Paycheck Calculator
Use this paycheck calculator to estimate your take-home pay per pay period. Enter your annual salary, pay frequency, and tax rates to see how much you actually receive after federal tax, state tax, Social Security, Medicare, and any deductions.
Scope
U.S.-oriented salary estimate
Tax Year
Current assumptions
Use Case
Planning estimate, not payroll advice
Your total gross annual salary before any taxes or deductions are applied.
How often you receive a paycheck. Weekly is 52 paychecks per year, biweekly is 26, semimonthly is 24, and monthly is 12.
Your estimated effective federal income tax rate. This varies based on your filing status, income, and deductions. The 2026 brackets range from 10% to 37%.
Your estimated state income tax rate. Some states have no income tax. Check your state's rate or use your effective rate from last year's return.
The Social Security tax rate for employees. The standard rate is 6.2% on earnings up to the annual wage base limit.
The Medicare tax rate for employees. The standard rate is 1.45% with no wage base limit. High earners may owe an additional 0.9% Medicare surtax.
Total pretax deductions per paycheck such as 401(k) contributions, health insurance premiums, or HSA contributions. These reduce your taxable income.
Total post-tax deductions per paycheck such as Roth 401(k) contributions, life insurance, union dues, or wage garnishments.
This calculator breaks down your paycheck into gross pay, individual tax withholdings, and net take-home pay. Choose your pay frequency to see weekly, biweekly, semimonthly, or monthly results. Adjust pretax and post-tax deductions such as retirement contributions, health insurance, or garnishments to get an accurate picture of what lands in your bank account each payday.
How It Works
Paycheck Net Pay Formula
Gross Per Period = Annual Salary / Pay Periods; Taxable = Gross - Pretax Deductions; Taxes = Taxable x (Federal% + State% + SS% + Medicare%); Net = Taxable - Taxes - Posttax DeductionsYour annual salary is divided by the number of pay periods. Pretax deductions are subtracted to get taxable income per period. Each tax rate is applied to that taxable amount. Post-tax deductions are then subtracted to arrive at your net pay.
The number of pay periods per year depends on your pay frequency: weekly is 52, biweekly is 26, semimonthly is 24, and monthly is 12.
Gross pay per period is your annual salary divided by the number of pay periods.
Pretax deductions are subtracted from gross pay to determine your taxable income per pay period.
Federal tax, state tax, Social Security, and Medicare are each calculated as a percentage of your taxable income per period.
Post-tax deductions are subtracted after taxes to arrive at your final net take-home pay.
Important Notes:
- •This calculator uses flat effective tax rates rather than marginal bracket calculations for simplicity.
- •Social Security tax applies only up to the annual wage base limit, which this calculator does not cap. For high earners, actual Social Security withholding may stop partway through the year.
- •The additional 0.9% Medicare surtax for high earners is not automatically included. Increase the Medicare rate manually if applicable.
- •Pretax deductions reduce taxable income for income tax but may or may not reduce income subject to FICA taxes depending on the deduction type.
Worked Example
An employee earns $65,000 per year, is paid biweekly, and has a 22% federal tax rate, 5% state tax rate, standard Social Security (6.2%) and Medicare (1.45%) rates, with no additional deductions.
Inputs:
- annual Salary:65,000
- pay Frequency:biweekly
- federal Tax Rate:22
- state Tax Rate:5
- social Security Rate:6.2
- medicare Rate:1.45
- pretax Deductions:0
- posttax Deductions:0
Result:
The gross pay per biweekly paycheck is $2,500.00. Federal tax is $550.00, state tax is $125.00, Social Security is $155.00, and Medicare is $36.25. Total taxes per paycheck are $866.25, leaving a net take-home pay of $1,633.75 per paycheck and an annual net pay of approximately $42,478.
Who Is This Calculator For?
- salaried employees
- job seekers comparing offers
- people changing pay frequency
- HR professionals estimating employee take-home pay
Frequently Asked Questions
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