About this tool
Gross pay is what the offer letter says; take-home pay is what lands in the bank after federal income tax, Social Security (6.2%), Medicare (1.45%), state income tax, and pre-tax deductions such as a 401(k) or health premiums. This calculator applies the federal brackets and standard deduction for the year you pick, FICA up to the Social Security wage base, and a flat state rate, then splits the result by pay frequency.
Use it to check a new job offer, to see what a raise or a bigger 401(k) contribution does to each check, or to sanity-check a paycheck stub. Nothing you enter leaves your browser.
How to use it
- Enter a yearly salary or an hourly wage with hours per week.
- Choose how often you are paid and your filing status.
- Pick your state and add any 401(k) or pre-tax benefit deductions. The net paycheck updates as you type.
Questions
Why is my real paycheck different?
Withholding follows the W-4 you gave your employer, which may withhold more or less than your true liability; bonuses are often withheld at a flat 22%; and local taxes, benefits, and tax credits are not modeled here. Over a full year the estimate is usually within a few percent of a simple return.
Does a 401(k) contribution lower Social Security tax?
No. Traditional 401(k) and 403(b) deferrals reduce federal and (in most states) state income tax, but Social Security and Medicare are still charged on the full wage. Health premiums and HSA contributions taken through payroll do reduce FICA, which is why they are a separate field.
How accurate is the tax estimate?
Federal income tax and FICA follow the official brackets, standard deduction, and wage base for the selected year, which makes the estimate close for a single job with no unusual deductions. Credits (child tax credit, EITC), itemized deductions, bonuses withheld at a flat rate, and local taxes are not included, so a real paycheck can differ. Use it to compare options, then confirm with a tax professional or your payroll stub.
What does the state field change?
It applies that state's income tax (its brackets, standard deduction, and personal exemption for the tax year, from the Tax Foundation's yearly tables) and the payroll programs its employees pay into: California SDI at 1.3% of every dollar in 2026, New Jersey TDI and FLI, New York SDI and PFL, and the paid leave premiums in Washington, Oregon, Massachusetts, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, and Minnesota. Nine states tax no wages at all (Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, Wyoming), though Washington and Alaska still have small payroll deductions.
Why is my California paycheck lower than the estimate?
Two usual reasons. The estimate does not know about city taxes or extra withholding on your W-4, and California withholding tables run a little heavy, so the refund catches up at filing time. What it does include is the part most calculators miss: SDI, which comes off every dollar of wages with no cap, on top of the state income tax.
Is anything I type sent anywhere?
No. The calculator runs entirely in your browser; nothing is stored or transmitted. Refresh the page and it starts clean.
Is it free, are files uploaded, which browsers work: the general questions are answered once for the whole site.