US Salary Calculator 2026 – Estimate Your Take-Home Pay

How the US salary calculator works

Understanding your paycheck requires untangling a web of federal, state, and local tax rules. This calculator uses the IRS Publication 15-T percentage method alongside projected 2026 federal brackets and state-specific formulas to provide an accurate estimate of your net income.

You start by entering your gross pay (annual salary or hourly wage). We then apply the standard deduction for your filing status, calculate your federal income tax, deduct the flat 7.65% for FICA (Social Security and Medicare), and apply the specific tax rules for your state.

Gross pay versus net pay

Gross pay is the big number on your offer letter—it's the total amount you earn before the government or your employer touches a dime.

Net pay (or take-home pay) is what actually hits your checking account on payday. The gap between gross and net is filled by mandatory taxes, voluntary retirement contributions, and insurance premiums.

How federal income tax withholding works

The US operates on a progressive tax system. You aren't taxed a single flat rate; instead, your income fills up "buckets" (tax brackets). The first bucket is taxed at 10%, the next at 12%, and so on. Employers use the information you provide on your Form W-4 to estimate how much to withhold from each paycheck so you don't owe a massive bill in April.

Social Security and Medicare (FICA)

The Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) funds Social Security and Medicare.

• Social Security: 6.2% of your gross pay, but only up to an annual limit (the wage base). Once you earn more than this limit, you stop paying the 6.2% for the rest of the year.
• Medicare: 1.45% of your gross pay, with no upper limit.
• Additional Medicare: If you earn over $200,000 (Single) or $250,000 (Married Filing Jointly), an extra 0.9% is withheld on the excess amount.

Who this calculator is for

This tool is built for US employees paid through regular payroll who want to know what actually lands in their bank account. It suits anyone comparing job offers across states, deciding how much to contribute to a 401(k), or checking whether their withholding is on track for the 2026 tax year.

It is not designed for self-employment income (which uses SE tax rules), complex multi-state situations, or estimating your end-of-year refund — it models per-paycheck withholding, not final tax liability.

What you need before you start

• Your gross pay — annual salary, or hourly wage and hours — before any deductions.
• Your pay frequency (weekly, biweekly, semi-monthly, monthly) and filing status from your W-4.
• Your state of employment, since state income tax varies widely and several states levy none.
• Any pre-tax deductions you want to model — chiefly 401(k) contributions, which lower federal and state taxable income but not FICA.

What each input means

• Gross pay / hourly wage — your total earnings before taxes. Enter an annual salary or an hourly rate with hours worked.
• Pay frequency — how often you're paid. Biweekly (26 checks) and semi-monthly (24 checks) are not the same and change the per-check amount.
• Filing status — Single, Married Filing Jointly, or Head of Household. This sets your standard deduction and bracket widths.
• State — determines whether state income tax is withheld and at what effective rate. Nine states have no individual wage income tax.
• 401(k) contribution — pre-tax retirement savings that reduce federal and state taxable income but leave FICA unchanged. The 2026 employee limit is $23,500.

How to read your results

The headline figure is your net (take-home) pay per paycheck and per year. The breakdown shows each layer that's removed: federal income tax (progressive, based on brackets and your standard deduction), FICA (a flat 7.65% — 6.2% Social Security up to the wage base plus 1.45% Medicare with no cap), state income tax, and your 401(k) contribution.

A useful check: FICA should be roughly 7.65% of gross until you cross the Social Security wage base ($184,500 projected for 2026), after which it drops to 1.45% for the rest of the year. If your federal tax looks very different from a colleague's on the same salary, the usual cause is a different W-4 (extra withholding or fewer allowances) rather than a calculation error.

Worked example

A single filer in a state with no income tax, earning $75,000 a year, paid biweekly, contributing 5% to a 401(k):

• Gross annual: $75,000 → ~$2,885 gross per biweekly check.
• 401(k) (5%): $3,750/year pre-tax, lowering federal taxable income to $71,250.
• Standard deduction (Single): $15,000 (projected 2026), so ~$56,250 is taxed across the 10% and 12% brackets.
• FICA (7.65%): ~$5,738/year on the full $75,000 (401(k) doesn't reduce FICA).
• Result: roughly $4,200 in federal tax and $5,738 in FICA, leaving a take-home of around $61,300/year — about $2,360 per biweekly check.

Numbers are illustrative; exact withholding depends on the IRS Publication 15-T formula and your W-4 entries.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Confusing gross with net when budgeting. A $75,000 offer does not mean $6,250 a month to spend — plan against take-home.
• Forgetting that 401(k) doesn't cut FICA. Pre-tax contributions lower income tax but Social Security and Medicare still apply to the full gross.
• Ignoring state and local tax. Some cities (e.g. New York City, Philadelphia) levy their own income tax on top of the state's.
• Treating the estimate as your refund. This tool shows withholding, not your final tax bill; credits like the Child Tax Credit or EITC can change what you actually owe at filing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Sensible next steps

• Compare your estimated take-home to your actual pay stub. Large gaps usually mean a W-4 adjustment is needed — submit a new one to your payroll department.
• If you're not yet capturing the full employer 401(k) match, increase your contribution first — that match is free money.
• Use the result to build a monthly budget, then direct any surplus to an emergency fund or debt.
• For a full retirement projection including Social Security and 401(k) growth, try our US Retirement Calculator.

Related tools

• US Retirement Calculator: Project 401(k), IRA, and Social Security income for retirement.
• Compound Interest Calculator: Model how invested savings grow over time.
• Budget Planner: Allocate your take-home pay across needs, wants, and savings.