US Salary Calculator: Take-Home Pay After Taxes (2026)
Enter an annual salary or an hourly wage and see what is left after federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare and state taxes, per year and per paycheck. Every figure is traced back to the 2026 rules it came from.
Choose a state to see your estimated take-home pay.
What the calculator does
It starts from your gross pay: your annual salary, or your hourly wage multiplied by the hours and weeks you tell it. It then works out each tax separately, because each one uses a different definition of wages, and subtracts them along with your own deductions to reach take-home pay.
- Federal income tax on your wages after pre-tax deductions and the standard deduction.
- Social Security and Medicare, which ignore the standard deduction and most 401(k) savings.
- State income tax and state payroll deductions, using that state's own rules.
- Local taxes where a city charges one and it has been verified.
The result is an estimate of your tax for the year. It is not a prediction of what your employer will withhold from any one paycheck.
Federal income tax in 2026
Federal income tax is charged on taxable income: wages minus the standard deduction. For 2026 the standard deduction is $16,100 for single filers and married people filing separately, $24,150 for heads of household and $32,200 for married couples filing jointly.
Taxable income is then taxed in slices. Only the income inside a bracket is taxed at that bracket's rate; moving into a higher bracket never reduces what you keep from the income below it.
| Taxable income | Rate on that slice |
|---|---|
| $0 to $12,400 | 10% |
| $12,400 to $50,400 | 12% |
| $50,400 to $105,700 | 22% |
| $105,700 to $201,775 | 24% |
| $201,775 to $256,225 | 32% |
| $256,225 to $640,600 | 35% |
| Over $640,600 | 37% |
| Taxable income | Rate on that slice |
|---|---|
| $0 to $24,800 | 10% |
| $24,800 to $100,800 | 12% |
| $100,800 to $211,400 | 22% |
| $211,400 to $403,550 | 24% |
| $403,550 to $512,450 | 32% |
| $512,450 to $768,700 | 35% |
| Over $768,700 | 37% |
Social Security and Medicare
These two payroll taxes are separate from income tax and are charged from the first dollar of wages. Social Security is 6.2% up to $184,500 of wages in 2026; above that, no more is withheld for the year. Medicare is 1.45% with no ceiling, plus 0.9% on wages above $200,000 ($250,000 for joint filers).
These are the employee rates. Self-employed people pay both the employee and employer halves, which this calculator does not model.
Worked example: $85,000 with no state income tax
A single filer earning $85,000 in a state that does not tax wages keeps $68,627.50 after $16,372.50 of federal taxes.
1. Federal income tax
| Gross pay | $85,000.00 |
|---|---|
| Standard deduction (single) | −$16,100.00 |
| Taxable income | $68,900.00 |
| 10% bracket on $12,400.00 | $1,240.00 |
| 12% bracket on $38,000.00 | $4,560.00 |
| 22% bracket on $18,500.00 | $4,070.00 |
| Federal income tax | $9,870.00 |
2. Social Security and Medicare
| Wages subject to Social Security and Medicare | $85,000.00 |
|---|---|
| Social Security, 6.2% on $85,000.00 (wage base $184,500) | $5,270.00 |
| Medicare, 1.45% on all wages | $1,232.50 |
Effective rate versus marginal rate
In that example the top federal bracket reached is 22%, yet federal income tax is only 11.6% of gross pay. The first is the marginal rate, the rate on the last dollar of taxable income. The second is the effective rate, total tax divided by total pay. With Social Security and Medicare included, the effective rate on all taxes is 19.3%, and a $100 raise would cost $29.65 in tax.
Salary calculators by state
A state is listed here only after its 2026 rules have been checked against the state's own publications and tested. Each state page explains that state's rules and shows worked examples.
States that do not tax wages
- Alaska salary calculator
- Florida salary calculator
- Nevada salary calculator
- New Hampshire salary calculator
- South Dakota salary calculator
- Tennessee salary calculator
- Texas salary calculator
- Washington salary calculator
- Wyoming salary calculator
States with a flat income tax
- Colorado salary calculator
- Georgia salary calculator
- Illinois salary calculator
- Michigan salary calculator
- North Carolina salary calculator
States with progressive brackets
States not yet available
For these states the calculator shows federal taxes only and says so clearly, because their 2026 state rules have not been verified yet: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin.
What this calculator does not cover
- Self-employment income and self-employment tax
- Itemized deductions, dependents, the Child Tax Credit and the Earned Income Tax Credit
- The deductions for tips, overtime and seniors, and investment or retirement income
- Part-year residents, and people who live in one state and work in another
It also assumes the following:
- All income is W-2 wages from one job, earned evenly through the year.
- You are a full-year resident of the selected state and work there.
- You take the standard deduction and claim no dependents or tax credits.
- You are under 65 and not blind (no additional standard deduction).
- Married filing jointly assumes your spouse has no income of their own.
- Figures are annual tax liability under the published rate schedules, spread evenly over your pay periods. Actual withholding on a paycheck follows your Form W-4 and can differ.
Common questions
What is the difference between gross pay and take-home pay?
Gross pay is what you earn before anything is taken out. Take-home (net) pay is what reaches your bank account after federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare, any state and local taxes, and deductions such as 401(k) contributions and health insurance premiums.
Why is my actual paycheck different from this estimate?
This calculator works out your tax for the whole year and spreads it evenly over your paychecks. Your employer withholds using the choices on your Form W-4 and the pay in each period, so a single paycheck can be higher or lower. The difference is settled when you file your return.
How much of my pay goes to Social Security and Medicare in 2026?
Social Security is 6.2% of wages up to $184,500, and Medicare is 1.45% of all wages. An extra 0.9% Medicare tax applies to wages above $200,000 for single filers and $250,000 for married couples filing jointly.
Does a 401(k) contribution reduce all of my taxes?
No. A traditional 401(k) contribution lowers the wages used for federal income tax, but Social Security and Medicare are still charged on it. Health insurance premiums, HSA and FSA contributions made through an employer plan generally lower both.
Can I use this if I am self-employed?
No. Self-employed people pay both halves of Social Security and Medicare through self-employment tax and can take different deductions. This calculator covers employees paid on a W-2 only.
Sources and verification
Federal figures come from the Internal Revenue Service publications below and were last checked on October 10, 2026 (rule version US-2026.1). Each state page lists that state's sources.
- Revenue Procedure 2025-32 (2026 inflation adjustments), Internal Revenue Service. 2026 tax rate tables for all filing statuses (section 4.01), standard deduction (4.14), health FSA limit (4.15).
- Topic no. 751, Social Security and Medicare withholding rates, Internal Revenue Service. 6.2% Social Security and 1.45% Medicare employee rates; $184,500 wage base for 2026 earnings.
- Questions and answers for the Additional Medicare Tax, Internal Revenue Service. 0.9% rate and the $200,000 / $250,000 / $125,000 thresholds by filing status.
- 401(k) limit increases to $24,500 for 2026 (IR-2025-111, Notice 2025-67), Internal Revenue Service. 2026 elective deferral limit $24,500; catch-up $8,000 (age 50+) and $11,250 (ages 60-63).
- Revenue Procedure 2025-19 (2026 HSA amounts), Internal Revenue Service. 2026 HSA contribution limits: $4,400 self-only, $8,750 family.
- Publication 969, Health Savings Accounts and Other Tax-Favored Health Plans, Internal Revenue Service. $1,000 additional HSA contribution at age 55 or older.