Paycheck Calculator
The number on your offer letter and the number that actually lands in your bank account are rarely the same. This calculator walks through what typically gets withheld — federal tax, FICA, and an estimated state tax — so you know roughly what to expect before your first paycheck arrives.
Enter your salary to see your take-home pay per paycheck.
How to use this calculator
- Enter your gross annual salary and filing status.
- Choose how often you're paid.
- Select your state if it has no income tax, or enter your estimated state tax rate.
- Click "Calculate take-home pay" to see a per-paycheck breakdown.
Why it matters
Your gross salary isn't what lands in your bank account. Federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare, and (in most states) state income tax are withheld first. Knowing your real take-home pay helps you budget accurately and avoid surprises on payday.
A worked example
Say you're a single filer in Texas (a no-income-tax state) earning $72,000 a year, paid biweekly. Your gross pay per paycheck works out to $2,769.23. After federal withholding of roughly $270 and FICA of about $212, your estimated net pay lands near $2,288 per paycheck — a gap of about 17% between what you earn and what actually reaches your account. Move that same salary to a state with a 5% income tax, and the gap widens to closer to 22%. That difference is exactly why checking the real number before signing an offer, or before setting up automatic bill payments around a new salary, matters more than most people expect.
Frequently asked questions
Why is my real paycheck different from this estimate?
This tool uses simplified 2026 federal brackets and a flat state-tax estimate. Your actual withholding also depends on your W-4 elections, pre-tax deductions (401k, health insurance), local taxes, and credits.
What is FICA?
FICA covers Social Security (6.2% up to the annual wage base) and Medicare (1.45%, plus an extra 0.9% above certain income thresholds).
Why does the state field have a rate instead of a full state calculation?
State tax rules vary widely by state and bracket. Entering your own estimated rate keeps the tool simple — for exact figures, check your state's tax withholding tables.
Does this include 401(k) or health insurance deductions?
No, this estimates statutory taxes only. Pre-tax deductions would reduce your taxable income and lower these estimates further.
How much difference does pay frequency actually make?
None to your annual total — weekly, biweekly, semimonthly, and monthly schedules divide the same yearly tax differently, but the total withheld across the year stays roughly the same either way.
Should I use this before or after negotiating a job offer?
Before, if possible. Comparing the net (after-tax) figure between two offers in different states or with different salaries often changes which offer actually comes out ahead.
What's the actual difference between gross pay and net pay?
Gross pay is everything you earn before anything is taken out — salary, overtime, bonuses. Net pay (take-home pay) is what's left after federal tax, FICA, state tax, and any other deductions. This calculator estimates that gap for you.
Why did I get an extra paycheck this year?
If you're paid biweekly, you're paid every two weeks regardless of the calendar — most years that's 26 paychecks, but roughly every 11 years the schedule lines up for a 27th. It doesn't change your annual salary, just how it's split across checks.
Take-Home Pay Chart for 2026
This chart shows estimated take-home pay at common salaries for a single filer using the 2026 standard deduction ($16,100) and federal brackets, plus Social Security and Medicare. It assumes no pre-tax deductions such as 401(k) or health insurance. The biweekly columns show take-home with no state income tax and with an example 5% state tax.
| Gross salary | Federal tax / year | FICA / year | Take-home / year | Biweekly, no state tax | Biweekly, 5% state tax | Monthly, no state tax |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $30,000 | $1,420 | $2,295 | $26,285 | $1,010.96 | $953.27 | $2,190.42 |
| $40,000 | $2,620 | $3,060 | $34,320 | $1,320.00 | $1,243.08 | $2,860.00 |
| $50,000 | $3,820 | $3,825 | $42,355 | $1,629.04 | $1,532.88 | $3,529.58 |
| $60,000 | $5,020 | $4,590 | $50,390 | $1,938.08 | $1,822.69 | $4,199.17 |
| $70,000 | $6,570 | $5,355 | $58,075 | $2,233.65 | $2,099.04 | $4,839.58 |
| $80,000 | $8,770 | $6,120 | $65,110 | $2,504.23 | $2,350.38 | $5,425.83 |
| $100,000 | $13,170 | $7,650 | $79,180 | $3,045.38 | $2,853.08 | $6,598.33 |
| $120,000 | $17,570 | $9,180 | $93,250 | $3,586.54 | $3,355.77 | $7,770.83 |
Your real paycheck can differ because of your W-4, pre-tax deductions, local taxes and credits. To see exact figures for your situation, enter your salary, filing status, pay frequency and state in the calculator above.
How Much Is Taken Out of a Paycheck?
Three things come out of most paychecks. Federal income tax is progressive, so each slice of income above the standard deduction is taxed at its own rate, starting at 10%. FICA takes 6.2% for Social Security (up to a 2026 wage base of $184,500) and 1.45% for Medicare. State income tax, where it applies, takes a further share. Read our guide Paycheck Calculator 2026 for a step-by-step explanation, or how biweekly pay works. If you want to work backward from the take-home pay you need, use the net-to-gross calculator.
Last reviewed: October 9, 2026. Sources: IRS tax withholding and the Social Security Administration 2026 fact sheet.
Learn more
Want the full walkthrough behind this calculator? These guides explain the rules and show worked examples: