Paycheck Take-Home Calculator

Quick summary

The Paycheck Take-Home Calculator converts your annual gross salary into actual net pay per pay period — the amount you really see in your bank account. It applies the same IRS Publication 15-T 2026 percentage method your employer's payroll system uses, plus FICA, state tax, 401(k) contributions, and health insurance pre-tax deductions.

Pre-tax 401(k) contributions reduce federal taxable wages but NOT Social Security/Medicare wages (per IRC §3121). Pre-tax health insurance reduces BOTH (cafeteria plan §125). The calculator handles this correctly. Add the $2,200 Child Tax Credit per qualifying child under 17 (OBBBA permanent) and W-4 line 3 dependents, and you get a precise net pay number.

Use it before accepting a job offer (compare effective hourly), before increasing 401(k) (see immediate paycheck impact), or before relocating (compare state tax impact on take-home).

Annual gross salary

Pay frequency

Filing status

Children under 17

kids

$2,200 CTC each (OBBBA, permanent).

Other dependents

deps

$500 each (W-4 step 3).

Pre-tax 401(k)

% of gross

Pre-tax health (annual)

State income tax rate

% flat

No state tax: AK, FL, NV, NH, SD, TN, TX, WA, WY. Use 0 for those. Otherwise enter approximate flat rate.

Share with friends

How to use

1 Enter your annual gross salary (pre-tax, before any deductions). Use base + expected bonus averaged over 12 months.
2 Choose pay frequency: Weekly (52), Biweekly (26 — most common), Semimonthly (24), or Monthly (12).
3 Choose filing status (Single, MFJ, HoH) and enter dependents under W-4 line 3 (each = $500 credit) plus children under 17 ($2,200 CTC each).
4 Enter pre-tax 401(k) contribution as a percentage of gross pay (5-15% typical for max-match). Enter annual pre-tax health/dental insurance premium.
5 Enter state income tax rate (CA up to 13.3%, NY 10.9%, FL/TX/WA/NV/SD/WY/AK/TN/NH = 0%). Click Calculate to see net pay per period and annual.

2026 Paycheck Components — Where Your Salary Goes

Deduction	Rate / Amount	Reduces FICA wages?
Federal income tax	10-37% bracket per Pub 15-T	Already after-FICA computation
Social Security	6.2% on first $184,500	—
Medicare	1.45% on all wages	—
Additional Medicare	+0.9% on wages > $200K	—
State income tax	0-13.3% varies by state	Most states follow federal
401(k) traditional	Pre-tax (reduces fed taxable)	NO — still taxed for FICA
Roth 401(k)	After-tax	NO — already taxed
Health/dental insurance	Pre-tax via §125 cafeteria	YES — reduces FICA wages
HSA via payroll	Pre-tax via §125 cafeteria	YES — reduces FICA wages
FSA (Health/Dependent Care)	Pre-tax via §125 cafeteria	YES — reduces FICA wages
Commuter benefits	Pre-tax up to $325/mo each	YES — reduces FICA wages

2026 Federal Income Tax Brackets (Rev. Proc. 2025-32)

Rate	Single	MFJ	HoH
10%	$0 — $12,400	$0 — $24,800	$0 — $17,700
12%	$12,401 — $50,400	$24,801 — $100,800	$17,701 — $67,450
22%	$50,401 — $105,700	$100,801 — $211,400	$67,451 — $105,700
24%	$105,701 — $201,775	$211,401 — $403,550	$105,701 — $201,775
32%	$201,776 — $256,225	$403,551 — $512,450	$201,776 — $256,200
35%	$256,226 — $640,600	$512,451 — $768,700	$256,201 — $640,600
37%	Over $640,600	Over $768,700	Over $640,600

Effective Take-Home Rate by Salary (2026, Single, No Kids, 5% 401k)

Annual Salary	Approx Bi-Weekly Net	Effective Tax Rate
$50,000	$1,560	~19%
$75,000	$2,260	~22%
$100,000	$2,920	~24%
$150,000	$4,160	~28%
$200,000	$5,310	~31%
$300,000	$7,470	~35%

9 No-State-Income-Tax States (Bigger Take-Home)

Florida, Texas, Washington, Nevada, South Dakota, Wyoming, Alaska, Tennessee, New Hampshire. Same gross salary in TX vs CA can mean $5,000-$15,000+ more annual take-home for high earners. NH used to tax interest/dividends but phased out by 2026.

Smart Paycheck Strategies

Strategy	Tax Savings Mechanism
Max 401(k) match	Free money (typically 50-100% match up to 6%)
Pre-tax health insurance	Saves 7.65% FICA + 22-32% federal + state
Max HSA via payroll	Triple advantage + saves 7.65% FICA
Commuter benefits	Save FICA + federal on $325/mo transit + parking
State move	Eliminate 5-13% state income tax (FL/TX/WA/etc)

FAQ

Q How much take-home pay will I get from a $100K salary?

Approximately $76,000-$78,000 federal net take-home (single, no kids, no state tax). Add state tax (CA cuts ~$5K, TX/FL = $0). Pre-tax 401(k) at 5% reduces by another $5K. Biweekly net pay around $2,920 with no state tax, $2,720 in CA.

Q How is FICA calculated on my paycheck?

Social Security: 6.2% × min(gross, $184,500/year). Medicare: 1.45% × all gross (no cap). Additional Medicare: +0.9% on wages above $200K (employee-only — employer doesn't match). Pre-tax health insurance reduces FICA wages, but pre-tax 401(k) does NOT.

Q Why is my paycheck smaller than expected?

Federal withholding (10-37%), state tax (0-13%), Social Security 6.2%, Medicare 1.45%, plus pre-tax 401(k) (5-15%) and health insurance ($100-$400/check). Total can be 25-45% of gross. Use IRS Tax Withholding Estimator if your refund is too big.

Q Does 401(k) contribution reduce my Social Security wage?

NO — pre-tax 401(k) reduces federal income tax wages but NOT Social Security or Medicare wages. Per IRC §3121, FICA applies BEFORE 401(k) deferral. Only §125 cafeteria plan deductions (health insurance, HSA, FSA, commuter) reduce FICA wages.

Q What's the 2026 Social Security wage base?

$184,500 for 2026 (raised from $176,100 in 2025 by SSA Oct 2025 announcement, 4.8% increase). Maximum employee SS tax: $11,439. Once you cross $184,500 YTD, your paycheck stops withholding the 6.2% SS tax for the rest of the year — small "raise" effect.

Q How much is the Child Tax Credit on my paycheck?

$2,200 per qualifying child under 17 (OBBBA permanent). Reduces your annual federal tax owed; via W-4 line 3, reduces per-paycheck withholding. With 2 children, that's $4,400/year less withheld = ~$170/biweekly more take-home.

Q Should I claim 0 or 1 on my W-4?

New W-4 (post-2020) doesn't use "claiming 0 or 1" — that's the old format. Now use Step 3 (dependents credit ANNUAL amount: $2,000 per child + $500 per other dep), Step 4a (other income), 4b (deductions), 4c (extra per-paycheck withholding). Calibrate to get refund near zero.

Q Does pre-tax health insurance save FICA?

YES — health/dental/vision insurance deducted via §125 cafeteria plan reduces BOTH federal and FICA taxable wages. Saves ~7.65% combined FICA + 22-32% federal + state. A $400/month health insurance contribution saves roughly $1,800-$2,400/year vs. paying after-tax.