The gap between your salary and the amount that actually lands in your bank account can be surprising. This paycheck calculator estimates your take-home pay after federal tax, Social Security, Medicare, and other withholdings, so you can budget around what you truly receive.
What comes out of your paycheck
Several deductions reduce gross pay: federal income tax based on your filing status and W-4, Social Security tax of 6.2%, Medicare tax of 1.45%, any state and local income tax, and pre-tax deductions like 401(k) contributions and health insurance premiums. Pre-tax deductions lower your taxable income, which reduces the income tax you owe.
How withholding is estimated
Federal income tax withholding depends on your filing status, pay frequency, and the information on your W-4. Social Security applies to wages up to the annual wage base ($184,500 in 2026), while Medicare has no cap. The calculator combines these to estimate your net pay per period.
A worked example
On a $60,000 salary paid biweekly, gross pay is about $2,308 per check. After roughly $143 for Social Security, $33 for Medicare, and federal income tax, a single filer typically nets somewhere around $1,850-$1,950 per paycheck before state tax — meaning close to a quarter of gross pay goes to withholdings.
Optimizing your take-home pay
- Increasing pre-tax 401(k) contributions lowers your taxable income and current tax, though it reduces net pay now.
- Review your W-4 after major life events — marriage, a new child, a second job — to avoid over- or under-withholding.
- A large refund means you withheld too much and gave the government an interest-free loan; adjusting your W-4 puts that money in each paycheck instead.
- Contributing to an HSA or FSA reduces taxable income further if you have eligible health expenses.
Worked example: a $60,000 salary paid every two weeks
Here is an estimate for a single filer earning $60,000 a year, paid biweekly (26 paychecks), using the 2026 standard deduction of $16,100 and 2026 federal brackets. State and local taxes are excluded because they vary so widely. Actual withholding uses the IRS percentage-method tables and your W-4, so real paychecks can differ by a few dollars.
| Line item | No 401(k) | With 5% to 401(k) |
|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $2,307.69 | $2,307.69 |
| Pre-tax 401(k) | $0.00 | $115.38 |
| Federal income tax | $193.08 | $179.23 |
| Social Security (6.2%) | $143.08 | $143.08 |
| Medicare (1.45%) | $33.46 | $33.46 |
| Net pay (before state tax) | $1,938.08 | $1,836.54 |
Look at the right-hand column: saving $115.38 per paycheck in a pre-tax 401(k) lowers take-home pay by only about $101.54, because the contribution also reduces federal income tax. Note that pre-tax 401(k) contributions do not reduce Social Security and Medicare taxes, while many health insurance premiums paid through a cafeteria plan do.
2026 payroll tax rules to know
- Social Security tax is 6.2% on wages up to the 2026 wage base of $184,500. Earnings above that are not subject to it for the rest of the year.
- Medicare tax is 1.45% on all wages, plus an Additional Medicare Tax of 0.9% on wages above $200,000 (withheld by employers regardless of filing status).
- The 2026 standard deduction is $16,100 for single filers, $24,150 for heads of household, and $32,200 for married couples filing jointly.
- Supplemental wages such as bonuses are often withheld at a flat 22% federal rate, which is why a bonus check can look smaller than expected.
Pay frequency and budgeting
Biweekly pay produces 26 checks a year, so two months each year contain three paychecks. Budgeting on two checks per month and treating the extra ones as bonus money is an easy way to fund savings goals. Semi-monthly pay (24 checks) makes each check slightly larger but keeps a steady two per month. If your paycheck seems off, compare it to this estimate, then review your W-4 elections and benefit deductions with your payroll department.
Tuning your W-4
A large tax refund means you gave the government an interest-free loan during the year; a large balance due can bring an underpayment penalty. The current W-4 lets you fine-tune withholding in steps: indicate multiple jobs or a working spouse in Step 2, claim dependents in Step 3, and add other income, extra deductions, or an extra flat withholding amount per paycheck in Step 4. The IRS Tax Withholding Estimator on irs.gov walks through these choices. Revisit your W-4 after marriage, a new baby, a second job, or a big raise, since each can shift how much tax you owe.