Take-Home Pay Calculator
Calculate your annual and per-period take-home pay after federal income tax, Social Security (6.2%), and Medicare (1.45%). This calculator accepts either an annual salary or an hourly rate and shows your net pay broken down into monthly, biweekly, weekly, and annual figures, plus a percentage breakdown. Enter your gross income, filing status from your W-4, pay frequency, and any additional federal withholding you request, and the tool applies the 2026 IRS percentage-method tables to compute your federal tax liability. The calculator follows IRS Publication 15-T (2026) Worksheet 1A: annualized wages minus a flat $8,600 ($12,900 for married filing jointly), then the 2026 annual withholding table with its built-in 0% band, together sheltering the equivalent of the standard deduction ($16,100 for single, $32,200 for married filing jointly in 2026), so your effective federal tax rate reflects the reality of our graduated income tax system. Results cover federal taxes only, not state income tax, 401k contributions, health insurance premiums, or other pre-tax deductions. Use this tool when comparing salary offers, budgeting monthly expenses, or understanding what percentage of your paycheck goes to federal taxes and payroll taxes. The results are estimates and your actual withholding may vary depending on W-4 elections and other factors.
A single filer earning $65,000 per year takes home roughly $54,400 annually after federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare. That is about 83.7% of gross pay. Enter your own figures below for an exact breakdown.
Annual totals
Per pay period
How to read your take-home pay breakdown
The percentage bars next to each deduction show what share of your gross income goes to that tax. For a $65,000 single filer paid biweekly, federal income tax takes roughly 8.6%, FICA (Social Security plus Medicare) takes 7.65%, and about 83.7% reaches your bank account.
The calculator uses the IRS percentage-method withholding formula from IRS Publication 15-T (2026), Worksheet 1A. Your annualized gross pay is reduced by a flat amount ($8,600 for single/HOH, $12,900 for MFJ, when the W-4 Step 2 box is not checked), then the 2026 annual withholding table, with its built-in 0% band, is applied. The result is de-annualized to get per-period withholding.
annual gross = salary (or hourly x hours/week x 52)
adjusted annual wage = annual gross - $8,600 ($12,900 MFJ)
annual FIT = 2026 withholding table applied to the adjusted annual wage
annual SS = min(annual gross, $184,500) x 0.062
annual Medicare = annual gross x 0.0145
annual net = annual gross - annual FIT - annual SS - annual Medicare - (extra x periods)
2026 federal income tax brackets used in this calculator
These are the IRS Pub 15-T annual percentage-method brackets for 2026, applied to the adjusted annual wage (annualized wages minus $8,600, or $12,900 for married filing jointly, when the W-4 Step 2 box is not checked). The 0% band at the bottom is built into the 2026 tables. They are marginal: each rate applies only to the slice of income within that band.
| Rate | Single / MFS over | Married filing jointly over | Head of household over |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0% | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| 10% | $7,500 | $19,300 | $15,550 |
| 12% | $19,900 | $44,100 | $33,250 |
| 22% | $57,900 | $120,100 | $83,000 |
| 24% | $113,200 | $230,700 | $121,250 |
| 32% | $209,275 | $422,850 | $217,300 |
| 35% | $263,725 | $531,750 | $271,750 |
| 37% | $648,100 | $788,000 | $656,150 |
Source: IRS Publication 15-T (2026), Percentage Method Tables for Automated Payroll Systems (annual, standard withholding rate schedules).
Worked example: $25/hour, 40 hours/week, single
- Annual gross = $25.00 x 40 x 52 = $52,000.00.
- Subtract the single Worksheet 1A amount: $52,000 - $8,600 = $43,400 adjusted annual wage.
- FIT (2026 single table, $19,900 to $57,900 row): $1,240.00 + 12% x ($43,400 - $19,900) = $1,240.00 + $2,820.00 = $4,060.00 per year.
- Social Security = $52,000 x 0.062 = $3,224.00 per year.
- Medicare = $52,000 x 0.0145 = $754.00 per year.
- Annual take-home = $52,000 - $4,060.00 - $3,224.00 - $754.00 = $43,962.00.
- That is 84.5% of gross. Biweekly net pay = $43,962.00 / 26 = $1,690.85.
This example covers federal taxes only. State income tax, pre-tax benefit deductions and other items are not included.
Why withholding is not the same as your final tax bill
The number this tool returns is a withholding estimate, not the final tax you will owe on your Form 1040. Payroll systems use the IRS Publication 15-T percentage method, which subtracts a flat allowance ($8,600 for single filers, $12,900 for married filing jointly) from annualized wages and then applies a separate withholding schedule with a built-in 0% band. That flat allowance is deliberately smaller than the 2026 standard deduction ($16,100 single, $32,200 married filing jointly) because the schedule itself already shelters the rest. Confusing the two is the most common mistake people make when they try to reconcile a paycheck with a tax return.
Two design details are worth watching. Social Security stops at the 2026 wage base of $184,500, so a high earner who crosses that ceiling partway through the year suddenly keeps an extra 6.2% of every remaining dollar, and take-home pay as a share of gross climbs. Medicare, by contrast, has no cap at all and keeps taking 1.45% no matter how high the salary goes.
Remember what this figure leaves out: state and local income tax, 401(k) and HSA contributions, health premiums, and any post-tax deductions. A resident of Texas or Florida will land close to the number shown here, while a Californian or New Yorker will keep noticeably less. Treat the result as your federal-only ceiling and subtract your own state and benefit lines from there.
Frequently asked questions
What percentage of my paycheck goes to federal taxes?
For most US workers it ranges from about 15% to 25% of gross pay when you count federal income tax plus FICA (Social Security 6.2% and Medicare 1.45%). The exact share depends on your income level and filing status: lower earners pay a smaller percentage because federal income tax is progressive and the lowest bracket is only 10%.
Does my filing status change my take-home pay?
Yes. Under the 2026 IRS percentage method, annualized wages are reduced by a flat $12,900 for married filing jointly versus $8,600 for single filers, and the married table has a wider $19,300 zero-rate band (versus $7,500 for single) plus wider brackets. Together these shelter the equivalent of the $32,200 married standard deduction (versus $16,100 single), so a married filer has less federal income tax withheld and higher take-home pay at the same gross salary.
How do I convert an hourly rate to annual salary?
Multiply your hourly rate by your hours per week, then multiply by 52. For example, $25/hour at 40 hours/week gives $25 x 40 x 52 = $52,000 per year. This calculator does that conversion automatically when you select the hourly input mode.
Why does my actual take-home differ from this calculator?
This calculator covers federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare only. Your actual paycheck may also have state income tax, pre-tax deductions (401k contributions, health insurance premiums, HSA contributions, commuter benefits) and post-tax deductions. Each of those reduces taxable income or net pay and is not included here.
Official sources
- Federal income tax withholding brackets (2026): IRS Publication 15-T (2026), percentage method tables.
- Social Security wage base ($184,500 for 2026): Social Security Administration, COLA and contribution base.
- FICA rates (6.2% SS, 1.45% Medicare): IRS Tax Topic 751, Social Security and Medicare Withholding Rates.
Reviewed by the CalculatorHub team, edited by James Graham, 11 July 2026. See our methodology. General information, not financial or tax advice.