How it works
This is a quick estimate of your paycheck after taxes. It applies the federal and state rates you enter to your taxable pay, and the 7.65% employee FICA tax (6.2% Social Security plus 1.45% Medicare) to your gross pay.
For the federal rate, use your effective rate (total federal tax divided by income), not your top bracket. For most middle-income households it is well below the bracket rate. Tax tables change every year, so this calculator does not hardcode them.
Pre-tax deductions like traditional 401(k) contributions reduce income tax but not FICA. Section 125 health premiums reduce both; this estimate treats all pre-tax deductions as subject to FICA, which slightly understates take-home if you have them.
Formula
Take-home = gross − pre-tax deductions − (gross − pre-tax) × (federal % + state %) − gross × 7.65%
Questions people ask
What is FICA?
Federal Insurance Contributions Act taxes: 6.2% for Social Security (up to an annual wage cap) and 1.45% for Medicare, withheld from every paycheck. Employers pay a matching amount.
What is the difference between effective and marginal tax rate?
Your marginal rate is the rate on your last dollar of income (your bracket). Your effective rate is total tax divided by total income, which is lower because lower brackets apply to the first part of income.
Why does my real paycheck differ from this?
Actual withholding depends on your W-4, bracket math, credits, benefit deductions and local taxes. Use this for budgeting, and your pay stub for exact figures.