Hourly Paycheck Calculator 2026
Enter your hourly rate, the hours you work and your state to see your take-home pay per paycheck after federal, state and payroll taxes.
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.
How hourly pay becomes annual pay
Withholding tables work on annual figures, so an hourly rate has to be annualised before any tax can be calculated. This calculator multiplies your rate by hours per week and then by weeks per year, which gives the annual figure the IRS percentage method needs. At 40 hours a week for 52 weeks, every dollar of hourly rate is $2,080 a year.
That assumption matters if your hours move. A seasonal worker on 40 weeks, or a part-timer on 25 hours, has a lower annualised wage and therefore a lower marginal rate, so withholding as a share of gross falls. Change hours per week or weeks per year and watch the effective rate move rather than assuming a flat percentage.
Overtime, and why it is taxed the way it is
Overtime hours are paid at 1.5 times your regular rate under the Fair Labor Standards Act once you pass 40 hours in a week. California adds daily overtime after 8 hours and double time after 12. Overtime is ordinary wages for tax purposes, so it is withheld at your normal rate rather than a penalty rate.
What makes an overtime week feel heavily taxed is annualisation. Payroll assumes the bigger paycheck repeats every period, which can push that single check into a higher bracket than your real annual income sits in. The extra withholding comes back on your return. Enter your overtime hours above to see the difference on one check.
Unpaid breaks and the hours you actually get paid for
Most hourly disputes are about hours, not rates. An unpaid 30-minute lunch across five shifts is 2.5 hours a week, which is $3,250 a year at $25 an hour. Track the hours you are paid for with the timesheet calculator, then bring that number back here to see the take-home figure.
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.
2026 federal brackets
| 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 |
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate my hourly take-home pay?
Multiply your hourly rate by your hours per week, then by the number of weeks you work in a year, to get annual gross pay. Subtract pre-tax deductions, then apply federal income tax using your filing status, Social Security at 6.2%, Medicare at 1.45%, and your state rate. Divide the result by the number of pay periods in your year. The calculator above does all of it as you type.
How much is $25 an hour after taxes?
At 40 hours a week, $25 an hour is $52,000 a year gross. A single filer in a no-income-tax state keeps roughly $43,000 of that, or about $827 a week. In California the same worker keeps closer to $41,000 after state tax and SDI. Your own figure depends on your filing status, dependents and pre-tax deductions.
Is overtime taxed at a higher rate?
No. Overtime is ordinary wage income and is taxed at exactly the same rates as your regular pay. It can look higher on a single paycheck because payroll annualises that period, assuming the larger amount repeats all year. Any over-withholding is refunded when you file.
Do unpaid lunch breaks reduce my paycheck?
Yes, if the break is unpaid and you clock out for it. Federal law does not require paid meal breaks, so a 30-minute unpaid lunch five days a week removes 2.5 paid hours from your week. Short rest breaks of 20 minutes or less generally must be paid.
How many hours a year is full-time?
Full-time is usually treated as 2,080 hours a year, which is 40 hours a week for 52 weeks. That figure includes paid time off. If you are paid only for weeks worked, set weeks per year to the number you actually work so the annualised figure and the withholding are right.
Does this calculator handle two different hourly rates?
Not in one pass. Run each rate separately, or enter your blended average rate. If the second rate is from a second employer, add the annual amount under other income in the advanced section so federal withholding accounts for it.
Related 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.