Paycheck Calculator | Take-Home Pay After Taxes

Q: Are pre-tax deduction fields per paycheck or per year?

Per year, same as gross salary. Enter $6,000 total health premiums for the year, not $250 per semi-monthly check. The calculator divides annual totals by your pay frequency for the stub. Mixing per-check numbers into annual fields is the most common reason FICA and federal lines look wrong.

Q: Does Social Security tax apply to gross or after pre-tax deductions?

On FICA wages, not federal taxable income. Health premiums, payroll HSA, and other Section 125 cafeteria items reduce Social Security and Medicare wages. Traditional 401(k) deferrals do not: they lower federal income tax but still owe 6.2% Social Security (up to the wage base) and 1.45% Medicare. Example: $7,500 semi-monthly gross with $260 of FICA-exempt pre-tax per check ($6,240/year) → FICA base $7,240/check → Social Security $448.88, not $465.

Q: What is the difference between marginal and effective tax rate?

Your marginal rate is the bracket on your last dollar of taxable income. Your effective rate is total federal tax divided by gross. Effective is almost always lower because earlier dollars sit in 10% and 12% before you reach 22%, and the standard deduction shields the first chunk. On the default $75,000 single run, marginal is 22% while effective federal is about 10.2%.

Q: How much Social Security tax do I pay in 2026?

6.2% of FICA wages up to $184,500 in 2026 (the SSA contribution and benefit base). FICA wages are gross minus Section 125 pre-tax, not minus 401(k). Maximum employee contribution: $11,439. Wages above $184,500 escape Social Security for the rest of the year.

Q: How do state and local taxes work in this calculator?

Pick your state in section 05 to seed a flat effective rate (no-tax and flat-rate states fill in automatically; progressive states need your own blended %). State and city percentages apply to the same federal taxable income base. Look up bracket details on Wikipedia's state income tax page or your state revenue site. This is not a full state withholding engine.

Q: Does age 65 or older change my take-home estimate?

Yes. Toggle Age 65 or older in section 04 to add the extra standard deduction ($1,650 single/HoH/MFJ per qualifying person; $1,300 MFS) and, when eligible, the OBBBA enhanced senior deduction (up to $6,000 per person, 2025–2028, with a MAGI phase-out). Both reduce federal taxable income in this model.

Q: How is this different from the Salary Calculator?

This page is built for paycheck stub detail: pay frequency, line-item FICA, OBBBA tips/overtime, optional state/local flat rates, and age 65+ deductions. The Salary Calculator adds employer benefits, total compensation, and inflation context for comparing offers. Neither tool is a W-4 withholding engine.

Take-Home Pay Calculator: 2026 Federal Tax, FICA & OBBBA

2026 federal brackets, FICA wage rules, optional flat state and local rates, and OBBBA tip and overtime deductions. Marginal and effective rates on every run.

What you get from one run

Enter gross pay (salary or hourly), filing status, age 65+ toggles, annual pre-tax deductions, optional state (flat-rate preset or your own %) and city rates, and any OBBBA tip or overtime amounts. The tool returns net pay per period and annually, a line-item tax breakdown, marginal vs effective federal rates, and modeled OBBBA savings when those fields are filled. It applies 2026 standard deductions (including age 65+ add-ons), OBBBA senior deductions when eligible, the seven-bracket federal schedule, the $184,500 Social Security wage base, Additional Medicare above $200,000 / $250,000, and OBBBA caps with MAGI phase-out. Bracket math on annual income, not a W-4 withholding engine.

How net pay is calculated

Taxable income starts at gross minus pre-tax deductions minus OBBBA tip/overtime deductions minus the OBBBA senior deduction (when age 65+ applies) minus the standard deduction (including age 65+ add-ons). Federal income tax runs that number through the 2026 progressive brackets. Optional state and local rates multiply the same taxable base by your entered flat percentages. FICA uses a separate wage base: gross minus health, HSA, and other Section 125 items, but not traditional 401(k). Social Security is 6.2% up to $184,500; Medicare is 1.45% with an extra 0.9% above the filing-status threshold. Pre-tax withholdings come out of gross on the stub; net is what remains after taxes and post-tax deductions.

$75,000 single filer (no pre-tax, no OBBBA):

See the FAQ for the full federal, FICA, and bi-weekly net breakdown. Taxable income is $58,900 after the $16,100 standard deduction; federal tax is $7,670.
OBBBA overtime savings:

Same filer with $10,000 in qualified FLSA-premium overtime drops taxable income to $48,900. The deduction crosses the 22%/12% bracket boundary at $50,400, so savings split: $8,500 at 22% ($1,870) plus $1,500 at 12% ($180) = $2,050, not the $2,200 you would get if all $10,000 sat in the 22% bracket.
OBBBA tip savings:

Add $5,000 in qualified tips on top of that. Taxable income falls to $43,900, all within the 12% bracket. Tip savings: $5,000 × 12% = $600. FICA on the tips and overtime is unchanged.

OBBBA deductions: what counts

Qualified overtime (IRC § 225)

Only the half-time premium on FLSA-required overtime qualifies; the base hourly rate for the overtime hour is ordinary wages. State-only overtime above the FLSA minimum and voluntary employer overtime do not qualify.

Caps:

$12,500 (single / head of household), $25,000 (married filing jointly), $0 (married filing separately).
Phase-out:

$100 of cap reduction per $1,000 of MAGI above $150,000 single or $300,000 joint. Single filers lose the deduction at $275,000 MAGI; joint filers at $550,000.
FICA:

Overtime is fully subject to Social Security and Medicare. The deduction reduces income tax only.

Beginning with 2026, employers report the qualifying overtime portion on Form W-2; for tax year 2025 a "reasonable method" was permitted.

Qualified tips (IRC § 224)

Tip income in Treasury-listed qualifying occupations, capped at $25,000 per return regardless of filing status. A married couple where both spouses work tipped jobs shares one $25,000 cap. Mandatory service charges and tips in excluded professions do not qualify.

Phase-out:

Same $100/$1,000 rule starting at $150,000 single / $300,000 joint. Single deduction gone at $400,000 MAGI; joint at $550,000.
Reporting:

Qualifying tips appear in Form W-2 Box 12 code "TP" and Treasury Tipped Occupation Code in Box 14b starting 2026.
FICA:

Tips remain fully subject to Social Security and Medicare.

Sunset

Both deductions expire after tax year 2028 unless Congress extends them.

2026 federal tax brackets

Single filer (2026)

From IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32, Section 4.01:

10%:

$0 to $12,400
12%:

$12,400 to $50,400
22%:

$50,400 to $105,700
24%:

$105,700 to $201,775
32%:

$201,775 to $256,225
35%:

$256,225 to $640,600
37%:

Above $640,600

Married filing jointly (2026)

Joint thresholds are roughly double the single thresholds in the lower brackets and converge at the top.

10%:

$0 to $24,800
12%:

$24,800 to $100,800
22%:

$100,800 to $211,400
24%:

$211,400 to $403,550
32%:

$403,550 to $512,450
35%:

$512,450 to $768,700
37%:

Above $768,700

Head of household (2026)

Brackets for filers maintaining a household for a qualifying dependent.

10%:

$0 to $17,700
12%:

$17,700 to $67,450
22%:

$67,450 to $105,700
24%:

$105,700 to $201,750
32%:

$201,750 to $256,200
35%:

$256,200 to $640,600
37%:

Above $640,600

Brackets apply progressively. The standard deduction ($16,100 / $32,200 / $24,150) reduces taxable income before the schedule runs.

2026 FICA: Social Security and Medicare

Social Security (6.2%)

Social Security tax stops at the annual wage base.

Rate:

6.2% of FICA wages (gross minus Section 125 pre-tax, not minus 401(k))
2026 wage base:

$184,500 (Social Security Administration, Contribution and Benefit Base)
Maximum employee tax:

$11,439
Formula:

$\text{Social Security Tax} = \min(\text{wages},\ 184{,}500) \times 0.062$

Multi-job earners whose combined wages cross the cap can claim excess withholding back on Form 1040; the cap is per worker, not per employer.

Medicare (1.45% + 0.9%)

Medicare has a flat base rate plus an additional rate for high earners.

Base:

1.45% on every dollar of FICA wages, no cap
Additional Medicare Tax:

0.9% on wages above $200,000 (single/HoH/MFS) or $250,000 (MFJ)
Formula:

$\text{Medicare} = \text{wages} \times 0.0145 + \max(0,\ \text{wages} - \text{threshold}) \times 0.009$
High earner example:

Single $250,000: $250,000 × 1.45% = $3,625, plus ($250,000 − $200,000) × 0.9% = $450, for total Medicare of $4,075.

Employers only withhold the additional 0.9% once wages with that employer exceed $200,000. Multi-job earners reconcile on Form 8959 at filing.

2026 standard deductions

Standard deduction by filing status

The standard deduction reduces taxable income before brackets are applied.

Single:

$16,100
Married filing jointly:

$32,200
Head of household:

$24,150
Married filing separately:

$16,100

Itemize only when total itemized deductions (mortgage interest, SALT capped at $40,400 in 2026, charitable, medical above 7.5% AGI) exceed the standard deduction. The OBBBA-raised SALT cap makes itemizing more attractive in 2026 than under the prior $10,000 cap.

FAQ

How much is $75,000 after taxes in 2026?

A single filer at $75,000 with no pre-tax deductions and no OBBBA tips or overtime keeps about $61,592 per year, or roughly $2,369 bi-weekly. Federal income tax runs about $7,670 on $58,900 taxable income (after the $16,100 standard deduction). Social Security is $4,650 and Medicare about $1,088 on full FICA wages here because nothing is in the Section 125 bucket. Adding pre-tax 401(k) or HSA changes federal tax at your marginal bracket; only health, HSA, and other Section 125 items also shrink FICA.

What does OBBBA actually do for tips and overtime in 2026?

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (P.L. 119-21, July 2025) added two above-the-line deductions for tax years 2025-2028. Qualified overtime (only the FLSA half-time premium portion) is deductible up to $12,500 single / $25,000 joint. Qualified tips in Treasury-listed occupations cap at $25,000 per return. Both phase out by 10 cents per dollar of MAGI above $150,000 single / $300,000 joint. Tips and overtime still pay full FICA; married filing separately gets $0 on both.

How do I calculate my take-home pay?

Net pay is gross minus pre-tax withholdings minus federal income tax minus FICA minus optional state/local tax minus post-tax deductions. All inputs here are annual amounts (salary, 401(k), health, HSA); the stub shows per-pay-period splits. Federal tax uses gross minus pre-tax, OBBBA deductions, and the standard deduction. FICA uses gross minus health, HSA, and other Section 125 items only; traditional 401(k) deferrals still count toward Social Security and Medicare wages.

Are pre-tax deduction fields per paycheck or per year?

Per year, same as gross salary. Enter $6,000 total health premiums for the year, not $250 per semi-monthly check. The calculator divides annual totals by your pay frequency for the stub. Mixing per-check numbers into annual fields is the most common reason FICA and federal lines look wrong.

Does Social Security tax apply to gross or after pre-tax deductions?

On FICA wages, not federal taxable income. Health premiums, payroll HSA, and other Section 125 cafeteria items reduce Social Security and Medicare wages. Traditional 401(k) deferrals do not: they lower federal income tax but still owe 6.2% Social Security (up to the wage base) and 1.45% Medicare. Example: $7,500 semi-monthly gross with $260 of FICA-exempt pre-tax per check ($6,240/year) → FICA base $7,240/check → Social Security $448.88, not $465.

What is the difference between marginal and effective tax rate?

Your marginal rate is the bracket on your last dollar of taxable income. Your effective rate is total federal tax divided by gross. Effective is almost always lower because earlier dollars sit in 10% and 12% before you reach 22%, and the standard deduction shields the first chunk. On the default $75,000 single run, marginal is 22% while effective federal is about 10.2%.

How much Social Security tax do I pay in 2026?

6.2% of FICA wages up to $184,500 in 2026 (the SSA contribution and benefit base). FICA wages are gross minus Section 125 pre-tax, not minus 401(k). Maximum employee contribution: $11,439. Wages above $184,500 escape Social Security for the rest of the year.

How do state and local taxes work in this calculator?

Pick your state in section 05 to seed a flat effective rate (no-tax and flat-rate states fill in automatically; progressive states need your own blended %). State and city percentages apply to the same federal taxable income base. Look up bracket details on Wikipedia's state income tax page or your state revenue site. This is not a full state withholding engine.

Does age 65 or older change my take-home estimate?

Yes. Toggle Age 65 or older in section 04 to add the extra standard deduction ($1,650 single/HoH/MFJ per qualifying person; $1,300 MFS) and, when eligible, the OBBBA enhanced senior deduction (up to $6,000 per person, 2025–2028, with a MAGI phase-out). Both reduce federal taxable income in this model.

How is this different from the Salary Calculator?

This page is built for paycheck stub detail: pay frequency, line-item FICA, OBBBA tips/overtime, optional state/local flat rates, and age 65+ deductions. The Salary Calculator adds employer benefits, total compensation, and inflation context for comparing offers. Neither tool is a W-4 withholding engine.

What is the additional Medicare tax in 2026?

On top of the base 1.45% Medicare rate on FICA wages, high earners pay an extra 0.9% on wages above $200,000 (single, head of household) or $250,000 (married filing jointly). Unlike Social Security, Medicare has no wage cap. Employers only withhold the 0.9% piece once wages with that employer cross the threshold; multi-job earners reconcile on Form 8959 at filing.

Gross pay

OBBBA (2026)

Pre-tax deductions (annual)

Filing status

State & local (optional)

Post-tax (optional)

Stub (per period)

Deductions

Rates

Pre-tax

Marginal vs effective

Estimate vs W-4

Example: $75,000 salary, single, bi-weekly

401(k) vs Section 125 on the stub

OBBBA tips and overtime

Social Security wage base and Additional Medicare