Paycheck Calculator 2026
Work out your take-home pay per paycheck after 2026 federal tax, Social Security, Medicare, state and local taxes, 401(k) and benefits — for all 50 states and DC.
| 2026 breakdown | Per paycheck | Per year | % of gross |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $2,884.62 | $75,000.00 | 100.0% |
| Federal income tax | − $295.00 | − $7,670.00 | 10.2% |
| Social Security (6.2%) | − $178.85 | − $4,650.00 | 6.2% |
| Medicare (1.45%) | − $41.83 | − $1,087.50 | 1.5% |
| California income tax | − $102.50 | − $2,665.12 | 3.6% |
| CA SDI (incl. paid family leave) | − $37.50 | − $975.00 | 1.3% |
| Take-home pay | $2,228.94 | $57,952.38 | 77.3% |
- Federal: $75,000 gross − $0 pre-tax deductions − $16,100 standard deduction = $58,900 taxable, taxed through the 2026 single brackets (10% → 12% → 22%) = $7,670.00.
- FICA: 6.2% Social Security on $75,000 (wage base $184,500) + 1.45% Medicare on $75,000. 401(k) deferrals are still subject to FICA; HSA and Section 125 premiums are not.
- California: state wages $75,000 → taxable $69,100 after the state's deductions/exemptions → $2,665.12 after credits. Payroll programs: CA SDI (incl. paid family leave) $975.00.
- Per paycheck = annual amount ÷ 26 (bi-weekly pay).
2026 brackets from the FTB indexing memo (Sept 2026). Includes the 1% Mental Health Services tax over $1M. California taxes HSA contributions.
Compare states (moving?)
| Same pay, $75,000 | California | Texas |
|---|---|---|
| State income tax / year | $2,665.12 | $0.00 |
| State payroll programs / year | $975.00 | $0.00 |
| Local tax / year | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Take-home / year | $57,952.38 | $61,592.50 |
| Take-home / paycheck | $2,228.94 | $2,368.94 |
Moving from California to Texas would raise your take-home by $3,640 a year ($140.00 per paycheck). Local tax is excluded for the comparison state. Remember to weigh housing, sales and property taxes too.
What a raise really adds
A $5,000 raise adds $117.40 per paycheck ($3,053 a year). You keep 61.1% of it.
Same salary, every pay frequency
| Frequency | Checks / yr | Gross / check | Take-home / check |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weekly | 52 | $1,442.31 | $1,114.47 |
| Bi-weekly | 26 | $2,884.62 | $2,228.94 |
| Semi-monthly | 24 | $3,125.00 | $2,414.68 |
| Monthly | 12 | $6,250.00 | $4,829.37 |
| Annual | 1 | $75,000.00 | $57,952.38 |
Bi-weekly pay gives 26 checks, so two months a year have three paydays; semi-monthly gives 24 slightly larger checks. Annual take-home is the same.
- →Comparing a bi-weekly check to a monthly budget: multiply by 26 and divide by 12 (about 2.17 checks a month), not by 2.
- →Forgetting local tax: NYC, Maryland counties, Pennsylvania municipalities, most Ohio cities and Indiana counties all take a share — add yours under Deductions.
- →Thinking a raise puts all your income in a higher bracket: only the dollars above each threshold are taxed at the higher rate.
- →401(k) contributions cut income tax but not Social Security or Medicare, and Pennsylvania and Massachusetts still tax them.
- →Two jobs or a working spouse? Tick the W-4 Step 2 box or add extra withholding, or you'll likely owe in April.
Federal: 2026 brackets and standard deduction from IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32 (includes One Big Beautiful Bill Act changes). FICA: 6.2% Social Security up to the $184,500 2026 wage base (SSA), 1.45% Medicare plus 0.9% withheld above $200,000. States: Tax Foundation 2026 state income tax table (Jan 1, 2026), updated for 2026 laws in Georgia, Arkansas, South Carolina, Hawaii, Maine, Utah and West Virginia, with California from the FTB 2026 indexing memo. Payroll programs: CA EDD, NY WCB, NJ DOL, WA ESD, Mass.gov, RI DLT, CT Paid Leave, Oregon Employment Dept, CO FAMLI, Delaware DOL, MN DEED, Maine DOL, Hawaii DLIR. Where a state hasn't published 2026 indexing, 2025 values are used and noted. Head-of-household filers use single state brackets unless the state has its own schedule.
This tool is for informational purposes only. Always verify results with a qualified professional.
What is the Paycheck Calculator 2026?
This paycheck calculator shows how much of your pay actually reaches your bank account in 2026. Enter a salary or an hourly rate, pick how often you are paid (weekly, bi-weekly, semi-monthly, monthly or annually), your W-4 filing status and your state, and it works out federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare, state income tax, state disability or paid-leave deductions and any local tax you add. You can also include pre-tax 401(k) contributions, HSA deposits and health insurance premiums, post-tax deductions and extra withholding. The result is your take-home pay per paycheck and per year, a line-by-line breakdown, your effective and marginal tax rates, and the method used, so you can check every figure.
Federal numbers use the IRS figures for tax year 2026 from Revenue Procedure 2025-32, which includes the changes made by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The standard deduction is $16,100 for single filers, $32,200 for married couples filing jointly and $24,150 for heads of household, and the seven brackets run from 10% to 37% (for a single filer the 22% band starts at $50,400 and the 24% band at $105,700). Social Security takes 6.2% of wages up to the 2026 wage base of $184,500, and Medicare takes 1.45% of all wages, plus an extra 0.9% that employers withhold on wages above $200,000. State figures cover all 50 states and Washington, DC, from the Tax Foundation's 2026 table, updated for the laws passed during 2026 in Georgia, Arkansas, South Carolina, Utah, West Virginia, Hawaii and Maine. Nine states, including Texas, Florida and Washington, don't tax wages at all.
Worked example: a single filer earning $75,000 a year, paid bi-weekly, with no deductions. Federal taxable income is $75,000 − $16,100 = $58,900. Tax is 10% of $12,400 ($1,240) + 12% of $38,000 ($4,560) + 22% of $8,500 ($1,870) = $7,670. Social Security is $4,650 and Medicare $1,087.50. In Texas that leaves $61,592.50 a year, or $2,368.94 per bi-weekly paycheck. In California, state income tax is $2,665.12 (1% to 8% brackets on $69,100 after the $5,900 standard deduction, minus the $158 exemption credit) and State Disability Insurance is 1.3%, or $975, so take-home falls to $57,952.38 a year, or $2,228.94 per paycheck. That's $140 per paycheck, or $3,640 a year, less than in Texas on the same salary.
The extras answer the questions people usually go on to search. The state comparison shows what moving from one state to another does to the same salary. The raise calculator shows what a raise really adds: in the California example, a $5,000 raise adds $117.40 per paycheck ($3,052.50 a year), because the extra dollars are taxed at a combined marginal rate of about 39% (22% federal, 8% state, 7.65% FICA and 1.3% SDI). In Texas the same raise adds $135.29 per paycheck. The pay-frequency table converts the same salary into weekly, bi-weekly, semi-monthly and monthly checks, and the share button copies a link that reopens the calculator with your inputs.
This is an estimate of withholding, not your final tax bill. Like the IRS percentage method with a 2020-or-later Form W-4, it applies the standard deduction and the brackets to your annualized pay. It does not include dependents or the Child Tax Credit, other credits, itemized deductions, the new federal deductions for tips, overtime and seniors, second jobs or non-wage income. Payroll systems also round per paycheck, and some states use withholding tables that differ slightly from the tax you finally owe. Your refund or balance due at tax time settles the difference. Local taxes are not built in, because they depend on the exact city, county or school district, but you can type your local rate into the calculator.
How to Use This Calculator
- 1Choose Salary or Hourly. Enter your annual salary, or your hourly rate and usual hours per week (pay = rate × hours × 52).
- 2Pick the state you live and work in, how often you're paid, and the filing status on your W-4.
- 3Open Deductions to add a 401(k) percentage, HSA and health premiums per paycheck, post-tax deductions, extra withholding and any local tax rate.
- 4Read your take-home per paycheck and per year, then check the breakdown table and the 'How this was calculated' box.
- 5Use Compare states to see the effect of moving, and the raise calculator to see what a raise adds to each check.
- 6Copy the share link to save or send your result, or print it.