Take-Home Paycheck Calculator
Work out your US net paycheck after federal income tax, state income tax, Social Security and Medicare. The pre-tax deductions are a traditional 401(k) contribution, a health insurance premium and an HSA contribution. Federal tax uses the 2026 brackets and standard deduction for a single filer, a married couple filing jointly or a married person filing separately. For state tax you enter one flat rate.
Capped at the 2026 limit of $24,500 a year. Catch-up contributions for ages 50 and over are not included.
Only what comes out of your paycheck. 2026 limits: $4,400 self-only, $8,750 family, $1,000 more at 55 or older.
How to use the Take-Home Paycheck Calculator
- Enter your gross pay and choose how often you are paid. With Annual selected, the health and HSA fields become yearly too, so enter your yearly salary, yearly health premiums and yearly HSA contribution.
- Add your traditional 401(k) contribution as a percent of pay, then your pre-tax health insurance premium and any HSA contribution taken from your pay. The calculator stops the 401(k) at the 2026 limit of $24,500 a year.
- Pick your filing status (single, married filing jointly or married filing separately), enter your state income tax rate and press Calculate.
- Read your net pay per period, followed by the yearly federal tax, state tax, Social Security, Medicare, 401(k) and HSA amounts.
The take-home pay components
Net pay = Gross − Federal tax − State tax − FICA − Pre-tax deductions
Federal income tax applies your brackets to taxable income, which is gross pay minus pre-tax 401(k) contributions, pre-tax health insurance, payroll HSA contributions and the standard deduction. State tax is your rate times gross pay minus the 401(k), health premium and HSA contribution, with no state deduction and no state brackets. FICA is 6.2% Social Security on wages up to $184,500 (2026) plus 1.45% Medicare on all wages. Above $200,000 of wages a year, your employer also withholds a 0.9% Additional Medicare Tax whatever your filing status, and the calculator adds it to the Medicare line. Pre-tax health premiums and payroll HSA contributions are exempt from FICA. 401(k) contributions are not, so the calculator keeps them in the FICA wage base. It counts 401(k) deferrals up to the 2026 limit of $24,500 and leaves out age-50 catch-up contributions.
Worked example
A single filer earns $80,000, puts 5% ($4,000) into a traditional 401(k) and pays $2,400 a year in pre-tax health insurance, with 5% state income tax. Taxable income is $80,000 − $4,000 − $2,400 − $16,100 = $57,500, so federal tax is $7,362. State tax is 5% of $73,600, or $3,680. FICA applies to $77,600, because the health premiums come out first and the 401(k) money does not. That is $4,811.20 Social Security plus $1,125.20 Medicare. Net annual pay is $56,621.60, about $4,718 a month.
Frequently asked questions
What is FICA?
The Federal Insurance Contributions Act tax: 6.2% Social Security on wages up to $184,500 in 2026 and 1.45% Medicare on all wages, 7.65% combined for most employees. Your employer pays the same 7.65% on top of your pay. On wages above $200,000, you also pay a 0.9% Additional Medicare Tax, which your employer does not match.
Are 401(k) contributions taxed?
Traditional 401(k) contributions reduce taxable income for federal and state income tax. They do not reduce FICA, so Social Security and Medicare still apply to them. Roth 401(k) contributions are taxed normally; the tax break comes at withdrawal.
Does the calculator cap 401(k) contributions?
Yes, at $24,500, the IRS limit on employee 401(k) deferrals for 2026. At $300,000 and 10%, the calculator deducts $24,500 instead of $30,000, and the results tell you when the cap applies. Workers 50 and over can put in another $8,000 as a catch-up contribution, or $11,250 at ages 60 to 63. The calculator has no age field and leaves catch-up money out, so if you make catch-up contributions your real take-home pay will be lower than the estimate.
Can I use it if I am married filing separately?
Yes, pick Married Filing Separately. For 2026 a separate return gets the same $16,100 standard deduction and the same brackets as a single return up to $384,350 of taxable income, so below that point your result matches the single result. Above it the 37% rate applies, half the $768,700 point where it starts on a joint return (IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32). The 0.9% Additional Medicare Tax is still withheld above $200,000 of wages, as for every filing status.
Does pre-tax health insurance lower FICA?
Yes, when your employer takes the premiums through a Section 125 cafeteria plan, which is how most employer health plans deduct them. Those premiums skip Social Security, Medicare and federal income tax, and the calculator treats the health insurance field that way. A traditional 401(k) lowers income tax only.
How do HSA contributions change my paycheck?
HSA contributions your employer takes out of your paycheck go through a Section 125 cafeteria plan, so they skip federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare, the same as a pre-tax health premium. The calculator subtracts the HSA field from federal taxable wages and from FICA wages. Take the worked example and add $100 per bi-weekly paycheck, $2,600 a year. Federal tax falls by $572, state tax by $130 and FICA by $198.90, so net annual pay drops by $1,699.10 instead of the full $2,600. Money you put into an HSA yourself, outside payroll, is deductible on your federal return but still pays FICA, so leave it out of this field.
What are the 2026 HSA contribution limits?
With a high-deductible health plan you can put in $4,400 for self-only coverage or $8,750 for family coverage in 2026 (IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-19). If you are 55 or older by the end of the year, you can add a $1,000 catch-up, for $5,400 or $9,750. Employer contributions count toward the same limit. The calculator does not cap the HSA field because it does not know your coverage or age, but the result tells you when the yearly amount is above a limit.
Do states tax HSA contributions?
California and New Jersey tax HSA contributions as wages for state income tax. The calculator uses one flat state rate and takes the HSA contribution out of state wages in every state, so in California or New Jersey its state tax is too low by your state rate times your yearly HSA contribution. At 5% and $2,600 a year that is $130.
Does the calculator include the Additional Medicare Tax?
Yes. Employers must withhold 0.9% on the part of your wages above $200,000 in a calendar year, regardless of filing status, and the calculator does the same, so a $250,000 salary adds $450 to Medicare. Withholding starts with the paycheck that takes you past $200,000, while the per-period figure here spreads it over the year. Your final bill is settled on your tax return, where married couples use a $250,000 threshold on combined wages (joint return) or $125,000 (separate returns), so a couple can end up owing more or getting some back.
How accurate is the calculator?
It is an estimate built from the inputs on the form. It applies one flat state rate, takes no tax credits, itemized deductions or 401(k) catch-up contributions, and spreads the year's tax evenly over every paycheck. It takes HSA contributions out of state wages even in California and New Jersey, which tax them. Bonus withholding, equity pay and state brackets or deductions are not modeled, and your employer withholds according to your W-4, so your real paycheck can differ.