Take-Home Paycheck Calculator
Find out what actually hits your bank account after federal tax, Social Security, Medicare and state tax — in any of the 50 states. Updated for 2026 brackets.
How your paycheck is taxed
Your gross salary gets reduced in layers before it reaches you:
- Pre-tax 401(k) comes out first and lowers your taxable income.
- Federal income tax is progressive — you pay 10%, 12%, 22%… on each band of income, not one flat rate on everything. We apply the 2026 brackets after your standard deduction ().
- FICA is Social Security (6.2% up to the wage base) + Medicare (1.45%, plus 0.9% extra on high earners).
- State income tax varies wildly — nine states take $0.
Paycheck FAQs
Between federal tax, the 7.65% FICA bite, state tax and any 401(k) or benefits, 20–35% of gross commonly disappears before payday. The good news: 401(k) dollars aren't "gone" — they're yours, just invested.
Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington and Wyoming. Pick one of those in the dropdown and your state tax drops to $0.
If your employer matches and you're not getting the full match, yes — that's free money. Bump the percentage above and watch how little your take-home actually drops thanks to the tax savings.