Take home pay per paycheck
$0.00
Enter your pay below. The result updates as you type.
Your pay
Start with these four fields. Everything else is optional.
The figure on your offer letter, not what reaches your bank.
Overtime, tips and bonus
Employers often withhold a flat 22 percent on real bonuses.
Pre tax deductions such as 401k and health insurance
Lowers income tax but not Social Security or Medicare.
Per paycheck. Pre tax under a Section 125 plan.
W-4 details and local tax
Applies in New York City, Philadelphia, Maryland counties, most of Indiana and Ohio.
Paycheck breakdown
Paycheck calculator by state
Tap a state to load its 2026 tax rules into the calculator above.
What this paycheck calculator does
This is a take home pay calculator built on the 2026 United States tax rules. You put in your salary or hourly rate, pick the state you work in, and it shows what actually lands in your bank account on payday along with every deduction that came out on the way there.
A paycheck in this country is not one tax. It is a stack of separate deductions paid to three different levels of government, and the total changes a lot depending on where you work. That is why a question like how much is 70000 a year after taxes has no single answer, and why a generic salary calculator that ignores your state is close to useless.
Everything this net pay calculator handles
- Federal income tax withholding using the annualised percentage method from IRS Publication 15-T, with 2026 brackets and the 2026 standard deduction
- Social Security at 6.2 percent up to the 2026 wage base of $184,500
- Medicare at 1.45 percent on all wages plus the extra 0.9 percent above $200,000
- State income tax for all 50 states and Washington DC using each state's own brackets, standard deduction and personal exemptions
- State payroll taxes where they apply, including California SDI, Massachusetts paid family leave and Washington Cares
- City and county income tax as a percentage you enter
- Pre tax deductions in the correct order, covering traditional 401k, health insurance premiums, HSA and FSA
- After tax deductions such as a Roth 401k
- Overtime, tips and bonuses
Who this is for
Anyone who needs a real number rather than a guess. The people who use a paycheck calculator most are:
- Anyone weighing up a job offer. A $78,000 offer in California can leave you with less money than a $72,000 offer in Texas. Run both and you will see it in seconds.
- People moving between states. Nine states take nothing at all out of your wages while California reaches 13.3 percent. Moving is often a bigger pay change than a raise.
- Hourly and shift workers whose pay moves every week with overtime and tips.
- Anyone adjusting their 401k. Raising your contribution from 3 to 10 percent costs less take home pay than most people expect, because the money comes out before income tax.
- People whose paystub looks wrong and who want to check the withholding before calling HR.
- Anyone filling out a new W-4 who wants to see the effect of the Step 2 box or claiming dependents before they hand the form in.
Why you should use it before you accept an offer
Salary is a headline. Take home pay is what you actually live on, and the gap between the two is usually somewhere between 20 and 35 percent depending on your state and your benefits. Two offers with the same salary can differ by several thousand dollars a year once state tax, local tax and the cost of the health plan are counted.
It matters even more when you are comparing across state lines. Texas, Florida, Tennessee, Nevada, Washington, Wyoming, South Dakota, Alaska and New Hampshire take nothing from your wages at state level. Working in one of those instead of California, New York or New Jersey is worth real money at the same salary, and no recruiter is going to run that maths for you.
How to use the calculator
- Choose salary or hourly. Salaried workers enter the annual figure. Hourly workers enter the rate and the hours that appear on one paycheck, not per week. That is 80 hours if you work 40 hours a week and get paid every two weeks.
- Get the pay frequency right. This is the mistake people make most often. Every two weeks means 26 paychecks a year. Twice a month means 24. They are not the same thing and the difference changes every number on the page.
- Pick the state where you physically work rather than where you live. If those are different states, check your paystub, because some states have reciprocity agreements and some do not.
- Copy your pre tax deductions off a real paystub. The 401k percentage and the health insurance premium move the answer more than anything else you can change.
- Open the W-4 section if you claim dependents. Skipping it is why some calculators show you withholding hundreds of dollars more than your real paystub does.
The mistake most free paycheck calculators make
Pre tax deductions are not interchangeable, and getting the order wrong throws the answer off by $15 to $40 every paycheck.
- Section 125 items such as your health insurance premium, HSA and FSA reduce your income tax and also reduce your Social Security and Medicare wages.
- Traditional 401k and 403b contributions reduce income tax only. FICA is still charged on that money. This is why maxing your 401k does not cut your paycheck by as much as you might assume.
- A Roth 401k comes out after all tax, so it does not reduce withholding at all.
This calculator applies them in the right order. It also handles the one state that breaks the rule. Pennsylvania taxes your 401k contributions on the way in, so a Pennsylvania paystub shows higher state taxable wages than the federal figure.
States with no income tax on wages
Nine states take nothing from your wages at state level. If you work in one, your paycheck only shows federal tax and FICA.
Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington and Wyoming.
Washington is a partial exception. It does not tax wages but it does withhold 0.58 percent for the Washington Cares long term care programme. New Hampshire repealed its interest and dividends tax in 2025, so wages there are now completely untaxed at state level.
The states that hit a paycheck hardest
California tops out at 13.3 percent and adds a 1.3 percent SDI withholding with no wage cap. Hawaii reaches 11 percent, New York 10.9 percent before New York City adds its own local tax, and New Jersey 10.75 percent. Virginia deserves a mention of its own because its top bracket starts at just $17,000 of taxable income, which means nearly every full time worker in Virginia pays the top 5.75 percent marginal rate.
Social Security stops part way through the year for higher earners
Social Security is only charged on the first $184,500 of wages in 2026. Once you cross that, the 6.2 percent simply stops for the rest of the year and your take home pay jumps. Someone earning $300,000 sees roughly $1,000 more in each paycheck from around August.
Because of that, this calculator shows the yearly average rather than pretending every paycheck is identical, and it tells you which paycheck number you cross the cap on so you know when the raise that is not a raise arrives.
No tax on overtime and tips in 2026
For the 2025 through 2028 tax years there are new deductions for qualified overtime and qualified tips. Two details matter and most articles online get both wrong.
- Only the premium half of time and a half is deductible. If you earn $30 an hour and work 10 overtime hours, your overtime pay is $450 but the deductible premium portion is only $150.
- Your employer still withholds normally. The benefit shows up as a smaller tax bill or a bigger refund when you file, not as a fatter paycheck.
The overtime deduction is capped at $12,500, or $25,000 filing jointly, and the tips deduction at $25,000. Both phase out above $150,000 of income, or $300,000 jointly. Enter overtime hours or tips above and the calculator estimates the refund effect for you.
Why your real paystub might not match exactly
This tool models withholding, which is an estimate your employer makes, not your final tax bill. Genuine reasons for a gap:
- Local taxes. Maryland counties add 2.25 to 3.20 percent. Philadelphia is around 3.75 percent for residents. Every Indiana county and most Kentucky localities levy their own. Enter yours in the local tax field.
- State phase outs. Connecticut recaptures tax benefits at higher incomes, and Wisconsin and Maine phase out their standard deductions.
- Bonuses are usually withheld at a flat 22 percent supplemental rate instead of running through the normal tables.
- Mid year changes to your W-4, your benefits or your pay rate.
- Employer quirks such as imputed income on group life insurance above $50,000, or a 27th paycheck in some years when you are paid every two weeks.
Frequently asked questions
How much is $70,000 a year after taxes?
It depends almost entirely on your state. A single filer with no deductions earning $70,000 keeps roughly $56,000 to $57,000 in Texas or Florida, and closer to $53,000 to $54,000 in California or New York once state tax and payroll levies come out. Enter $70,000 in the calculator and switch the state dropdown to see the exact difference for your own situation.
How do I calculate my take home pay?
Start with your gross pay for the period, subtract pre tax deductions such as your health insurance premium and 401k contribution, then subtract federal income tax withholding, 6.2 percent Social Security, 1.45 percent Medicare, your state income tax and any local tax. What is left is your take home pay. This paycheck calculator does all of that in the correct order, which matters because 401k contributions reduce income tax but not Social Security or Medicare.
Why is my paycheck smaller than the calculator says?
Three usual causes. A city or county income tax the tool cannot guess, so add it in the local tax field. Pre tax deductions you forgot to enter, especially the health insurance premium. Or a W-4 that does not match what you assumed, because if Step 2 is ticked on your real W-4 your employer withholds noticeably more.
What is the difference between bi weekly and semi monthly pay?
Bi weekly means every two weeks, which gives 26 paychecks a year and two months where you receive three cheques. Semi monthly means twice a month on fixed dates, which gives exactly 24 paychecks. The same annual salary produces a smaller bi weekly cheque than a semi monthly one, which catches a lot of people out when they change employers.
Does a 401k contribution reduce Social Security tax?
No. Traditional 401k and 403b contributions reduce your federal and state income tax, but Social Security and Medicare are still charged on the full amount. Only Section 125 items such as your health premium, HSA and FSA reduce FICA as well. Pennsylvania goes further and taxes 401k contributions for state purposes too.
Which states have no income tax on my paycheck?
Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington and Wyoming take nothing from your wages at state level. Washington still withholds 0.58 percent for its long term care programme, and several of these states make up the revenue with higher sales or property taxes, so a no income tax state is not automatically cheaper to live in.
How much tax is taken out of my paycheck?
For most middle income workers the total is somewhere between 20 and 32 percent of gross pay once federal tax, Social Security, Medicare and state tax are added together. Someone on $65,000 in Texas loses about 20 percent, while the same salary in California loses closer to 25 percent. Enter your own numbers and the calculator shows your effective tax rate.
What state do I pay income tax in if I work remotely?
Generally the state where you physically do the work. It gets complicated when your employer sits in a different state, because some states have reciprocity agreements and a few apply convenience of the employer rules that tax you where the company is based. New York is the strictest about this. If your paystub shows two state withholdings, run the calculator for each and compare against the stub.
How do I calculate my hourly take home pay?
Switch the calculator to hourly, enter your rate and the hours on one paycheck rather than per week, then add any overtime hours separately. Overtime is paid at time and a half above 40 hours in a workweek under federal law. The calculator works out gross pay, applies all the deductions and shows your real hourly rate after tax, which is usually a good deal lower than the rate you were quoted.
Is the 2026 standard deduction included?
Yes. The calculator uses the 2026 standard deduction of $16,100 for single filers, $32,200 for married filing jointly and $24,150 for head of household, together with the 2026 federal brackets and the $2,200 child tax credit amount used on the W-4.
Can I use this as a salary paycheck calculator and an hourly paycheck calculator?
Yes, both. The toggle at the top switches between them. Salaried users enter an annual figure and the calculator divides it by the pay frequency. Hourly users enter a rate and hours, and can add overtime, tips and bonuses on top.
Does this include the new no tax on overtime and tips rule?
Yes. If you enter overtime hours or tips, the calculator estimates the 2026 deduction for qualified overtime premium and qualified tips, and shows the likely reduction in your tax bill. Remember your employer still withholds normally on that money, so the benefit arrives when you file rather than in the paycheck itself.
Is my salary information saved or sent anywhere?
No. Every calculation runs inside your own browser using JavaScript. Nothing you type is transmitted, stored on a server or shared. Closing the page clears it.
How accurate is this paycheck calculator?
It uses the published 2026 federal brackets, the Social Security wage base, and each state's own 2026 rate schedule, applying the same annualised percentage method employers use. It normally lands within a few dollars of a real paystub. Differences usually come from local city taxes, employer specific benefit plans, or supplemental withholding on bonuses.
Should I use gross or net pay when applying for a mortgage or a rental?
Lenders almost always work from gross annual income, while landlords often want to see net pay on recent paystubs. Knowing both is useful, which is why the calculator shows gross, net and the annual figures side by side.
Other ways people look for this tool
Whether you came here searching for a salary paycheck calculator, an hourly paycheck calculator or just wanted to know how much tax is taken out of your paycheck, this is the same tool. Here is what it covers.
Estimates only, based on 2026 IRS Publication 15-T withholding rules, the Social Security Administration wage base and each state's published 2026 rate schedule. Your actual paystub can differ because of local taxes, employer benefit plans, mid year changes and rounding. This is not tax advice. Tax year 2026.