A $75,000 salary does not mean $75,000 in your pocket. Between federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare and possibly state tax, a typical US paycheck loses 18–30% before it lands. This calculator shows where every dollar goes in 2026.
US Paycheck Calculator 2026
Estimate your take-home pay after federal income tax and FICA for the 2026 tax year.
How it works: the 2026 standard deduction ($16,100 single, $32,200 married filing jointly) comes off your salary first, then the 2026 federal brackets (10%–37%) apply to what’s left. FICA is a flat 7.65% employee rate (6.2% Social Security + 1.45% Medicare; the Social Security wage-base cap is simplified here). State income tax is not included unless you enter an estimate in the state tax % field — rates vary widely by state, and some states have no income tax at all.
How it works
Enter your gross pay and how often you are paid (weekly, bi-weekly, semi-monthly or monthly), your filing status — single, married filing jointly, or head of household — and any pre-tax deductions such as 401(k) contributions or health insurance premiums. Add your state if you want state income tax included.
The result breaks your paycheck into gross pay, each tax, each deduction, and net pay. Seeing the full breakdown matters: two jobs paying the same salary can produce different paychecks if one offers a 401(k) match you are contributing to and the other loads more cost onto health premiums.
How the calculation works
Federal income tax starts with the standard deduction: $16,100 for single filers and $32,200 for married filing jointly in 2026. Only income above that amount is taxed, and it is taxed in slices at increasing rates. For single filers in 2026:
- 10% up to $12,400 of taxable income
- 12% from $12,401 to $50,400
- 22% from $50,401 to $105,700
- 24% from $105,701 to $201,775
- 32% from $201,776 to $256,225
- 35% from $256,226 to $640,600
- 37% above $640,600
Married filing jointly, the same rates apply at roughly double the taxable-income thresholds for the lower brackets.
Separately, FICA taxes fund Social Security and Medicare. Employees pay 7.65% in total: 6.2% for Social Security (on wages up to the annual wage base) and 1.45% for Medicare (on all wages, with an extra 0.9% on high earners). Unlike income tax, FICA has no standard deduction — it applies from the first dollar, although pre-tax 401(k) contributions do not reduce FICA.
Withholding on each paycheck is an estimate based on your W-4. Your final bill is settled when you file your return, which is why you may get a refund or owe a balance in April.
Worked example: $75,000 salary, single filer
Step 1 — Taxable income. $75,000 − $16,100 standard deduction = $58,900.
Step 2 — Federal tax by bracket. 10% of $12,400 = $1,240. 12% of the next $38,000 ($50,400 − $12,400) = $4,560. 22% of the remaining $8,500 ($58,900 − $50,400) = $1,870. Total federal tax = $7,670.
Step 3 — FICA. $75,000 × 7.65% = $5,737.50.
Step 4 — Take-home pay. $75,000 − $7,670 − $5,737.50 = $61,592.50 per year, before state tax and benefits. Paid bi-weekly, that is about $2,369 per paycheck. Note the effective federal rate is 10.2%, even though the marginal bracket is 22% — the lower slices do most of the work.
Things to watch
- State tax can swing the result by thousands. Seven states levy no wage income tax, while top rates in California and New York exceed 10% when city tax is included. Always run the calculator with your actual work state — and note that you are generally taxed where you work, not only where you live.
- Pre-tax 401(k) contributions cut income tax, not FICA. A $5,000 contribution saves you $1,100 in federal tax in the 22% bracket, but Social Security and Medicare are still charged on the full salary.
- A bigger paycheck is not the same as a raise being “taxed away”. Moving into a higher bracket only taxes the dollars above the threshold at the higher rate. There is no salary level where a $1 raise makes your overall paycheck smaller because of federal brackets alone.
- Check your W-4 after life changes. Marriage, a second job in the household, or a child can make default withholding badly wrong. The IRS Tax Withholding Estimator figures flow directly into the allowances this calculator models.
- Bonuses are withheld at a flat 22% federal rate (the supplemental rate), which may over- or under-withhold versus your real bracket. The difference is corrected on your tax return, not in later paychecks.
Frequently asked questions
Why is my first paycheck smaller than my salary suggests?
Pay periods rarely align perfectly with start dates, and benefits deductions often begin immediately. Divide your annual net by the number of pay periods — 26 for bi-weekly — rather than by 12, and compare like with like.
What is the difference between marginal and effective tax rate?
Your marginal rate is the rate on your last dollar earned (22% in the example above). Your effective rate is total tax divided by total income (10.2% in the example). Budgeting decisions should use the effective rate; decisions about extra work or contributions should use the marginal rate.
Do I pay FICA on all of my income?
Medicare tax applies to all wages. Social Security tax stops at the annual wage base, so very high earners see a noticeable paycheck increase late in the year once they pass it. Investment income is not subject to FICA at all.
How does married filing jointly change my paycheck?
The standard deduction doubles to $32,200 and the bracket thresholds widen, so a one-earner couple usually takes home more than a single filer on the same salary. With two similar earners, the benefit shrinks and combined withholding needs more care.
Why did my refund change even though my salary did not?
Withholding tables, credits and deductions are adjusted most years, and changes to your benefits, 401(k) percentage or W-4 all flow straight into withholding. A refund is simply over-withholding returned — not a bonus from the IRS.
This calculator is for guidance only and isn’t financial advice.