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Tools · Paycheck calculator

Paycheck calculator

Your take-home pay after federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare and state income tax, using the 2026 IRS brackets and the Social Security wage base.

Your pay is
Paid
Filing status
401(k) and other pre-tax deductions
Take-home pay, biweekly $1,974.41
Take-home per year
$51,335
Take-home per month
$4,278
Share of your pay you keep
79.0%
Federal income tax, a year
$5,620
Social Security + Medicare
$4,973
State income tax, a year
$3,073

With $65,000 a year in gross pay, filing as single in Illinois, you take home about $51,335 a year: $1,974.41 per biweekly paycheck, or 79.0% of your gross pay.

Federal income tax takes $5,620 (8.6% of pay, with the next dollar taxed at 12%). Social Security and Medicare take $4,973. Illinois income tax takes $3,073 (4.7% of pay).

Of the next $1,000 you earn, you would keep about $754.

Where a year of pay goes

$0$20k$40k$60kTake-homeFederal taxSoc. Sec.MedicareState taxPre-tax$51k$5.6k$4.0k$943$3.1k$0
Your paycheck, line by line
Per paycheckPer monthPer year
Gross pay$2,500.00$5,417$65,000
Federal income tax−$216.15−$468−$5,620
Social Security−$155.00−$336−$4,030
Medicare−$36.25−$79−$943
Illinois income tax−$118.18−$256−$3,073
Take-home pay$1,974.41$4,278$51,335

How it works

The calculator takes your gross pay (an hourly wage is multiplied by your weekly hours and 52 weeks), subtracts your 401(k) and other pre-tax deductions, takes the standard deduction, and applies the 2026 federal brackets. It adds Social Security and Medicare tax on your pay, then state income tax, and divides the result by your pay periods. It shows your tax as it would be worked out for the year, not the exact amount your employer will withhold from each check.

It assumes one job, only wages as income, the standard deduction and no tax credits. It does not include local income taxes, state disability or paid-leave contributions, or deductions for overtime and tips. This explains the numbers; it is not tax advice.

Saving for retirement? Try the retirement calculator, or see what a raise is worth after inflation in the inflation calculator.

Questions

How is take-home pay calculated?

Start with your gross pay, subtract pre-tax deductions such as 401(k) contributions, then subtract federal income tax (the 2026 IRS brackets, after the standard deduction), Social Security tax (6.2% on the first $184,500), Medicare tax (1.45%, plus 0.9% above $200,000 for single filers and $250,000 for married couples filing jointly) and state income tax. What is left is your take-home pay.

What is FICA?

FICA is the payroll tax that pays for Social Security and Medicare. Employees pay 6.2% for Social Security on wages up to $184,500 in 2026 (the Social Security Administration's wage base) and 1.45% for Medicare on all wages, with 0.9% more for Medicare on wages above $200,000 ($250,000 for joint filers). Your employer pays a matching share.

Does a 401(k) lower my taxes?

Yes. Traditional 401(k) contributions come out of your pay before federal income tax, and before state income tax in most states (Pennsylvania is one that taxes them). They do not lower Social Security or Medicare tax. The 2026 limit is $24,500 for most workers, more if you are 50 or older.

Which states have no income tax on wages?

Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, Wyoming. Washington taxes only capital gains, and New Hampshire does not tax wages. Other states may still charge local taxes or payroll fees.

Which states does this calculator work out?

36 states are worked out from each state's own tax documents, the latest published (2026 for most; each source is listed below) (Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia), and the 9 states above have no tax on wages. For the other 6 states and the District of Columbia, enter your state's income tax rate; we add each one as we check it against the state's official 2026 rules.

Why is my actual paycheck different?

Employers withhold tax from each paycheck using your W-4 and estimates, so what comes out can differ from your real tax bill, which is settled when you file. Paychecks may also include local income taxes, state disability or paid-leave contributions, health insurance, retirement plans that work differently, union dues and other deductions this calculator doesn't know about.

Sources

  1. IRS Revenue Procedure 2025-32, section 4 (2026 tax rate tables and standard deduction)
  2. SSA, Contribution and Benefit Base (2026)
  3. IRS, Topic no. 751, Social Security and Medicare withholding rates
  4. IRS, Topic no. 560, Additional Medicare Tax
  5. IRS news release IR-2025-111 (Nov 13, 2025)
  6. Alabama Department of Revenue, 2026 withholding tax tables and instructions
  7. Arizona Department of Revenue, 2025 Form 140 booklet: 2.5% rate and standard deduction (the latest published)
  8. Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration, 2026 withholding formula
  9. California Franchise Tax Board, 2026 indexed amounts: standard deduction, exemption credit and tax rate schedules (full schedules due late December)
  10. Colorado Department of Revenue, 2025 income tax booklet (DR 0104): 4.4% of federal taxable income, and the deduction addback over $300,000
  11. Connecticut Department of Revenue Services, 2025 Form CT-1040 Tax Calculation Schedule, Tables A to E (statutory; the 2026 withholding rules, TPG-211, are unchanged from 2025)
  12. Connecticut Department of Revenue Services, TPG-211: 2026 withholding calculation rules
  13. Delaware Division of Revenue, personal income tax rate schedule
  14. Delaware Division of Revenue, Employer's Guide: standard deduction $3,250 / $6,500 and the $110 personal credit (2025 tables)
  15. District of Columbia Office of Tax and Revenue, 2026 Form D-40ES: 2026 standard deduction and tax rate schedule
  16. Georgia Department of Revenue, 2026 employer's withholding tax guide (revised June 2026)
  17. Hawaii Department of Taxation, tax rate schedules for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2024 (the latest published), and the 2025 N-11 instructions
  18. Hawaii Department of Taxation, 2025 Form N-11 instructions: standard deduction and exemption
  19. Idaho State Tax Commission, computing withholding (2026 tables)
  20. Illinois Department of Revenue, 2026 IL-700-T withholding tax tables
  21. Indiana Department of Revenue: 2.95% state rate for 2026
  22. Indiana Department of Revenue, 2025 IT-40 booklet: $1,000 exemption for you and for your spouse (the latest published)
  23. Iowa Department of Revenue, 2026 withholding formula and IA W-4
  24. Kansas Department of Revenue, KW-100 withholding tax guide and 2026 estimated tax voucher
  25. Kentucky Department of Revenue, 2026 withholding tax formula
  26. Louisiana Department of Revenue, 2026 withholding tables and formulas (R-1306): 2026 standard deduction
  27. Louisiana Department of Revenue, individual income tax rates: flat 3%
  28. Maine Revenue Services, 2026 withholding tables and instructions (revised August 2026)
  29. Maryland Comptroller, 2025 resident tax booklet: rate schedules and personal exemption; 2026 withholding guide: standard deduction $3,400
  30. Maryland Comptroller, 2026 employer withholding guide
  31. Massachusetts Department of Revenue, Circular M 2026 (5% rate, 4% surtax over $1,107,750) and personal income tax exemptions
  32. Michigan Department of Treasury, 2026 income tax withholding guide (Form 446)
  33. Minnesota Department of Revenue, 2026 income tax brackets and standard deduction (December 2025) and 2026 withholding instructions
  34. Mississippi Department of Revenue, 2026 withholding publication 89-700
  35. Missouri Department of Revenue, 2026 withholding tax formula
  36. New Jersey Division of Taxation, NJ-1040 instructions: tax rate schedules and exemptions (2025, the latest published; the rates have not changed since 2020), and NJ-WT
  37. New York State Department of Taxation and Finance: 2026 withholding tables (NYS-50-T-NYS, 1/26), 2026 standard deductions (IT-2104-I) and bracket thresholds (IT-201 instructions)
  38. North Carolina Department of Revenue, 2026 income tax withholding tables and instructions for employers (NC-30): 3.99% and the standard deduction
  39. North Dakota Office of State Tax Commissioner, individual income tax rates (2025, the latest published); the state starts from federal taxable income
  40. Ohio Department of Taxation, employer withholding (2026): 2.75% rate; withholding formula effective August 1, 2026
  41. Ohio Department of Taxation, 2025 IT 1040 instructions: personal exemption by income (latest published)
  42. Oregon Department of Revenue, 2026 withholding tax formulas (150-206-436)
  43. Pennsylvania Department of Revenue, current tax rates
  44. Rhode Island Division of Taxation, advisory 2025-22: 2026 inflation adjustments (rate schedule, standard deduction, exemption)
  45. South Carolina Department of Revenue, Information Letter 26-20 on H. 4216: 2026 rates and the new income adjusted deduction
  46. Utah State Tax Commission, Publication 14 (Rev. 4/26): 4.45% and the allowance schedules
  47. Virginia Tax, employer withholding tables for wages paid after July 1, 2025
  48. West Virginia Tax Division, 2026 income tax rate cut (retroactive to January 1, 2026) and 2026 withholding tables (IT-100.2.A)

Educational tool, not financial advice. Results are estimates from the numbers you enter; lenders and banks calculate in their own ways. Default rates update automatically from official data.