Paycheck Calculator

How to use this paycheck calculator

Enter your gross annual salary — the full pay before any deductions — then pick how often you are paid and your tax filing status. Add the percentage of pay that goes into pre-tax deductions like a 401(k) or health benefits, and a flat estimate of your state income tax rate. The calculator instantly shows your estimated take-home pay for each paycheck, along with your annual take-home, total tax, and effective tax rate. Adjust the sliders to see how a raise, a bigger 401(k) contribution, or a move to a different state changes what you actually keep.

How this is calculated

We start from your gross salary and subtract pre-tax deductions (your 401(k) and benefits percentage). FICA is Social Security at 6.2% on wages up to the annual wage base, plus Medicare at 1.45% on all wages. For federal income tax we subtract the standard deduction for your filing status, then apply the progressive federal tax brackets. State tax is estimated as a flat rate on pay after pre-tax deductions. What remains is your annual take-home, which we divide by the number of paychecks per year.

This is a simplified estimate — it ignores tax credits, local taxes, additional withholding, pre-tax amounts that also escape FICA, and many state-specific rules. It is not tax advice. See our disclaimer.

Gross pay vs. take-home pay

Your gross pay is the headline salary number on your offer letter. Your take-home pay (also called net pay) is what actually reaches your bank account after taxes and deductions are withheld. The gap between the two often surprises people: between FICA, federal income tax, state tax, and retirement contributions, a meaningful slice of every paycheck is withheld before you ever see it. Knowing your real take-home figure makes budgeting far more accurate than planning around a gross number.

A worked example

Suppose you earn $60,000 a year, are paid biweekly (26 paychecks), file as single, put 5% into a 401(k), and live in a state with roughly a 5% flat income tax. Your pre-tax 401(k) is about $3,000, leaving $57,000. FICA takes roughly $4,590 (6.2% + 1.45% of gross). After the standard deduction, federal income tax on the remaining taxable income lands in the low thousands, and state tax is about 5% of $57,000. Add those up, subtract from gross, and you keep somewhere in the mid-$40,000s for the year — which works out to roughly $1,700–$1,800 per biweekly paycheck. The calculator above does this math precisely for your own numbers.

Tips to keep more of your paycheck

• Max out pre-tax accounts — 401(k) and HSA contributions lower your taxable income, so you owe less federal tax now.
• Check your withholding — a big refund means you lent the government money interest-free all year; tune your W-4 so each paycheck is closer to right.
• Mind state lines — a handful of states have no income tax, which can noticeably change your take-home if you ever relocate.
• Capture the employer match — contributing enough to get your full 401(k) match is effectively free money on top of the tax break.

Once you know your real take-home, a budget calculator can help you split it across needs, wants, and savings — and our compound interest calculator shows how those 401(k) contributions grow over time.

A note on accuracy

Every paycheck is different, and payroll systems factor in details this tool deliberately keeps simple. Treat the result as a solid planning estimate, not an exact prediction of your stub. For decisions that matter, confirm with your pay stub, your HR or payroll team, or a qualified tax professional.