Take Home Pay Calculator

Take-home pay — also called net pay or after-tax income — is the amount deposited into your bank account after all taxes and deductions are withheld from your gross salary. To estimate it, start with your annual gross pay and subtract:

1. Pre-tax deductions — 401(k) contributions, health insurance premiums through a Section 125 plan, and similar employer-sponsored benefits that reduce taxable income.
2. Federal income tax — calculated on your taxable income (adjusted gross income minus the standard deduction) using the IRS progressive bracket system.
3. State income tax — varies by state. Nine states (including Texas and Florida) have no income tax; others range from flat rates to progressive brackets exceeding 10% (like California).
4. Social Security tax (FICA) — 6.2% on wages up to the annual wage base ($184,500 in 2026).
5. Medicare tax — 1.45% on all wages, plus an Additional Medicare Tax of 0.9% on earnings above the filing-status-specific threshold.

The remainder is your estimated take-home pay. This calculator performs these steps automatically based on 2026 federal brackets, your selected state, filing status, and deductions. You can view results as weekly, biweekly, semi-monthly, monthly, or annual net pay.

Gross pay is your total compensation before anything is withheld — the salary figure in your offer letter or employment contract. Net pay (also called take-home pay or after-tax income) is what you actually receive after federal taxes, state taxes, FICA, and pre-tax deductions.

The difference can be substantial. On a $75,000 salary in a state like California, taxes and deductions can reduce take-home pay by 30% or more. The same salary in Texas — which has no state income tax — leaves you with significantly more in each paycheck. Understanding this gap is essential for budgeting, comparing job offers across states, and planning for major expenses like a mortgage or vehicle purchase.

Employers pay on different schedules, and each one divides your annual salary differently:

• Weekly — 52 paychecks per year. Common in hourly and trades jobs.
• Biweekly — 26 paychecks per year. The most common pay frequency in the US.
• Semi-monthly — 24 paychecks per year (typically the 1st and 15th of each month).
• Monthly — 12 paychecks per year. Common for salaried employees.

This calculator shows your estimated net pay for all frequencies so you can match the result to your actual pay schedule.

Several factors determine how much of your salary you take home:

• Gross income — higher earnings push more income into higher federal tax brackets.
• Filing status — married filing jointly has wider brackets and a larger standard deduction than single filers.
• State of residence — states like Texas, Florida, and Washington have no income tax, while California and New York have progressive rates that can exceed 10%.
• Pre-tax deductions — 401(k) contributions and employer-sponsored health insurance reduce your taxable income, increasing take-home pay relative to your tax burden. See the 401(k) & Retirement Calculator to model how contributions affect your long-term savings.
• FICA taxes — Social Security and Medicare are flat-rate payroll taxes that apply regardless of filing status or deductions.

Use the calculator above to see how changing any of these inputs affects your estimated net pay. To understand how your paycheck translates to purchasing power in different cities, try the Cost of Living Calculator.

Your state of residence is one of the biggest variables in calculating take-home pay. Nine states — Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, and Wyoming — charge no state income tax on wages. Residents in these states keep a larger share of each paycheck compared to high-tax states.

On the other end of the spectrum, California's top marginal rate exceeds 13%, and New York City residents face combined state and city taxes that can approach 12%. The calculator above lets you select any state to see the exact impact on your estimated net pay. For example, you can compare take-home pay in Texas versus California side by side simply by switching the state selector.

If you’re considering relocating, the Cost of Living Calculator can help you compare what your salary is worth in different cities beyond just the tax difference.