Take-home paycheck calculator

Gross pay weighed at the counter of the assay office: every deduction struck, itemized, and stamped with its year. Change anything; every line re-strikes.

Take-Home Receipt TAX YEAR 2026

Gross pay $65,000

Pre-tax deductions 401(k) 5% + other $4,450 −

Federal income tax marginal 12% after $16,100 standard deduction $5,086 −

Social Security 6.2% up to $184,500 $3,956 −

Medicare 1.45% $925 −

TX state income tax no wage income tax $0

Net pay · year

$50,583

≈ $4,215 / month

These figures come from Withholdwell, our payroll-tax API — all 51 jurisdictions from statute, re-verified every year. Get an API key.

How the receipt is struck

The order matters, and each order-of-operations choice changes the answer:

Pre-tax deductions come off first — they reduce income tax, not FICA.
The 2026 standard deduction shields the next layer ($16,100 single / $32,200 married / $24,150 head of household).
Federal tax fills the 2026 marginal brackets — 10% up to $12,400 taxable, rising to 37% past $640,600.
Social Security takes 6.2% only up to $184,500 of wages; Medicare's 1.45% never stops, gaining a 0.9% surcharge past $200,000.
State tax lands last, by each state's own 2026 law — or not at all in the nine states that levy none.

Whatever survives all five strikes is net pay. The receipt prints every intermediate figure because a number without its work is just a claim.

Assumptions on the counter

Standard deduction only — itemizing is out of scope.
Single earner, no dependents' credits modeled beyond filing status.
All pre-tax deductions treated as still subject to FICA (exact for 401(k), conservative for some premiums).
Graduated-state lines carry estimates where marked; flat states exact per Tax Foundation, January 2026.
Local city/county wage taxes (e.g. NYC resident) not included.

Figures & sources

Brackets & standard deduction: IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32 · Wage base & FICA: SSA, 2026 · State rates: Tax Foundation, Jan 1 2026 · Graduated-state estimates: ITEP Who Pays?, 7th ed.. Retrieved August 22, 2026.

Estimates for information only — not tax advice. Your W-4 elections and local taxes move real numbers.

By state

Every state is in the dropdown above, and 51 of them have a page of their own — the state's own 2026 treatment written out, and take-home computed at six salary levels for that state.

No state is missing any more, and none asks you to supply your own rate. The methodology page sets out what each one models, and what it deliberately leaves out.

Questions people ask

How do I calculate take-home pay from salary?

Subtract pre-tax deductions, apply the standard deduction, run the remainder through the marginal federal brackets, then subtract FICA (6.2% Social Security up to $184,500 plus 1.45% Medicare) and state tax. This calculator shows every one of those lines so nothing is hidden.

Why is my paycheck smaller than salary divided by twelve?

Because gross is not yours yet. On a $65,000 salary in Texas for 2026, roughly $9,300 goes to federal income tax and about $4,973 to FICA before a dollar reaches you. The receipt above shows exactly this breakdown.

How accurate are the state figures?

Flat-tax states use their exact published 2026 rates. Graduated states are modeled two ways: California and New York interpolate ITEP's published effective-rate data (marked estimated), and other graduated states ask you to supply your own effective rate — because pretending to know it would be worse than asking.

Does a 401(k) show up before or after taxes?

Traditional 401(k) contributions escape income tax but still pay Social Security and Medicare — that ordering is modeled here. Note the reverse surprise: your W-2 reports lower wages, but your Social Security record keeps the full amount.

Next at the counter

The reasoning behind this one: How to read your paycheck · all guides · methodology & sources