Paycheck / Take-Home Pay Calculator
Your salary and your take-home pay are two very different numbers — federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare, and any pre-tax deductions all come out before a dollar reaches your bank account. This calculator uses the actual 2026 IRS federal tax brackets and standard deduction to estimate your take-home pay per paycheck, so you can budget against what you’ll really receive rather than your gross salary. It covers federal tax and FICA precisely; state tax is included as a simple flat-rate estimate since every state’s rules differ.
What Comes Out of Your Paycheck
Federal income tax is calculated using 2026’s progressive brackets, meaning only the portion of your income inside each bracket is taxed at that bracket’s rate — moving into a higher bracket never reduces your take-home pay on the dollars you already earned. Social Security tax is a flat 6.2% up to the 2026 wage base of $184,500, above which no additional Social Security tax applies. Medicare is 1.45% on all wages with no cap, plus an additional 0.9% on income above $200,000 (single) or $250,000 (married filing jointly).
Why Pre-Tax Contributions Change the Math
A traditional 401(k) contribution reduces the income used to calculate your federal (and typically state) income tax, but it does NOT reduce the wages used for Social Security or Medicare — those payroll taxes still apply to your full salary. Pre-tax health insurance premiums, by contrast, typically reduce wages for income tax, Social Security, and Medicare alike. That distinction is why increasing your 401(k) contribution lowers your federal tax bill but doesn’t change your FICA taxes at all.
A Few Practical Notes
This calculator estimates federal tax using the standard deduction only — it doesn’t account for itemized deductions, tax credits (like the Child Tax Credit), other income, or filing statuses beyond Single and Married Filing Jointly. State tax is a flat percentage you supply, since actual state tax systems vary enormously in brackets, deductions, and even whether they tax income at all. Treat the result as a solid planning estimate, not a substitute for your actual pay stub or a tax professional’s calculation.
Freedom Wealth Lab Apps provides general educational tools, not personalized financial or tax advice. Read our full Disclaimer and Affiliate Disclosure. Data sources: IRS 2026 tax brackets (via Tax Foundation) and the Social Security Administration wage base.
