100% Free • No Sign-up • 2026 Federal Figures
Paycheck Calculator (2026)
See your real take-home pay. Enter your salary and filing status to estimate federal income tax and FICA withholding per paycheck — 2026 brackets, standard deduction, and Social Security wage base built in.
Calculate Your Take-Home Pay
Reduces income tax, but not Social Security/Medicare tax.
HSA, health premiums via cafeteria plan, etc. Reduces income tax and FICA.
Gross pay per paycheck
Federal income tax
Social Security (6.2%)
Medicare (1.45%)
Pre-tax deductions
Take-home per paycheck
Take-home per year
Effective tax rate (fed + FICA)
Federal only — state income tax is not included. Add your state’s tax with one of our state income tax calculators. Estimates only; actual withholding depends on your W-4.
How Your Paycheck Is Calculated
Your employer withholds three federal items from each paycheck: federal income tax, Social Security tax (6.2%), and Medicare tax (1.45%) — the last two together are called FICA. This calculator estimates all three for 2026.
- Federal income tax: computed on taxable income (salary minus pre-tax deductions minus the standard deduction) using the 2026 graduated brackets — 10%, 12%, 22%, 24%, 32%, 35%, 37%.
- 2026 standard deduction: $16,100 single, $32,200 married filing jointly, $24,150 head of household.
- Social Security: 6.2% on wages up to the 2026 wage base of $184,500 — earnings above that are exempt from Social Security tax.
- Medicare: 1.45% on all wages (no cap), plus an additional 0.9% on wages over $200,000 (single/HoH) or $250,000 (joint).
- 401(k) vs. other pre-tax: 401(k) contributions lower your income tax but not FICA; HSA and cafeteria-plan premiums lower both.
Taxable income = salary − pre-tax deductions − standard deduction
Federal tax = graduated 2026 brackets on taxable income
FICA = 6.2% × min(wages, $184,500) + 1.45% × wages (+ 0.9% over $200k/$250k)
Take-home = salary − federal tax − FICA − pre-tax deductions
Federal tax = graduated 2026 brackets on taxable income
FICA = 6.2% × min(wages, $184,500) + 1.45% × wages (+ 0.9% over $200k/$250k)
Take-home = salary − federal tax − FICA − pre-tax deductions
Worked Example: $80,000 Salary, Single, Biweekly
| Calculation | Annual | Per paycheck | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross salary | $80,000 | $3,076.92 | |
| Standard deduction | $16,100 | ||
| Federal taxable income | $80,000 − $16,100 | $63,900 | |
| Federal income tax | 10% × $12,400 + 12% × $38,000 + 22% × $13,500 | $8,770.00 | $337.31 |
| Social Security | 6.2% × $80,000 | $4,960.00 | $190.77 |
| Medicare | 1.45% × $80,000 | $1,160.00 | $44.62 |
| Take-home pay | $65,110.00 | $2,504.23 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Because federal income tax and FICA are withheld before you see the money. On an $80,000 single salary, about $18,890 a year — nearly 24% — goes to federal tax and FICA combined, before any state tax or benefits deductions.
No. 401(k) elective deferrals reduce your federal (and usually state) income tax, but they do not reduce Social Security or Medicare wages — FICA is still charged on the full salary. HSA contributions through a cafeteria plan do reduce FICA wages.
$184,500. You pay the 6.2% Social Security tax only on the first $184,500 of 2026 wages; earnings above that are exempt. The 1.45% Medicare tax has no cap and applies to all wages.
State tax rules vary enormously — from 0% in nine states to 13.3% in California. Add your state’s bite with one of our state income tax calculators, built on verified 2026 figures for all 12 major tax states.
Biweekly (26 paychecks) gives smaller individual checks than semimonthly (24 paychecks) on the same salary, but two months a year you get a third biweekly paycheck — the famous “extra paycheck” months. Annual take-home is identical.
Close, but not exact. Employers withhold based on your W-4 settings, and this calculator uses the standard deduction with no extra adjustments. Use it for planning; your actual pay stub may differ slightly.
Disclaimer: Estimates only — not tax advice. Federal figures per IRS 2026 inflation adjustments; verify with the IRS or a tax professional.