Estimate your net paycheck after all deductions including federal income tax, state income tax, Social Security, and Medicare. Enter your salary, filing status, and pre-tax deductions to see your actual take-home pay.
The difference between your gross salary and what actually hits your bank account each pay period is one of the most misunderstood numbers in personal finance. The deductions stack up fast: federal income tax withholding, state income tax, Social Security, Medicare, plus any pre-tax benefits like 401(k), health insurance, HSA, and FSA contributions.
This calculator walks gross pay through all of those deductions to produce a take-home (net) figure for each paycheck. It uses the standard federal withholding tables, federally mandated FICA rates (Social Security and Medicare), and a state rate you set. The result is close to what your real paycheck shows — usually within a few dollars per pay period, depending on your specific state's bracket structure.
Use it to plan a budget around realistic numbers, compare job offers across states with different tax rates, decide how much to contribute to a 401(k), or check whether your W-4 withholding is producing too big a tax refund (which means you're loaning the government money interest-free).
$100,000 salary, single, no pre-tax deductions, bi-weekly: Texas (0% state tax): Gross/pay: $3,846 Federal + FICA: $1,034 Net: $2,812 California (top marginal 9.3% for this income): Gross/pay: $3,846 Federal + FICA + State: $1,372 Net: $2,474 The Texas job pays about $8,800/year more in take-home for the same gross. Cost of living and other taxes (property, sales) can offset this, but the paycheck difference is real.
$80,000 salary, single, 22% marginal federal bracket. Without 401(k): Net per year: ≈ $58,500 With $8,000/yr 401(k) contribution: Net per year: ≈ $52,300 401(k) balance added: $8,000 "Cost" of contribution: $80,000 − $52,300 − $58,500 reduction = ≈ $6,200 You put $8,000 into retirement but only $6,200 came out of your take-home. The IRS effectively contributes $1,800 via lower withholding.
Use this calculator any time your situation changes: new job, raise, move to a different state, marriage, kids, increasing your 401(k) percentage. It's also useful when planning a budget — using net (take-home) rather than gross income gives realistic spending numbers.
Limitations: this models a standard W-2 paycheck. It doesn't handle bonuses (which are usually withheld at 22% federal supplemental rate, often higher than your marginal rate, and over-withholding gets refunded at filing), tipped wages, multi-state earnings, or municipal/local income taxes (NYC, Philadelphia, Detroit, some Ohio cities). For self-employment, use the self-employment tax calculator (covers the full 15.3% SE tax).
Estimate your federal income tax using current brackets and deductions.
Calculate self-employment tax (Schedule SE) including Social Security and Medicare.
Calculate sales tax on any purchase amount.
Convert annual salary to hourly rate and see all pay period breakdowns.
Calculate overtime pay including 1.5x and 2x hourly rates.
Estimate federal estate tax liability with exemptions and graduated rates.
Net Pay (per paycheck)
$2,068
Gross Pay (per paycheck)
$2,885
Effective Tax Rate
21.4%
Annual Take-Home
$53,768