Bureau of Wealth

Take-Home Pay Calculator: Paycheck After Taxes 2026

By the Bureau of Wealth team Updated

This calculator is general information, not financial advice. Check your own figures with the provider or a qualified adviser before acting on them.

Enter your salary, filing status, 401(k) contribution, pre-tax benefits and state tax rate to see what lands in your account each paycheck and each year in 2026.

Using 2026 rates rates checked 14 September 2026

Such as health insurance premiums taken before tax.

A single flat rate. Use 0 if your state has no income tax.

Check the highlighted fields to see your results.

What this calculator assumes

  • Federal income tax uses the 2026 brackets and standard deduction for your filing status. Itemized deductions, tax credits such as the Child Tax Credit, and income other than your salary are not included.
  • State income tax is one flat rate that you enter, applied to wages after your 401(k) and other pre-tax deductions. Local and city income taxes are not included.
  • Your 401(k) contribution is traditional (pre-tax), not Roth, and is limited to the 2026 elective deferral limit of $24,500. Catch-up contributions for ages 50 and over are not added.
  • Other pre-tax deductions are treated as section 125 cafeteria plan benefits, such as health insurance premiums, which come off wages for both income tax and Social Security and Medicare.
  • Additional Medicare Tax uses the threshold for your filing status. Employers start withholding it once your wages pass $200,000 whatever your status, so a married couple's paychecks can differ from this estimate until they file.

You might also want to check

How your paycheck is worked out

The calculator works on a full year of pay and then divides by the number of paychecks: 52 weekly, 26 every two weeks, 24 twice a month or 12 monthly. From your salary it takes off other pre-tax deductions and your traditional 401(k) contribution. It subtracts the 2026 standard deduction for your filing status ($16,100 single, $32,200 married filing jointly, $24,150 head of household) and applies the federal brackets to what is left. Social Security, Medicare and state tax are worked out separately, and everything that remains is your take-home pay.

A worked example

A single filer earning $75,000, paid every two weeks, putting 5% into a 401(k) and living in a state with a 4% flat rate has taxable income of $55,150. The calculator gives federal income tax of $6,845, Social Security of $4,650, Medicare of $1,087.50, state tax of $2,850 and a $3,750 401(k) contribution. Take-home pay is $55,817.50 a year, or $2,146.83 a paycheck.

Without the 401(k), take-home pay would be $58,592.50. So saving $3,750 for retirement cuts your take-home pay by only $2,775, because federal and state income tax fall by $975 between them.

Social Security, Medicare and the wage base

These payroll taxes, often called FICA, are separate from income tax. Social Security is 6.2% of wages up to the 2026 wage base of $184,500, so the most Social Security tax on a year's wages is $11,439. Medicare is 1.45% of all wages with no cap, plus 0.9% Additional Medicare Tax above $200,000 for single and head of household filers or $250,000 for joint filers. On a single salary of $250,000, Social Security stops at $11,439 and Medicare comes to $4,075, including $450 of Additional Medicare Tax.

401(k) and section 125 deductions are taxed differently

The IRS says 401(k) elective deferrals are not subject to income tax withholding when you make them, but they are still wages for Social Security and Medicare. Qualified benefits you choose under a cafeteria plan, such as health coverage, are generally excluded from both, as IRS Publication 15-B explains. That is why the calculator asks for them separately. In the example above, $3,000 of pre-tax health premiums lowers Social Security and Medicare by $229.50 as well as reducing income tax.

Why state tax is a single rate

Each state has its own brackets, deductions and credits, and some have no income tax on wages at all. Per-state tables are not built into this calculator yet, so it asks for one flat rate instead. If your state has graduated rates, divide last year's state tax by your state taxable wages for a rough effective rate, or enter 0 if your state does not tax wages. Once you have your take-home figure, the 50/30/20 budget calculator shows how to split it, and the student loan calculator compares federal repayment options with refinancing.

Frequently asked questions

Why is my federal tax bracket higher than my tax as a share of pay?

Your bracket is the rate on your last dollar of taxable income. Lower slices of income are taxed at 10% and 12%, and the standard deduction is not taxed at all, so the share of your whole salary that goes in tax is much lower than the bracket.

Does a 401(k) contribution lower my Social Security and Medicare?

No. A traditional 401(k) deferral is not subject to income tax withholding, but the IRS still counts it as wages for Social Security and Medicare. The calculator treats your contribution as traditional; Roth contributions are taxed differently and are not covered.

What happens to Social Security tax above $184,500?

Social Security tax is only charged on wages up to the 2026 wage base, so wages above $184,500 are not taxed for Social Security. Medicare has no cap and continues on every dollar, with the extra 0.9% once you pass your filing status threshold.

Why does my actual paycheck differ from this estimate?

The estimate uses full-year figures with no credits and only the deductions you enter. Extra withholding you asked for, a second job, local taxes and post-tax deductions such as union dues all change the real amount. Your state's actual brackets may also differ from the flat rate you entered.

What should I enter for state tax if my state has brackets?

Use your effective rate: the state income tax on last year's return divided by your state taxable wages. It will not be exact, but it is closer than using your state's top rate.

Sources

Figures come from institutions millions of people rely on. How we keep calculators accurate.