Updated for the current tax year
Know exactly what lands in your bank account.
A free paycheck calculator that runs the real IRS percentage method against 2026 federal brackets, FICA caps and every state's own withholding rules. No sign-up, no email, nothing leaves your browser.
Take-home, biweekly, California
- Gross pay$2,500.00
- Federal income tax-$216.15
- Social Security + Medicare-$191.25
- California income tax-$76.46
- CA SDI-$32.50
- Effective tax rate20.7%
Paycheck Calculator
Enter your pay, your state and your filing status. The breakdown updates as you type.
Why the numbers here are different
How this is calculated
Your employer does not settle your tax bill once a year. It withholds from every paycheck using the percentage method the IRS publishes in Publication 15-T, and this calculator runs the same steps in the same order.
Gross pay for the period is worked out first. Pre-tax deductions come off next, and this is where most free calculators go wrong: a traditional 401(k) contribution reduces the wages your income tax is figured on, but it does not reduce the wages Social Security and Medicare are figured on. A health premium, HSA or FSA contribution reduces both, because those sit inside a Section 125 cafeteria plan.
What remains is annualised, reduced by the standard deduction for your filing status, and run through the federal bracket table. Dependent credits are subtracted, then the result is divided back down to your pay period and any extra W-4 withholding is added. State tax is calculated separately on its own base with its own deduction and brackets. Post-tax items such as Roth 401(k) and garnishments come off last, and what is left is your net pay.
What gets taken out of your paycheck
Six things can appear between your gross and your net. Most people see four of them.
2026 federal tax brackets
These are withholding brackets from IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32, applied to your annualised taxable wages after the standard deduction. The rate in the right column is your marginal rate, not the rate you pay on your whole income.
| Rate | Single | Married filing jointly |
|---|---|---|
| 10% | $0 to $12,400 | $0 to $24,800 |
| 12% | $12,400 to $50,400 | $24,800 to $100,800 |
| 22% | $50,400 to $105,700 | $100,800 to $211,400 |
| 24% | $105,700 to $201,775 | $211,400 to $403,550 |
| 32% | $201,775 to $256,225 | $403,550 to $512,450 |
| 35% | $256,225 to $640,600 | $512,450 to $768,700 |
| 37% | $640,600 and above | $768,700 and above |
Standard deduction 2026: $16,100 single, $32,200 married filing jointly, $24,150 head of household.
2026 tax rates used on this page
| Item | Rate | Limit or threshold |
|---|---|---|
| Social Security (OASDI) | 6.2% | First $184,500 of wages, maximum $11,439 |
| Medicare | 1.45% | No cap |
| Additional Medicare | 0.9% | Wages above $200,000 single, $250,000 joint, $125,000 separate |
| Federal income tax | 10% to 37% | Seven brackets, after the standard deduction |
| Standard deduction | — | $16,100 single, $32,200 joint, $24,150 head of household |
| Federal supplemental rate | 22% | Applied to bonuses under the flat method |
| Dependent credits | — | $2,000 per child under 17, $500 per other dependent |
Sources: IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32 and the Social Security Administration 2026 announcement. Verified 17 September 2026.
Example: $75,000 salary in California
Single filer, paid biweekly, no dependents, no pre-tax deductions. Twenty-six paychecks of $2,884.62 gross. Every figure in this table is produced by the same engine that runs the calculator above.
| Line | Per paycheck | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $2,884.62 | $75,000.00 |
| Federal income tax | -$295.00 | -$7,670.00 |
| Social Security | -$178.85 | -$4,650.00 |
| Medicare | -$41.83 | -$1,087.50 |
| California income tax | -$107.23 | -$2,787.85 |
| CA SDI | -$37.50 | -$975.00 |
| Net pay | $2,224.22 | $57,829.65 |
Reading this breakdown. California taxes the same wages the federal calculation starts from, then subtracts its own $5,540 standard deduction and applies a $153 exemption credit, which is why the state bill is far smaller than the headline 9.3% bracket suggests.
SDI is the line most calculators miss. At 1.3% with no wage cap since 2024, it costs this filer more per year than the first two California brackets combined.
Paycheck calculator by state
Each state page opens with that state locked into the calculator and carries its brackets or flat rate, local city taxes, insurance withholding, supplemental bonus rate and a worked example.
Frequently asked questions
How much tax is taken out of my paycheck?
For most US employees, total withholding lands between 20% and 30% of gross pay. Social Security takes 6.2% and Medicare 1.45% of nearly all wages. Federal income tax depends on your filing status, dependents and W-4, and typically runs 8% to 18% of gross at middle incomes. State income tax adds anywhere from zero to about 10%, depending on where you live.
How do I calculate my take-home pay?
Start with your gross pay for the period. Subtract pre-tax deductions such as a traditional 401(k), health premiums, HSA and FSA. Calculate federal income tax on the remainder using your filing status and the 2026 bracket table, then Social Security and Medicare on gross less Section 125 items, then state and any local tax. Subtract post-tax items last. What remains is your take-home pay.
Why is my paycheck less than my salary divided by 26?
Because that figure is gross, not net. Federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare, state tax and your own benefit elections all come out before the deposit. Two further reasons catch people out: some years contain 27 biweekly paydays rather than 26, and a mid-year raise or bonus changes the annualised figure your employer withholds against.
Which states have no income tax?
Nine states levy no tax on wage income: Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington and Wyoming. Federal income tax and FICA still apply everywhere. Washington also withholds paid family and medical leave premiums and a long-term care premium, so a Washington paycheck is not deduction free.
How much is taken out for Social Security and Medicare in 2026?
Social Security takes 6.2% of wages up to a wage base of $184,500, which caps the employee contribution at $11,439 for the year. Medicare takes 1.45% of all wages with no cap. An Additional Medicare tax of 0.9% applies to wages above $200,000 for single filers, $250,000 married filing jointly and $125,000 married filing separately.
How does my W-4 affect my paycheck?
The W-4 sets four things: your filing status, your dependent credits, any other income or deductions you want accounted for, and any extra dollar amount you want withheld each period. Each child under 17 reduces annual withholding by $2,000 and each other dependent by $500. Step 4c adds a flat amount per paycheck, which is how people who owed last April avoid owing again.
Is this paycheck calculator accurate?
It runs the IRS percentage method against 2026 federal rates and each state published withholding rules, and the figures are checked against ADP and SmartAsset to within one dollar per period. It is still an estimate. Your employer payroll system may round differently, track year-to-date wages rather than annualising, or apply a benefit we do not model. Check your pay stub against it, not the other way around.
How is a bonus taxed differently from regular pay?
A bonus is not taxed at a higher rate, it is withheld differently. Under the flat method your employer withholds 22% federal on the bonus alone, plus the state supplemental rate, which is 10.23% in California and 11.7% in New York. Under the aggregate method the bonus is added to that period wages and withheld as though you earn that much every period, which usually over-withholds. Either way the true tax is settled on your return.
All 14 calculators
These figures are estimates for informational purposes and are not tax advice. Actual withholding depends on your employer’s payroll system, your year-to-date wages and your specific W-4. Federal rates come from IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32 and the SSA 2026 announcement; state rates come from each state’s own withholding guide, with the source and verification date published on every state page. Read the methodology, or see who maintains this data.