Paycheck Calculator
Estimate take-home pay after federal tax, Social Security and Medicare deductions.
Reviewed by Aygul Dovletova · Last reviewed
Using the Paycheck Calculator
Estimate what actually lands in your bank account after federal income tax, Social Security, and Medicare. Enter gross salary and filing status for the federal portion of take-home pay in monthly and annual views.
- Gross salary - total pay before any deductions. Use the annual number from an offer letter or monthly gross from a paystub. Toggle between annual and monthly as needed.
- Filing status - Single or Married Filing Jointly. Sets the standard deduction ($14,600 single, $29,200 MFJ for 2024) and progressive bracket thresholds.
- Read the breakdown - federal income tax, Social Security (6.2% up to wage base), Medicare (1.45% no cap), net pay in monthly and annual form.
State tax, local tax, 401(k) deferrals, health premiums, HSA/FSA, and garnishments are not included. Subtract those separately before comparing to your deposit.
What the Calculator Computes
Federal income tax uses the 2024 progressive brackets. The standard deduction is subtracted first to produce taxable income, then each bracket's marginal rate applies to the slice of income in it. For a Single filer at $75,000 gross: taxable = $75,000 - $14,600 = $60,400. First $11,600 at 10% ($1,160), next $35,550 at 12% ($4,266), remaining $13,250 at 22% ($2,915) - total $8,341. Effective rate 11.1%, marginal rate 22%. FICA adds two flat items: Social Security (6.2% up to the $168,600 wage base for 2024) and Medicare (1.45% all wages, plus 0.9% Additional Medicare above $200k Single / $250k MFJ).
What It Does Not Include
State income tax (0% in TX/FL/WA up to 13.3% top bracket in California), local tax (NYC has its own), 401(k)/403(b) pre-tax deferrals, HSA, health-insurance premiums pre-tax under Section 125, FSA, union dues, garnishments, Roth 401(k). Realistic net is often 60-75% of gross for middle earners in high-tax states, versus 75-80% here for federal-only.
When You Reach for This Tool
- Evaluating a job offer - converting annual salary to rough take-home.
- Comparing offers in different states where the federal piece is constant.
- Deciding whether to increase 401(k) contributions.
- Estimating a mid-year raise impact on monthly cash flow.
- Sanity-checking HR withholding.
Common Confusions and Edge Cases
The biggest misunderstanding is marginal bracket vs. effective rate. Being "in the 22% bracket" means the next dollar is taxed at 22%, not your entire income - only the slice above the bracket threshold. Crossing a bracket never lowers take-home; people sometimes decline raises out of this myth. The Social Security wage base: high earners stop paying 6.2% after $168,600 in a year, so late-year paychecks are larger. Job change mid-year: new employer starts SS withholding from zero, you may over-withhold, excess comes back as IRS credit. Bonus withholding uses a flat 22% for supplemental under $1M per Rev. Proc., which often over-withholds if your marginal rate is lower. Self-employed pay both halves of FICA (15.3% SE tax) via quarterly estimates - not modelled.
The US Tax System in Brief
The federal income tax is progressive with seven 2024 brackets: 10%, 12%, 22%, 24%, 32%, 35%, 37%. Thresholds adjust annually for inflation via IRC Section 1(f). The standard deduction replaces itemised deductions for ~90% of filers after the 2017 TCJA doubled it. FICA funds Social Security (OASDI) and Medicare, established by the Federal Insurance Contributions Act of 1935. The SS wage base adjusts yearly with the national average wage index; Medicare has had no wage cap since 1994. Withholding is governed by Form W-4. If withholding exceeds actual liability, you get a refund; if less, you owe and possibly underpayment penalties.
Comparison to Alternatives
The IRS's Tax Withholding Estimator (irs.gov/individuals/tax-withholding-estimator) is the most comprehensive free option - it handles state tax, pre-tax deductions, multiple jobs. ADP, Paychex, and SmartAsset publish paycheck calculators with state-tax built in. TurboTax and H&R Block have free salary-to-paycheck estimators. For deep planning, a CPA with your prior-year return beats any web calculator. This is the fastest federal-only rough estimate when you just need a back-of-envelope number.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does my actual paycheck show less than this predicts?
The tool only models federal income tax plus FICA. Real paychecks subtract state income tax (up to 13.3% in California), local tax (NYC, Philadelphia, several Ohio cities), pre-tax 401(k) and health premiums, post-tax items, and sometimes garnishments or union dues. For full coverage, use the IRS Tax Withholding Estimator or SmartAsset's state-aware calculator.
What is the 2024 Social Security wage base?
$168,600. Social Security tax (6.2%) applies only to the first $168,600 of wages; above that, no additional SS tax from that employer within the year. Medicare (1.45%) has no cap. The wage base adjusts annually with the national average wage index; 2025 is $176,100. Mid-year job changers may over-withhold because each employer starts from zero - excess is reclaimed on Form 1040.
How is FICA different from federal income tax?
FICA funds Social Security and Medicare at flat rates (6.2% and 1.45%). Federal income tax funds the general budget and uses progressive brackets. FICA rates do not change with filing status or income until the SS wage base; federal income tax does. FICA has no standard deduction. Self-employed pay both halves (15.3%) as self-employment tax.
How does the standard deduction work?
For 2024, $14,600 single and $29,200 MFJ. Subtracted from gross before progressive brackets apply, lowering taxable income. About 90% of filers take the standard rather than itemising (mortgage interest, state taxes, charity). If your itemised total exceeds the standard, itemise; otherwise take the standard. The calculator assumes standard - if you itemise significantly more, your tax bill is lower.
What about state income tax?
Not modelled. Nine states have no state income tax: Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, Wyoming. Others range from ~1% to California's 13.3% top bracket. Some use flat rates (Colorado 4.4%, Illinois 4.95%); others are progressive. Use SmartAsset or ADP's calculator with state selection for full coverage.
Is my salary input saved or sent anywhere?
No. Gross salary and filing status live in the Preact component for the tab lifetime and nowhere else. No fetch, no analytics event bound to your salary, no local storage, no cookie. Bracket-by-bracket arithmetic plus FICA flat rates runs entirely in the browser. Closing or refreshing clears the input.
How does 401(k) or HSA affect this?
Subtract contributions from gross before entering. Pre-tax 401(k), 403(b), 457, traditional IRA, and HSA reduce taxable income dollar for dollar. At 22% marginal, each $1,000 of 401(k) saves $220 in federal tax, so the real take-home cost is $780. Roth 401(k) and Roth IRA are post-tax and do not reduce taxable income now.
Why does the calculator show a different federal tax than my W-2?
The calculator assumes only standard deduction and no credits. Your W-2 withholding is based on W-4 elections, which may include additional withholding, dependent credits, or multi-job adjustments. "Box 2 Federal Income Tax Withheld" reflects what was withheld from paychecks, not final liability. Final liability is computed on Form 1040 and can differ - the difference is your refund or balance due.
What is the Additional Medicare Tax?
0.9% on wages above $200,000 Single or $250,000 MFJ, introduced by the Affordable Care Act in 2013. Employee side only - employers do not match. Unlike regular Medicare, it has income thresholds. Employers start withholding once an employee crosses $200,000 regardless of filing status; joint filers reconcile on their return. High earners effectively face 2.35% Medicare above threshold.
Does the calculator handle bonuses correctly?
Not directly. Bonuses and supplemental wages are withheld at a flat 22% federal rate under IRS rules for bonuses under $1M. Actual tax on the bonus depends on total annual income. To model: add the bonus to annual gross and run the calculator - the marginal rate applied will be more accurate than the flat 22% for middle-bracket earners who get refunds from over-withheld bonuses.
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