Take-Home Pay Calculator: What Your Salary Is Actually Worth in 2026
Enter your gross salary and state, and see the money that actually lands in your account — after federal brackets, FICA, state income tax and city-level taxes. Everything recalculates as you type; there is no submit button.
| Line item | Annual | Monthly |
|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $75,000 | $6,250 |
| Pre-tax deductions (401k / HSA) | -$0 | -$0 |
| Federal income tax | -$7,670 | -$639 |
| Social Security | -$4,650 | -$388 |
| Medicare | -$1,088 | -$91 |
| Texas state income tax No state income tax | -$0 | -$0 |
| Take-home pay | $61,593 | $5,133 |
How the number is built
Take-home pay is not one subtraction. Four layers come off a paycheck in a fixed order, and each layer has its own base:
| Layer | Base | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Federal income tax | Gross minus pre-tax contributions minus standard deduction | Progressive brackets, applied per band |
| Social Security | Gross wages, up to the annual wage base | Not reduced by 401(k) |
| Medicare | All gross wages, no cap | Extra 0.9% above the additional Medicare threshold |
| State / local income tax | Gross minus that state's own deduction | Nine states levy none; some cities add their own |
Where most paycheck calculators get it wrong
The 401(k) confusion
Raising your 401(k) contribution lowers your income tax, and people assume it lowers everything. It does not. Social Security and Medicare are assessed on gross wages, so a $10,000 contribution saves income tax but leaves the 7.65% payroll tax untouched. The difference between the two treatments is roughly $765 on that contribution alone — which is why the take-home figure moves less than expected when you drag the 401(k) field.
States without income tax are not tax-free
Texas, Florida, Washington and six others levy no income tax. They still collect: property tax in Texas runs among the highest in the country, and sales tax reaches 8.25% in many localities. A page that prints "0% state tax" and stops there tells you the wrong story about your actual burden.
City tax is a separate layer
New York City residents pay a municipal income tax on top of New York State. Yonkers adds a surcharge calculated as a percentage of state tax. Philadelphia and Detroit have their own wage taxes. If a calculator only knows the state rate, it understates the deduction.
Frequently asked questions
Why is my take-home pay lower than other calculators show?
Most calculators subtract your 401(k) contribution before applying FICA. That is wrong. Pre-tax 401(k) and HSA contributions reduce your income tax base, but Social Security and Medicare are still calculated on your gross wages. A $10,000 contribution therefore saves you income tax only, not the 7.65% payroll tax.
Does this include state and city taxes?
Yes. State income tax is applied using that state's own brackets and standard deduction, and city-level taxes are applied where a locality levies one — New York City, for example, adds a municipal income tax on top of the state rate. Where a state has no income tax, the page says so and notes the taxes that replace it.
Is bonus or overtime handled differently?
Supplemental wages are commonly withheld at a flat federal rate rather than through the aggregate method. This calculator models regular wages, so a bonus-heavy paycheck can differ. Use it as a planning estimate for your base salary.
Why do the numbers change with filing status?
Filing status changes your standard deduction and your bracket thresholds, and it also moves the Additional Medicare Tax threshold from $200,000 to $250,000. Married filing jointly usually shows a lower effective rate at the same household income.
Does this account for pre-tax 401(k) limits?
Yes. The contribution field is capped at the current elective deferral limit for the tax year shown. Contributions above that limit have to go into after-tax or catch-up buckets and behave differently.
How current is the data?
Every figure is tied to the tax year displayed at the bottom of the page, with the review date shown alongside. Federal brackets and the Social Security wage base are updated annually; state rates are reviewed each January plus a quarterly spot check.