Paycheck calculator

Paycheck Calculator (Take-Home Pay)

How to use: Enter your yearly salary, how often you are paid, your filing status, pre-tax deductions and an estimated state tax rate.

How this paycheck calculator works

This paycheck calculator estimates your take-home pay from your yearly salary. It subtracts 2026 federal income tax using the standard deduction and tax brackets, Social Security at 6.2% on wages up to $184,500, Medicare at 1.45%, and a state tax percentage you choose. It then divides what is left by your number of pay periods.

Example

A single filer earning $65,000 a year, paid every two weeks, with a 4% state tax estimate, owes about $5,620 in federal tax, about $4,970 in Social Security and Medicare and about $2,600 in state tax. Take-home pay comes to roughly $1,993 per paycheck.

What it leaves out

Real paychecks also depend on your W-4 settings, health insurance, retirement contributions, local taxes and extra Medicare tax at high incomes. Use this as a planning estimate, and check your pay stub for exact numbers. You can use the result with the 50/30/20 budget calculator.

Frequently asked questions

Does this also work as a payroll calculator?

Yes, for estimating one employees take-home pay. Employers should use payroll software for exact withholding and employer taxes.

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Estimates for education only, not financial advice.