Finance
Take-Home Pay Calculator
Estimate net pay after federal tax, Social Security, Medicare, state tax, and deductions.
Result
Enter your numbers and press Calculate to see the result.
Calculating…
How take-home pay is worked out
Net pay is what survives a fixed sequence of subtractions, and the order matters because different deductions are exempt from different taxes:
gross − pre-tax deductions − federal tax − FICA − state tax − post-tax deductions = net
The key asymmetry: pre-tax deductions reduce income tax but not Social Security or Medicare. A 401(k) contribution lowers your federal tax bill and leaves your FICA unchanged.
Tax brackets are marginal, not a cliff
This is the single most misunderstood part of US income tax. Being "in the 22% bracket" does not mean 22% of your income goes to federal tax. Each slice of income is taxed at its own rate, and only the slice inside a bracket is taxed at that bracket's rate.
| Rate | Single filer | Married filing jointly |
|---|---|---|
| 10% | $0 – $12,400 | $0 – $24,800 |
| 12% | $12,400 – $50,400 | $24,800 – $100,800 |
| 22% | $50,400 – $105,700 | $100,800 – $211,400 |
| 24% | $105,700 – $201,775 | $211,400 – $403,550 |
| 32% | $201,775 – $256,225 | $403,550 – $512,450 |
| 35% | $256,225 – $640,600 | $512,450 – $768,700 |
| 37% | Above $640,600 | Above $768,700 |
These are 2026 tax-year figures, from IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32. The standard deduction is $16,100 for a single filer and $32,200 for a couple filing jointly, and Social Security stops at $184,500 of wages. Brackets and thresholds are adjusted for inflation every year, so verify the current numbers with the IRS before relying on them for anything official.
A practical consequence: a raise can never leave you worse off. Crossing into a higher bracket only means the dollars above the threshold are taxed more — everything below keeps its old rate.
Effective vs marginal rate
A single filer on $75,000 with the standard deduction has $58,900 of taxable income. That runs through three brackets:
| Slice | Amount | Rate | Tax |
|---|---|---|---|
| First bracket | $12,400 | 10% | $1,240 |
| Second bracket | $38,000 | 12% | $4,560 |
| Third bracket | $8,500 | 22% | $1,870 |
| Total federal | $58,900 | $7,670 |
The marginal rate is 22% — what the next dollar earned would cost. The effective rate on taxable income is 13.0%, and against the full $75,000 gross it is 10.2%. Those three numbers all describe the same tax bill, and people quote whichever suits the argument.
FICA: Social Security and Medicare
| Tax | Rate | Applies to |
|---|---|---|
| Social Security | 6.2% | Wages up to $184,500 — nothing above that |
| Medicare | 1.45% | All wages, no cap |
| Additional Medicare | 0.9% | Wages above $200,000 single / $250,000 joint |
Your employer pays a matching 7.65%, so the true cost of employing you is well above your gross salary. If you are self-employed you pay both halves — 15.3% self-employment tax — though you can deduct the employer half when calculating income tax.
The Social Security wage cap means high earners see their take-home rise partway through the year, once wages pass the cap and the 6.2% stops.
Pre-tax and post-tax deductions
| Deduction | Type | Reduces income tax | Reduces FICA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional 401(k) | Pre-tax | Yes | No |
| Health insurance premiums | Pre-tax (Section 125) | Yes | Yes |
| HSA and FSA | Pre-tax | Yes | Yes |
| Roth 401(k) | Post-tax | No | No |
| Union dues, garnishments | Post-tax | No | No |
Health premiums under a Section 125 cafeteria plan are the best-value deduction available, because they escape income tax and FICA. A 401(k) escapes only income tax.
Why no federal tax was withheld from your paycheck
Seeing $0 in the federal withholding box is usually correct rather than an error. The most common reasons:
- Your income is below the standard deduction. Earn less than $16,100 as a single filer and you owe no federal income tax, so nothing is withheld.
- Your W-4 claims dependents or credits that offset the expected liability.
- You marked "exempt" on the W-4 — valid only if you owed nothing last year and expect to owe nothing this year.
- Part-year or irregular work. Withholding tables annualise each paycheck, so a small cheque looks like a small annual salary.
FICA is different: Social Security and Medicare are withheld from the first dollar regardless of income, so a paystub showing zero FICA on normal wages is worth querying with payroll.
Pay frequency does not change the total
| Frequency | Paychecks a year | On $60,000 net |
|---|---|---|
| Weekly | 52 | $1,154 |
| Every two weeks | 26 | $2,308 |
| Twice a month | 24 | $2,500 |
| Monthly | 12 | $5,000 |
Biweekly and semi-monthly are easy to confuse and are not the same. Biweekly gives 26 paychecks and produces two months a year with three paydays; semi-monthly gives exactly 24 and never does.
Bonuses are not taxed at a higher rate
Bonuses are commonly withheld at a flat 22% supplemental rate, which is not the same as being taxed at 22%. At tax time the bonus is simply ordinary income. If your marginal rate is 12%, you get the difference back as a refund; if it is 32%, you owe more.
This estimates federal figures only and is not tax advice — state and local rules vary widely, and your own circumstances may change the result. For the gross side of the conversion, use the salary and hourly rate calculator; to see what a pre-tax contribution is worth by retirement, the retirement calculator.
Take-Home Pay Calculator — frequently asked questions
Does moving into a higher tax bracket reduce my take-home pay?
No. Brackets are marginal — only the dollars above the threshold are taxed at the higher rate, and everything below keeps its old rate. A raise can never leave you worse off.
What is the difference between effective and marginal tax rate?
The marginal rate is what your next dollar would be taxed at. The effective rate is total tax divided by income. A single filer on $75,000 has a 22% marginal rate but pays under 11% of gross in federal tax.
Why was no federal tax withheld from my paycheck?
Usually because your income is below the standard deduction, your W-4 claims credits or dependents, or you marked exempt. FICA is different — Social Security and Medicare are withheld from the first dollar, so zero FICA on normal wages is worth querying.
Do 401(k) contributions reduce Social Security and Medicare tax?
No. A traditional 401(k) reduces income tax only. Health premiums and HSA contributions under a Section 125 plan reduce both income tax and FICA, which makes them better value per dollar.
Are bonuses taxed at a higher rate?
No, they are withheld at a flat 22% supplemental rate, which is not the same thing. At tax time a bonus is ordinary income — if your marginal rate is lower you get the difference back as a refund.
What is the difference between biweekly and semi-monthly pay?
Biweekly is every two weeks, giving 26 paychecks and two months a year with three paydays. Semi-monthly is twice a month, giving exactly 24. The annual total is identical.