CalcArcade.

Paycheck Calculator

Enter your gross pay for one pay period, how often you are paid, your filing status and state. The calculator estimates your federal income tax, FICA taxes, state tax and your take-home pay per paycheck and per year.

Your numbers

This state taxes income in brackets and the calculator uses its 2026 bracket table. Type a rate only to override it; it is then applied to all taxable pay.

Counts toward state dependent exemptions or credits where the state has them. The federal child tax credit is not included.

Some cities and counties tax income. Leave empty if yours does not.

Result

Estimate for information only, not professional advice. Last reviewed .

Tax year 2026. Tax figures last updated October 29, 2026. Sources.

How we calculate it

Your yearly gross pay is the pay per period times the number of pay periods. Federal taxable income is that, less 401(k) contributions, less pre-tax health premiums, less the standard deduction for your filing status ($16,100 single, $32,200 married filing jointly in 2026).

Federal income tax comes from the 2026 bracket table. Social Security is 6.2% of pay up to $184,500 a year, and Medicare is 1.4500000000000002% of all pay plus 0.8999999999999999% on pay over $200,000 for single filers. 401(k) contributions do not reduce Social Security and Medicare pay, but pre-tax health premiums do.

State income tax is the state’s flat rate times taxable pay. Nine states have no income tax. For states that tax income in brackets you enter a rate, because bracket tables are not built in yet. Take-home pay is gross pay minus all of these.

How to read your result

  • Take-home pay per paycheck is what lands in your account after taxes and your pre-tax deductions.
  • Federal income tax comes from the IRS brackets after the standard deduction. Social Security and Medicare are taxes on pay that everyone pays.
  • The bar shows where a year of gross pay goes: take-home, federal tax, Social Security and Medicare, state tax, and savings or insurance.
  • The share of pay going to tax is your overall rate, which is lower than your top bracket because lower slices are taxed less.

Common mistakes

  • Expecting an exact match with your pay stub. Payroll uses your Form W-4 choices, and this estimate does not.
  • Forgetting local taxes, state disability or family leave taxes, and other deductions such as union dues.
  • Entering yearly pay in the per-paycheck box, or the reverse. Check the pay schedule you chose.
  • Ignoring pre-tax deductions. A 401(k) or health premium lowers income tax but not always Social Security and Medicare tax.

Assumptions and limits

  • An estimate for tax year 2026 using the standard deduction. Your employer’s payroll system uses your Form W-4 (dependents, other income, extra withholding), so real paychecks can differ.
  • Not included: local income taxes, state disability or family leave payroll taxes, tax credits, other pre-tax deductions, and the 2026 deductions for tips and overtime.
  • The 401(k) share is capped at the yearly limit of $24,500.
  • State rates are from a secondary source and flagged for review in the tax data file.

Frequently asked questions

Why is my real paycheck different?

Employers withhold using the choices on your Form W-4 and the IRS withholding tables. Dependents, a second job, extra withholding and local taxes all change the result. Treat this as a close estimate, not a payroll record.

Does a 401(k) contribution lower my taxes?

A traditional pre-tax 401(k) lowers the income used for federal and most state income tax, but not Social Security and Medicare tax. So your take-home pay falls by less than the contribution.

Which states have no income tax?

Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington and Wyoming do not tax wages. Washington taxes capital gains income only.

What is the Social Security wage base?

Social Security tax stops once your pay in the year passes $184,500 for 2026. Medicare tax has no cap.

Paycheck calculator by state

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Worked example (a fixed example using the starting numbers, it does not change as you type)

Inputs: Gross pay per pay period ($) = 2500; How often you are paid = Every two weeks (26); Filing status = Single; State you work in = Texas; Dependents (for state exemptions) = 0; Pre-tax 401(k) contribution (% of pay) = 5; Pre-tax health insurance per pay period ($) = 100; Extra federal withholding per pay period ($) = 0.

  • Take-home pay per biweekly paycheck $1,902.25
  • Gross pay per biweekly paycheck $2,500.00
  • Federal income tax $189.15
  • Social Security $148.80
  • Medicare $34.80
  • State income tax $0.00
  • Local income tax $0.00
  • 401(k) contribution $125.00
  • Health insurance $100.00
  • Take-home pay per year $49,458.40
  • Total tax as a share of gross pay 14.91%
  • Federal marginal rate 12%

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Last reviewed: . Formulas and assumptions are described on our methodology page. For information only; not professional advice.