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Paycheck Calculator

A paycheck calculator converts your gross wages into net take-home pay by subtracting every withholding a US employer takes off the top: federal income tax (progressive 2025 brackets), state income tax (flat top marginal rate — varies by state, zero in AK/FL/NV/NH/SD/TN/TX/WA/WY), FICA payroll taxes (6.2% Social Security up to the $168,600 wage base + 1.45% Medicare + 0.9% Additional Medicare over $200k single / $250k MFJ), and any pre-tax deductions you elect — most commonly a traditional 401(k) contribution (reduces federal and state taxable income but NOT FICA), health insurance premiums (reduces both federal/state AND FICA wages via Section 125), and other pre-tax benefits like HSA/FSA. Enter either an annual salary or an hourly rate plus weekly hours; pick your pay frequency (weekly/biweekly/semi-monthly/monthly); choose filing status and state; and set your 401(k) percent and health insurance deduction. The calculator returns a full gross-to-net breakdown per pay period PLUS an annual summary, along with your marginal federal bracket, effective tax rate, and take-home percentage.

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calendar_today Updated: April 2026

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calculate Your Paycheck Details

Pay Type

Annual Salary

$20K$300K

Hourly Rate

Hours / Week

Pay Frequency

Filing Status

State

Pre-Tax Deductions

401(k) Contribution (% of gross)

Health Insurance (per paycheck)

Other Pre-Tax — HSA/FSA/etc. (per paycheck)

analytics Your Take-Home Pay

Take-Home per Biweekly Paycheck account_balance_wallet

$0 per year · 0% of gross

Gross / Period

Total Withheld

Per-Paycheck Breakdown 26 periods/yr

Gross Pay $0.00

Federal Withholding (22%) -$0.00

State Tax (9.3%) -$0.00

Social Security (6.2%) -$0.00

Medicare (1.45%) -$0.00

401(k) Pre-Tax -$0.00

Health Insurance -$0.00

Other Pre-Tax -$0.00

Net Pay $0.00

Effective Tax Rate

Annual Taxes

Net Taxes Pre-Tax

Annual Summary

Gross: $0

Net: $0

Federal: $0

State: $0

FICA: $0

401(k): $0

Input Values

Pay Type

Annual Salary

Hourly

Annual Salary

Hourly Rate

Hours Per Week

Pay Frequency

Weekly (52)

Biweekly (26)

Semi-Monthly (24)

Monthly (12)

Filing Status

Single

Married Filing Jointly

Head of Household

State

Alabama

Alaska

Arizona

Arkansas

California

Colorado

Connecticut

Delaware

District of Columbia

Florida

Georgia

Hawaii

Idaho

Illinois

Indiana

Iowa

Kansas

Kentucky

Louisiana

Maine

Maryland

Massachusetts

Michigan

Minnesota

Mississippi

Missouri

Montana

Nebraska

Nevada

New Hampshire

New Jersey

New Mexico

New York

North Carolina

North Dakota

Ohio

Oklahoma

Oregon

Pennsylvania

Rhode Island

South Carolina

South Dakota

Tennessee

Texas

Utah

Vermont

Virginia

Washington

West Virginia

Wisconsin

Wyoming

401(k) Contribution %

Health Insurance (per period)

Other Pre-Tax (per period)

tips_and_updates Tips

• 401(k) reduces federal and state income tax but NOT Social Security or Medicare taxes
• Health insurance via Section 125 cafeteria plan reduces federal, state, AND FICA — maximum tax savings
• 2025 Social Security wage base is $168,600 — earnings above that cap skip the 6.2% SS portion
• Additional Medicare 0.9% kicks in at $200k (single) / $250k (MFJ) combined wages
• Biweekly (26) pays slightly less per check than semi-monthly (24) for the same salary
• 2 'extra' paychecks per year occur with biweekly pay — great for savings or debt payoff
• 2025 standard deduction: $15,000 single, $30,000 married filing jointly, $22,500 head of household
• 9 states have no state income tax: AK, FL, NV, NH, SD, TN, TX, WA, WY (NH taxes interest/dividends)
• 2025 401(k) employee deferral limit is $23,500 (plus $7,500 catch-up for age 50+)
• Check your W-4 withholding — too much means interest-free loan to IRS; too little means a tax bill

How to Use This Calculator

Choose salary or hourly

Enter annual salary or hourly rate plus weekly hours.

Select pay frequency

Weekly, biweekly (most common), semi-monthly, or monthly.

Enter filing status and state

Single, married filing jointly, or head of household, plus your US state.

Add pre-tax deductions

401(k) percent, health insurance premium, and any other pre-tax (HSA/FSA/commuter).

Review take-home pay

See gross-to-net per paycheck plus the annual summary with effective tax rate.

The Formula

Start with annual gross. Subtract pre-tax deductions (401k, health, other) to get federal/state taxable wages. Subtract the 2025 standard deduction ($15,000 single / $30,000 MFJ / $22,500 HoH) for federal. Apply 2025 progressive brackets. Add flat state rate × state wages. Separately compute FICA on gross minus health/other (not 401k). Divide every annual number by pay periods for per-paycheck amounts.

Net = Gross − Federal Tax − State Tax − SS (6.2%) − Medicare (1.45% + 0.9%>$200k) − 401(k) − Health Insurance − Other Pre-Tax

lightbulb Variables Explained

Gross Annual salary ÷ pay periods, or hourly × hours × 52 ÷ periods
Federal Tax 2025 progressive brackets applied to (gross − pre-tax − standard deduction)
State Tax Flat top marginal rate × (gross − pre-tax); 0 in no-tax states
SS 6.2% × FICA wages, capped at $168,600 (2025 Social Security wage base)
Medicare 1.45% on all FICA wages + 0.9% Additional Medicare over $200k single / $250k MFJ
401(k) Traditional pre-tax deferral — reduces federal/state taxable income, NOT FICA
Health Section 125 premium — reduces federal, state, AND FICA wages

tips_and_updates Pro Tips

401(k) reduces federal and state income tax but NOT Social Security or Medicare taxes

Health insurance via Section 125 cafeteria plan reduces federal, state, AND FICA — maximum tax savings

2025 Social Security wage base is $168,600 — earnings above that cap skip the 6.2% SS portion

Additional Medicare 0.9% kicks in at $200k (single) / $250k (MFJ) combined wages

Biweekly (26) pays slightly less per check than semi-monthly (24) for the same salary

2 'extra' paychecks per year occur with biweekly pay — great for savings or debt payoff

2025 standard deduction: $15,000 single, $30,000 married filing jointly, $22,500 head of household

9 states have no state income tax: AK, FL, NV, NH, SD, TN, TX, WA, WY (NH taxes interest/dividends)

2025 401(k) employee deferral limit is $23,500 (plus $7,500 catch-up for age 50+)

Check your W-4 withholding — too much means interest-free loan to IRS; too little means a tax bill

Frequently Asked Questions

Take-home pay equals gross wages minus federal income tax, state income tax, Social Security (6.2%), Medicare (1.45%), and any pre-tax deductions (401k, health insurance, HSA, FSA). Pre-tax deductions come off first to reduce taxable income, then federal/state taxes are computed against the lower taxable amount. FICA (SS + Medicare) applies to gross minus Section 125 deductions like health insurance but NOT minus 401(k).

FICA (Federal Insurance Contributions Act) is the federal payroll tax that funds Social Security and Medicare. Your employer withholds 6.2% Social Security (up to the 2025 wage base of $168,600) and 1.45% Medicare (no cap) from every paycheck, and matches it dollar-for-dollar. High earners pay an additional 0.9% Medicare surtax on wages above $200,000 (single) or $250,000 (married filing jointly) — the employer does NOT match this portion.

Annual gross and total taxes stay the same, but per-paycheck amounts change. Weekly (52 periods) = smallest checks but most frequent. Biweekly (26) = 2 'extra' months per year with 3 checks. Semi-monthly (24) = always on the 15th and last day, slightly larger than biweekly. Monthly (12) = largest check but only 12 per year. Biweekly and semi-monthly are the most common in the US.

Traditional pre-tax 401(k) contributions reduce your federal and state income tax but NOT your FICA taxes (Social Security + Medicare). So a $1,000 401k contribution saves you ~$220 federal + ~$50 state but still costs you $76.50 in FICA. Roth 401(k) contributions don't reduce ANY current-year taxes — they grow tax-free for retirement withdrawals.

Nine US states levy no state income tax on wages: Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire (taxes interest/dividends only), South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, and Wyoming. Residents of these states still pay federal income tax and FICA but keep more of each paycheck. California has the highest top marginal rate (13.3%), followed by Hawaii (11%) and New York (10.9%).

Gross pay is your total earnings before any deductions — the number in your offer letter or hourly rate × hours. Net pay (take-home pay) is what actually lands in your bank account after federal tax, state tax, FICA, and voluntary deductions (401k, health, dental, vision, HSA, FSA, garnishments, etc.) are withheld. Net is typically 65-80% of gross depending on state, income level, and benefit elections.

Multiply hourly rate × hours per week × 52 to get annual gross (assuming 52 paid weeks). Then divide by pay periods (52 weekly, 26 biweekly) to get per-period gross. Apply the same tax withholding logic as salaried employees. Example: $25/hr × 40 hrs × 52 = $52,000 annual; biweekly gross = $2,000 before taxes and deductions.

Federal withholding depends on your filing status, W-4 entries, and pay frequency. The IRS uses 2025 progressive brackets (10%, 12%, 22%, 24%, 32%, 35%, 37%) against taxable wages (gross minus pre-tax deductions minus standard deduction). Our calculator estimates your annual federal tax using simplified brackets, then divides by pay periods. Actual W-4 withholding tables may differ slightly from end-of-year liability.

The 2025 Social Security wage base is $168,600 — earnings above this are not subject to the 6.2% Social Security tax, but the 1.45% Medicare tax (plus 0.9% Additional Medicare over $200k/$250k) still applies with no cap. High earners effectively see their FICA rate drop partway through the year once they hit the SS cap.

Common reasons: (1) pre-tax deductions (401k, health, HSA) take more than you realized; (2) federal withholding is higher than your actual annual tax because the tables assume you earn that rate all year; (3) state + local taxes in high-tax states like CA/NY/OR add up quickly; (4) FICA takes 7.65% flat until the SS cap; (5) post-tax deductions (Roth 401k, after-tax insurance, garnishments) aren't factored into most simple estimates. A paycheck calculator helps you see exactly where each dollar goes.

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tips_and_updates Tips

How to Use This Calculator

Choose salary or hourly

Select pay frequency

Enter filing status and state

Add pre-tax deductions

Review take-home pay

The Formula

lightbulb Variables Explained

tips_and_updates Pro Tips

Frequently Asked Questions

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