$2K$3KTraditional 401(k)Health and otherFederal taxSocial Security taxMedicare taxTake-home pay
Your pay line by line (7 rows)
ItemPer paycheckPer yearShare of gross
Gross pay$2,884.62$75,000.00100%
Traditional 401(k)$144.23$3,750.005%
Health and other pre-tax deductions$100.00$2,600.003.5%
Federal income tax$241.27$6,273.008.4%
Social Security tax$172.65$4,488.806%
Medicare tax$40.38$1,049.801.4%
Take-home pay$2,186.09$56,838.4075.8%

How to use this paycheck calculator

  1. Enter your pay. Choose an annual salary, or an hourly rate and your hours a week. Hourly pay is counted over 52 weeks, with no overtime premium.
  2. Pick your pay frequency and filing status. Use the status you expect on your tax return. It sets your standard deduction and brackets.
  3. Add your pre-tax deductions. Enter your traditional 401(k) as a share of pay, and your health premiums, HSA and FSA money as a dollar amount per paycheck.
  4. Enter a state income tax rate if your state has one. Use your average rate and add any city or county income tax. The default is 0.
  5. Open "More options" to add a Roth 401(k) or set your age, which raises your 401(k) limit from age 50.
  6. Read the results. You get take-home pay per paycheck and per year, a line-by-line table, and your effective and marginal tax rates.

How your take-home pay is worked out

Taxable income = gross pay − traditional 401(k) − pre-tax health − standard deduction
Social Security = 6.2% × (gross pay − pre-tax health), on wages up to $184,500
Medicare = 1.45% × (gross pay − pre-tax health), plus 0.9% above your threshold
Take-home = gross pay − deductions − federal tax − Social Security − Medicare − state tax

Worked out for the full year, then divided by your number of paychecks. Federal income tax comes from the 2026 brackets below.

Worked example

You earn $75,000 a year, paid every two weeks, and file as single. You put 5% of pay in a traditional 401(k), which is $3,750 a year, and pay $100 a paycheck for health insurance, which is $2,600 a year. Your state has no income tax on wages.

Your wages for income tax are $75,000 − $3,750 − $2,600 = $68,650. Take off the $16,100 standard deduction and your taxable income is $52,550. Tax on that is 10% of the first $12,400 ($1,240), 12% of the next $38,000 ($4,560) and 22% of the last $2,150 ($473), for a total of $6,273.

Social Security and Medicare apply to $72,400, because the health premiums are excluded but the 401(k) is not. That makes $4,488.80 of Social Security tax and $1,049.80 of Medicare tax.

Your take-home pay is $56,838.40 a year, or $2,186.09 per paycheck. Your effective tax rate is 15.7% of gross pay. Your marginal rate is 22% federal, or 29.7% on your next dollar once Social Security and Medicare are included.

The 401(k) contribution is a good illustration of pre-tax saving. It puts $144.23 a paycheck into your account but lowers your take-home by only $112.50, because it saves you $825 of income tax over the year.

Take-home pay at common salaries

These figures are for a single filer paid every two weeks in 2026, with no pre-tax deductions and no state income tax.

SalaryFederal income taxSocial Security and MedicareTake-home per yearPer paycheckEffective rate
$40,000$2,620$3,060$34,320$1,320.0014.2%
$50,000$3,820$3,825$42,355$1,629.0415.3%
$60,000$5,020$4,590$50,390$1,938.0816%
$75,000$7,670$5,738$61,593$2,368.9417.9%
$100,000$13,170$7,650$79,180$3,045.3820.8%
$125,000$18,734$9,563$96,704$3,719.3722.6%
$150,000$24,734$11,475$113,791$4,376.5824.1%
$200,000$36,734$14,339$148,927$5,727.9625.5%

Filing status changes the answer too. Here is the same $75,000 salary under each main status:

Filing statusStandard deductionFederal income taxTake-home per yearPer paycheckTop bracket reached
Single$16,100$7,670$61,593$2,368.9422%
Head of household$24,150$5,748$63,515$2,442.8712%
Married filing jointly$32,200$4,640$64,623$2,485.4812%

The married figure assumes this is the household's only income. If your spouse also works, your tax together will be higher than this table suggests.

2026 federal tax brackets and standard deduction

The bracket a dollar falls in depends on your taxable income, which is your income after the standard deduction. Only the income inside a bracket is taxed at that bracket's rate, so being in the 22% bracket does not mean all your pay is taxed at 22%.

RateSingleHead of householdMarried filing jointly
10%Up to $12,400Up to $17,700Up to $24,800
12%Over $12,400 to $50,400Over $17,700 to $67,450Over $24,800 to $100,800
22%Over $50,400 to $105,700Over $67,450 to $105,700Over $100,800 to $211,400
24%Over $105,700 to $201,775Over $105,700 to $201,750Over $211,400 to $403,550
32%Over $201,775 to $256,225Over $201,750 to $256,200Over $403,550 to $512,450
35%Over $256,225 to $640,600Over $256,200 to $640,600Over $512,450 to $768,700
37%Over $640,600Over $640,600Over $768,700

The standard deduction is $16,100 for single filers, $24,150 for heads of household and $32,200 for married couples filing jointly. These figures come from IRS Revenue Procedure 2025-32 and include the changes made by the 2025 tax law. When this page was updated in October 2026, the IRS had not yet published its 2027 brackets.

Social Security and Medicare in 2026

  • Social Security: 6.2% of wages up to $184,500, so the most an employee pays is $11,439. The wage base rises to $192,300 in 2027.
  • Medicare: 1.45% of all wages, with no cap.
  • Additional Medicare Tax: a further 0.9% on wages above $200,000 for single filers and heads of household, $250,000 for married couples filing jointly and $125,000 for married people filing separately. Your employer does not match it.

Your employer starts withholding the extra 0.9% once your wages pass $200,000, whatever your filing status, and any difference is settled on your tax return. The calculator shows what you owe for your filing status. A single filer earning $300,000 with no deductions pays $11,439 of Social Security tax, $4,350 of Medicare tax and $900 of Additional Medicare Tax.

Pre-tax deductions do not all work the same way. A traditional 401(k) contribution avoids federal income tax, but Social Security and Medicare still apply to it. Health premiums, HSA and FSA contributions through a cafeteria plan generally avoid all three. A Roth 401(k) contribution avoids none of them, which is why it lowers your take-home by the full amount.

Estimate of tax, not your withholding

This estimates the tax on your year's pay. Your actual withholding depends on your Form W-4. The calculator assumes one job, no other income, the standard deduction and no tax credits. Your paycheck could differ if your W-4 claims dependents or extra withholding, or if you or your spouse have another job.

Timing matters as well. The paycheck figures are yearly averages. If your pay is above the wage base, Social Security tax stops partway through the year, so your early paychecks will be smaller than the average and your later ones larger.

The calculator also leaves out tax credits, itemized deductions, and the 2025 law's new deductions for tips, overtime and seniors, so your tax could be lower than shown. It applies your state rate to pay after pre-tax deductions as a single flat rate. Real state tax has its own brackets and deductions, and some states and cities take other payroll deductions.

Using your take-home figure

Once you know your take-home pay, see what saving more would do. The 401(k) calculator shows what your contributions and employer match could grow to, and the Roth IRA calculator does the same for after-tax savings. To test a whole plan, use the retirement calculator, or see how regular saving builds with the compound interest calculator. If you are thinking about a mortgage, the home affordability calculator starts from your income.

Frequently asked questions

How much is $75,000 a year after taxes?
About $61,593 a year, or $2,368.94 every two weeks, for a single filer in 2026 with no pre-tax deductions and no state income tax. That is after $7,670 of federal income tax, $4,650 of Social Security tax and $1,087.50 of Medicare tax, an effective rate of 17.9%. On the same salary, a head of household would keep about $63,515, and a married couple filing jointly with no other income about $64,623.
What percentage of my paycheck goes to taxes?
It depends on your pay and filing status. For a single filer in 2026 with no deductions and no state income tax, federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare together take 14.2% of a $40,000 salary, 17.9% of $75,000, 20.8% of $100,000 and 25.5% of $200,000. Social Security and Medicare alone take 7.65% of pay up to the $184,500 wage base. State and local income taxes come on top.
What is the standard deduction for 2026?
It is $16,100 for single filers and married people filing separately, $24,150 for heads of household and $32,200 for married couples filing jointly. People who are 65 or older or blind get an extra $1,650, or $2,050 if unmarried. The calculator uses the basic amounts and does not add these extras.
What is the Social Security wage base for 2026?
It is $184,500. You pay 6.2% on wages up to that amount, so the most an employee pays in 2026 is $11,439. The Social Security Administration has set the 2027 wage base at $192,300, which makes the 2027 maximum $11,922.60. Medicare has no wage base.
Why is my actual paycheck different from this estimate?
This calculator estimates the tax on your year’s pay. Your employer withholds based on your Form W-4 and the IRS withholding tables, so the two can differ. Common reasons are a W-4 that claims dependents or extra withholding, a second job or a working spouse, bonuses, post-tax deductions, and state or local payroll deductions. The IRS Tax Withholding Estimator can help you check your W-4.
Which states have no income tax on wages?
Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington and Wyoming have no income tax on wages in 2026, so enter 0 if you live and work in one of them. Washington has enacted a 9.9% tax on income above $1 million that starts in 2028. If you live in one state and work in another, check the rules for both.
Does this include the new deductions for tips, overtime and seniors?
No. From 2025 through 2028, eligible workers can deduct qualified tips, up to $25,000, and the premium part of qualified overtime pay, up to $12,500 or $25,000 on a joint return. Both phase out above $150,000 of modified adjusted gross income, or $300,000 on a joint return. People 65 and older may also deduct up to $6,000 each, phasing out above $75,000, or $150,000 on a joint return. If you qualify, your tax may be lower than this estimate.

Sources and further reading

Independent, official guidance on this topic. Rules differ by country, so check the regulator where you live.

This calculator gives estimates for education and planning. It is not financial advice, and your lender's figures may differ. See how we calculate.