Take-Home Pay Calculator

Four forces shrink a paycheck: federal income tax (10–37% marginal), FICA (7.65% for most workers — 6.2% Social Security plus 1.45% Medicare), state income tax in most states, and your own pre-tax benefits like a 401(k) and health premiums. A typical single earner keeps roughly 70–78% of gross pay.

Traditional 401(k) contributions reduce federal (and usually state) income tax, but not Social Security or Medicare tax — FICA is charged on your pay before the 401(k) comes out. Employer-sponsored health premiums usually escape both, which is why they're the most tax-efficient deduction on the stub.

It's a flat-rate approximation you control. Nine states (including Texas, Florida, and Washington) have no wage income tax — enter 0. Others range from about 3% to over 13% (California's top rate). For a progressive state, enter your effective rate rather than your top bracket.

Wages above $200,000 (single) or $250,000 (married filing jointly) incur an Additional Medicare Tax of 0.9% on the excess. This calculator applies it automatically. Social Security tax, by contrast, stops entirely on 2026 wages above $184,500.

Employers withhold using your W-4 elections, which spread your expected annual tax across paychecks — bonuses, mid-year raises, and extra withholding all shift the per-check number. This tool shows the underlying annual math; your actual refund or bill settles the difference at filing time.