Salary and take-home pay calculator
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Gross is not what you get
A salary is quoted before four separate deductions, and each has its own rule. Federal income tax is progressive, so only the dollars above each threshold pay that bracket’s rate. Social Security takes 6.2% up to a wage base and then stops. Medicare takes 1.45% of everything, plus 0.9% above a threshold. And the state takes whatever its own schedule says, which ranges from nothing in nine states to double digits at the top of California’s.
This calculator runs all four on 2026 tables and shows every line, so a number on a payslip can be traced back to the rule that produced it.
The marginal rate is not your rate
“I’m in the 22% bracket” is true and misleading at once. The 22% applies to the slice of income inside that bracket; the slices below it pay 10% and 12%, and the standard deduction pays nothing. The effective rate — tax divided by gross — is the one that describes your year, and it is always lower. The page prints both, side by side, because the gap between them is the single most common misunderstanding about income tax.
The same arithmetic answers the raise question. A raise that crosses into a higher bracket costs the new rate only on the dollars past the line. A raise never leaves you with less; the tool shows exactly how much more, and why it is not the full percentage.
What a 401(k) and an HSA actually do
A traditional 401(k) contribution comes out before income tax, so it lowers federal and state tax — but not FICA, which is charged on the gross. An HSA contribution through payroll comes out before all of it, FICA included, which is why it is the most tax-efficient dollar most people can save. Both have annual limits, and the calculator caps at them rather than letting an impossible percentage through.
Working backwards from take-home
Most calculators only go one way. Choosing “the take-home I want” runs the whole thing in reverse: type the net you need per year, and the page finds the gross that lands it, then takes that gross apart line by line so an offer can be compared against a real number.
What is left out, on purpose
Itemized deductions, tax credits, the extra deduction after 65, and local income taxes in cities and counties. Each is individual enough that a guessed value would be wrong for most readers, and a wrong number stated confidently is worse than a line that says “not included.” The result is the withholding-level picture: accurate for a straightforward W-2 job, and a starting point for anything more involved.
Nothing is sent anywhere
Pay is about as private as numbers get. Every figure here is computed in this tab; nothing is transmitted, stored or logged, and the page works with the internet switched off. For related arithmetic, the percentage calculator and the sales tax calculator write their sums out the same way.
Frequently asked questions
Is this what my paycheck will actually say?
Close, for a straightforward W-2 job with the standard deduction: federal withholding, Social Security, Medicare and state tax are all on 2026 tables. What it cannot know is your W-4 choices, health premiums, itemized deductions, credits and local taxes — so treat it as the withholding-level picture, not the last dollar.
Why is my effective rate so much lower than my bracket?
Because the bracket rate applies only to the dollars inside it. The standard deduction pays nothing, the first slice pays 10 percent, the next 12, and so on; only the slice at the top pays the rate you quote. Tax divided by gross is the number that describes your year, and the page prints it next to the bracket for exactly this reason.
Does a raise into a higher bracket ever leave me with less?
No. Only the dollars above the bracket line pay the new rate, so take-home always rises with gross. The raise simulator shows how much of the raise reaches you and why it is less than the full percentage — every tax grows with the pay.
Why does a 401(k) lower income tax but not Social Security?
Traditional 401(k) deferrals are excluded from income tax but remain FICA wages by law. HSA contributions through a payroll plan are excluded from both, which is what makes them the most tax-efficient dollar most people can save. Both have annual limits, and the calculator caps at them.
Are city and county income taxes included?
No. New York City, Maryland counties, Ohio municipalities and a few others levy their own, and the rates are too local to tabulate honestly. The state line is the state alone, and the page says so.
How does the reverse mode work?
Choose the take-home you want and the page searches for the gross that lands it, then takes that gross apart line by line. It is the number to bring to a salary negotiation, because an offer is quoted gross and rent is paid net.
Is my salary sent anywhere?
No. Everything is computed in this tab, nothing is transmitted or stored, and the page works offline.