2026 take-home pay
Paycheck calculator: your take-home pay for 2026
Enter hourly or salary pay and your state to estimate federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare, state tax and take-home pay for one paycheck.
Updated October 4, 2026 · 2026 federal and state withholding rules
Checked against IRS Publication 15-T (2026), the SSA wage base and each state’s own withholding rules. How paycheck taxes are calculated.
Take-home pay calculator, 2026
Estimated take-home pay, California, 2026
$1,615.79per biweekly check
$42,010.54 a year over 26 checks · $3,500.88 a month on average
- Gross pay
- $2,000.00
- Federal income tax
- 7.81%−$156.15
- Social Security
- 6.20%−$124.00
- Medicare
- 1.45%−$29.00
- California income tax
- 2.45%−$49.06
- CA SDI
- 1.30%−$26.00
- Total deductions
- 19.21%−$384.21
- Net pay (take-home)
- 80.79%$1,615.79
Includes California’s own payroll line: California State Disability Insurance.
Estimated take-home pay $1,615.79 per biweekly check in California, from gross pay of $2,000.00.
First stub free each year · the calculator is free, no account
An estimate from what you entered, using 2026 federal withholding, Social Security, Medicare and state income tax withholding for a standard Form W-4, plus the state’s disability or paid leave line where it has one. City, county and school district taxes are not included. Not tax advice. California paycheck calculator
Gross to net
How the paycheck calculator works
A paycheck starts as gross pay and ends as net pay. This net pay calculator shows each step between the two for one pay period, under the 2026 rules:
- Gross pay. The hourly rate times the hours, plus overtime, or the salary for one check.
- Federal income tax withholding. The check is turned into a yearly figure, the standard deduction for the filing status is taken off, the 2026 federal brackets are applied, and the result is divided back to one check.
- Social Security and Medicare. A fixed share of wages, shown as two lines.
- State lines. The state’s own 2026 income tax withholding, and its disability or paid leave line where it has one.
- Net pay. What is left: the take-home pay, per check, per month and per year.
The figures come from the same tax engine that fills the tax lines in the PayStubGo pay stub builder, so an estimate here and a stub made from it agree. How we calculate taxes sets out the method and the official source for each line.
Hourly paycheck calculator
Choose Hourly, then enter the rate and the hours in one pay period. Gross pay is the rate times the hours. Overtime hours are paid at 1.5 times the rate.
$25.00 an hour for 80 hours every two weeks is $2,000.00 of gross pay. After federal income tax ($156.15), Social Security ($124.00) and Medicare ($29.00), a single filer in a state with no income tax takes home $1,690.85.
Salary paycheck calculator
Choose Salary and enter the amount per year or per check. A yearly salary is divided by the checks in a year: 52 when paid weekly, 26 every two weeks, 24 twice a month and 12 monthly.
A $60,000 salary paid every two weeks is $2,307.69 per check. After federal income tax ($193.08), Social Security ($143.08) and Medicare ($33.46), a single filer in a state with no income tax takes home $1,938.07.
Weekly, biweekly, twice a month or monthly
The same $60,000 salary at each pay frequency, for a single filer in a state with no income tax. A biweekly paycheck is one of 26 in the year, not 24.
| Pay frequency | Checks a year | Gross per check | Take-home per check |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weekly | 52 | $1,153.85 | $969.04 |
| Every 2 weeks | 26 | $2,307.69 | $1,938.07 |
| Twice a month | 24 | $2,500.00 | $2,099.58 |
| Monthly | 12 | $5,000.00 | $4,199.17 |
2026 rules
What comes out of a paycheck
Four lines on almost every pay stub. This paycheck tax calculator works each one out for your pay.
Federal income tax
Social Security
Medicare
State lines
Paycheck calculator by state
Every state and the District of Columbia has its own calculator (51 in all), with take-home tables for common salaries and hourly rates.
Most used state calculators
- CaliforniaState income tax
- ColoradoState income tax
- FloridaNo state income tax
- GeorgiaState income tax
- IllinoisState income tax
- IndianaState income tax
- MassachusettsState income tax
- MichiganState income tax
- MinnesotaState income tax
- New JerseyState income tax
- New YorkState income tax
- North CarolinaState income tax
- OhioState income tax
- OregonState income tax
- PennsylvaniaState income tax
- TennesseeNo state income tax
- TexasNo state income tax
States with no state income tax on wages
Federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare still apply.
All states, A to Z
- AlabamaState income tax
- AlaskaNo state income tax
- ArizonaState income tax
- ArkansasState income tax
- CaliforniaState income tax
- ColoradoState income tax
- ConnecticutState income tax
- DelawareState income tax
- District of ColumbiaState income tax2026 rule being verified
- FloridaNo state income tax
- GeorgiaState income tax
- HawaiiState income tax2026 married rule being verified
- IdahoState income tax
- IllinoisState income tax
- IndianaState income tax
- IowaState income tax
- KansasState income tax
- KentuckyState income tax
- LouisianaState income tax
- MaineState income tax
- MarylandState income tax
- MassachusettsState income tax
- MichiganState income tax
- MinnesotaState income tax
- MississippiState income tax
- MissouriState income tax
- MontanaState income tax
- NebraskaState income tax
- NevadaNo state income tax
- New HampshireNo state income tax
- New JerseyState income tax
- New MexicoState income tax
- New YorkState income tax
- North CarolinaState income tax
- North DakotaState income tax
- OhioState income tax
- OklahomaState income tax
- OregonState income tax
- PennsylvaniaState income tax
- Rhode IslandState income tax
- South CarolinaState income tax
- South DakotaNo state income tax
- TennesseeNo state income tax
- TexasNo state income tax
- UtahState income tax2026 married rule being verified
- VermontState income tax
- VirginiaState income tax
- WashingtonNo state income tax
- West VirginiaState income tax
- WisconsinState income tax
- WyomingNo state income tax
What the estimate leaves out
- City, county and school district taxes.
- Extra entries on Form W-4: dependents, other income, extra withholding.
- Head of household filing status.
- Tips, bonuses, after-tax deductions and garnishments.
State disability and paid family leave lines are included where a state has them, and each state page says which. The result is a withholding estimate for payroll planning, not a tax return and not tax advice. An employer running payroll uses the employee’s own withholding forms.
From an estimate to a pay stub
When the pay has actually been made, “Make this a pay stub” opens the builder with the same pay, state, pay frequency and filing status. The builder prints the same lines and adds year-to-date totals. A pay stub is a record of a real payment: enter the real employer, employee and dates. Your first pay stub each year is free.
See pay stub requirements by state for what each state’s stub must show, or the pay stub glossary for any line you do not recognise.
Questions
Paycheck calculator questions
How does the paycheck calculator work out take-home pay?
It starts with gross pay for one pay period: the hourly rate times the hours, or the salary divided by the checks in a year. It then takes off federal income tax withholding, Social Security, Medicare, your state's income tax withholding and any state disability or paid leave line under the 2026 rules. What is left is net pay, also called take-home pay.
What is the difference between gross pay and net pay?
Gross pay is what you earn before anything is taken out. Net pay is what reaches you after taxes and deductions. The calculator shows both, and every line in between, so you can see where the difference goes.
How much Social Security and Medicare tax comes out of a paycheck?
In 2026, Social Security is 6.2% of wages up to $184,500 for the year. Medicare is 1.45% of all wages, plus 0.9% on wages above $200,000 in the year, whatever the filing status.
What percentage of a paycheck goes to taxes?
It depends on your pay, state and filing status. As an example, on a $2,000.00 biweekly check for a single filer in a state with no income tax, federal income tax is 7.81% of gross pay, Social Security 6.20% and Medicare 1.45%: 15.46% in all. A state income tax adds to that. The calculator shows each line as a share of gross pay.
Which states have no state income tax on wages?
Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, and Wyoming. For those states the calculator shows no state income tax. Federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare still apply.
Is the paycheck calculator updated for 2026?
Yes. It uses the 2026 federal withholding rules, the 2026 Social Security wage base and each state's 2026 withholding rules. This page was last updated on October 4, 2026.
Can I use it for a weekly, biweekly or monthly paycheck?
Yes. Choose weekly (52 checks a year), every two weeks (26), twice a month (24) or monthly (12). The taxes are worked out for one check at that frequency.
Does it work for married filing jointly?
Yes. Choose Single or Married filing jointly here. Head of household is not in this calculator yet; the pay stub builder has it, so pick it there when you make your stub.
Does it include a 401(k)?
Yes. Enter a pre-tax 401(k) amount per check, and pre-tax health benefits if you have them. A 401(k) contribution lowers the wages that income tax is worked out on, but not Social Security or Medicare wages. Health benefits taken through payroll lower both.
Does it calculate overtime, tips or bonuses?
Overtime, yes: on hourly pay, enter the overtime hours and they are paid at 1.5 times the hourly rate. Tips and bonuses are not in the calculator, because they can be withheld under different rules.
Why is my real paycheck different from the estimate?
The estimate uses the standard withholding for your filing status, with no extra entries from Form W-4. Your employer's figure also depends on your W-4 and state withholding form, your benefits and other deductions, and local taxes. The calculator cannot see those.
Does the calculator include local taxes or state disability insurance?
State disability, paid family leave and similar employee lines are included where a state has them, and they show as their own line. City, county and school district taxes are not in the estimate. Each state page lists what is and is not included for that state.
Is the paycheck calculator free?
Yes. The calculator is free to use and needs no account and no email address.
Can I turn the result into a pay stub?
Yes. "Make this a pay stub" opens the pay stub builder with the same pay, state, pay frequency and filing status filled in. You add the employer and employee details and the pay dates. A pay stub records a payment that was actually made, so enter the real figures. Your first pay stub each year is free.