Paycheck Calculator

How to use the paycheck calculator

1. Choose salary or hourly and enter your pay. For hourly work, add your regular hours and any overtime hours, which are paid at 1.5 times your rate.
2. Pick your pay frequency, filing status and state. These set how your pay is split into checks and which tax rates apply.
3. Add deductions under “Pre-tax deductions” (401(k), health premiums, HSA) and “W-4 & after-tax deductions” (dependents, extra withholding, Roth 401(k), union dues).
4. Read your take-home pay per paycheck and the line-by-line breakdown. Copy the link to save or share your numbers.

How take-home pay is calculated

Your paycheck starts with gross pay. Pre-tax deductions come out first, then federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare and state income tax are withheld, and finally any after-tax deductions. We figure each tax on a full year of pay and divide by the number of paychecks:

Worked example

A single filer earns G = $75,000 and is paid every two weeks (n = 26) in a state with no income tax. Federal taxable income is $75,000 − $16,100 = $58,900, and the 2026 brackets put the tax at $7,670.00. Social Security is $75,000 × 6.2% = $4,650.00 and Medicare is $75,000 × 1.45% = $1,087.50. That leaves $61,592.50 a year, or $61,592.50 ÷ 26 = $2,368.94 per paycheck.

This mirrors how the 2026 Form W-4 is designed to work: it aims to withhold your expected tax for the year, spread across your paychecks. Your employer’s payroll software uses IRS withholding tables, so real checks can differ by a few dollars, and your final tax is settled when you file your return. For the full annual picture, see our income tax calculator.

Social Security and Medicare (FICA) in 2026

• Social Security: 6.2% of wages up to the 2026 wage base of $184,500, so the most anyone pays through one employer is $11,439.00.
• Medicare: 1.45% of every dollar of wages, with no cap.
• Additional Medicare Tax: employers withhold another 0.9% on wages over $200,000 in a calendar year, whatever your filing status. The tax you actually owe starts at $250,000 for joint filers and $125,000 for married filing separately, and the difference is settled on your return.

Once your wages pass the wage base, Social Security stops coming out and your checks get bigger. On a $250,000 salary paid bi-weekly, for example, $596.15 of Social Security is withheld from each of the first 19 paychecks, $112.08 from paycheck 20, and nothing after that; the calculator shows this timing along with the average per check. Traditional 401(k) contributions don’t reduce Social Security and Medicare wages, but health premiums paid through a cafeteria plan do. More on the 2026 Social Security wage base and FICA rates.

Take-home pay by salary in 2026

Single filer, paid every two weeks, standard deduction, no pre-tax deductions, in a state with no income tax. Choose a state page below to include state tax.

Hourly wage after taxes

Full-time hours (40 a week, 2,080 a year), no overtime, single filer, no state income tax:

For the pre-tax conversion between hourly, weekly, monthly and yearly pay, use our salary calculator.

How your W-4 changes your paycheck

Form W-4 tells your employer how much federal income tax to withhold. The current form no longer uses allowances; instead it asks for dollar amounts in a few steps:

• Step 1, filing status: sets the standard deduction and brackets used for withholding ($16,100 single, $24,150 head of household, $32,200 married filing jointly in 2026).
• Step 2, multiple jobs: for people with more than one job or a working spouse, so that combined income is withheld at the right rate.
• Step 3, dependents: $2,200 for each child under 17 and $500 for each other dependent if your income is $200,000 or less ($400,000 if married filing jointly).
• Step 4: (a) other income to withhold for, (b) deductions beyond the standard deduction — the 2026 worksheet includes lines for qualified tips, qualified overtime, car loan interest and the senior deduction — and (c) any extra amount to withhold each pay period.

Dependents make a big difference. A married couple earning $80,000 and paid every two weeks has about $201.54 of federal income tax withheld per check with no children, but $32.31 with two children under 17, raising take-home pay from $2,640.00 to $2,809.23.

Pre-tax vs. after-tax deductions

• Traditional 401(k), 403(b) and 457 contributions are not subject to federal income tax withholding, but they are still subject to Social Security and Medicare.
• Health, dental and vision premiums paid through a cafeteria (Section 125) plan are exempt from federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare.
• HSA contributions made through payroll are also excluded from income and generally from payroll taxes.
• Roth 401(k) contributions, union dues and similar deductions come out after taxes, so they don’t lower your tax.

Because pre-tax money skips income tax, saving costs less than it looks. Contributing 6% of a $75,000 salary ($173.08 per bi-weekly check) reduces take-home pay by only $135.00, since federal income tax drops by $38.08. For 2026, employees can defer up to $24,500 to a 401(k), plus catch-up contributions of $8,000 at age 50 or older ($11,250 at ages 60–63). HSA limits are $4,400 for self-only and $8,750 for family coverage. Plan your savings with our 401(k) calculator.

Overtime pay and the new federal deduction

Under the Fair Labor Standards Act, covered non-exempt employees earn at least 1.5 times their regular rate for hours over 40 in a workweek. For 2025 through 2028, the extra “half” of that pay is deductible on your federal return, up to $12,500 ($25,000 for joint filers), phasing out above $150,000 of income ($300,000 joint).

Take a worker earning $25 an hour with 5 overtime hours a week: gross pay is $61,750, of which $3,250 is the overtime premium. The deduction cuts federal income tax by about $390 a year, or $15.00 per bi-weekly check. The 2026 Form W-4 lets you count it in your withholding (Step 4(b) Deductions Worksheet), which is how this calculator treats it; otherwise it arrives as a refund. Confirm your eligibility with the IRS or a tax professional, and see our no tax on overtime calculator for details.

Bi-weekly vs. semi-monthly paychecks

Pay frequency doesn’t change your yearly take-home pay; it only changes how it is divided. On $75,000 (single, no state tax), take-home pay is $1,184.47 weekly, $2,368.94 bi-weekly (26 checks), $2,566.35 semi-monthly (24 checks) and $5,132.71 monthly. Bi-weekly checks are smaller than semi-monthly ones, but because 26 checks don’t divide evenly into 12 months, most years have two months with a third paycheck.

What this calculator leaves out

• Local income taxes in cities, counties and school districts that levy them. State pages note where they apply.
• State payroll contributions such as disability insurance, paid family leave or unemployment insurance in the few states that charge employees.
• Bonuses and other supplemental pay, which employers often withhold at a flat rate.
• Itemized deductions, other income and second jobs. Use the IRS Tax Withholding Estimator to fine-tune your W-4 for these.