Salary & Paycheck Calculator 2026 – Take-Home Pay by State

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How your paycheck is calculated

Every US paycheck follows the same steps. Your employer starts with your gross pay, takes out pre-tax benefits, withholds taxes, takes out after-tax deductions and pays you the rest.

1. Gross paySalary, or hours × rate, plus overtime, bonuses and tips
2. Pre-tax deductions401(k), health premiums, HSA, FSA, commuter benefits
3. TaxesFederal income tax, state and local income tax, Social Security, Medicare, state payroll programs
4. After-tax deductionsRoth 401(k), union dues, garnishments
5. Net payThe take-home amount paid to you

Federal income tax withholding in 2026

Federal income tax depends on your income, filing status and the choices on your W-4. Your pay after pre-tax deductions, minus the standard deduction, is taxed in brackets from 10% to 37% (IRS).

The standard deduction is $16,100 for single filers, $32,200 for joint filers and $24,150 for heads of household. The Child Tax Credit is $2,200 per child under 17. For 2025 to 2028, qualified tips (up to $25,000), the overtime premium (up to $12,500, or $25,000 joint) and a $6,000 deduction for people 65 or older also lower federal tax. A single filer earning $100,000 has $83,900 of taxable income and pays $13,170, about 13.2% of gross pay.

Social Security and Medicare

• Social Security: 6.2% of wages up to $184,500 in 2026, a maximum of $11,439 a year (SSA).
• Medicare: 1.45% of all wages, plus 0.9% on wages above $200,000 in a year.

Together these are 7.65% of most paychecks. A traditional 401(k) does not lower them, but health premiums, HSA, FSA and commuter benefits do.

State and local income taxes

State tax is the biggest difference between paychecks in different states. Nine states do not tax wages: Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington and Wyoming. The rest charge a flat rate (such as Illinois at 4.95% or Pennsylvania at 3.07%) or graduated brackets (up to 13.3% in California). A few states also take payroll contributions for disability or paid leave, such as California SDI, New York, New Jersey and Washington paid leave, and local income taxes apply in places such as New York City, Maryland and Indiana counties, Ohio cities and Pennsylvania school districts.

The table shows take-home pay for a single filer paid monthly in 2026, with no pre-tax deductions, from the calculator above. Click a state for its full paycheck calculator with every local option.

Local taxes use a typical rate: 3.20% county tax in Maryland, 2.02% county tax in Indiana, 2.5% city tax in Ohio, 1% earned income tax plus the $52 local services tax in Pennsylvania, and New York City resident tax for NYC. Enter your own rate in the calculator to change it.

Pre-tax vs after-tax deductions

Pre-tax deductions come out before tax is figured, so a $10,000 traditional 401(k) contribution on a $100,000 salary saves $2,200 in federal tax alone and reduces take-home pay by much less than $10,000. After-tax deductions come out of your pay after taxes and do not change your tax.

Your paycheck by pay frequency

Your yearly take-home pay is the same however often you are paid; only the size of each check changes. For a single filer earning $60,000 in a state with no income tax (take-home $50,390 a year):

Biweekly pay gives two months a year with three paychecks, and in some years 27 pay dates instead of 26.

Example: take-home pay on $60,000 and $100,000

For a single filer in 2026 with no pre-tax deductions, federal income tax is $5,020 on $60,000 and $13,170 on $100,000, and Social Security and Medicare are $4,590 and $7,650. With no state tax, that leaves $50,390 and $79,180. State and local taxes then bring take-home pay on $100,000 to between $70,435 (New York City) and $78,909 (Alaska, which has only a small unemployment contribution), and to about $73,000 to $77,000 in most states with an income tax. A married couple filing jointly on $100,000 with two children under 17 keeps about $89,110 a year before any state tax.

Why your paycheck may differ from this estimate

• The calculator estimates your tax for the full year. Employers withhold using IRS and state withholding tables and your W-4, so each paycheck can be a little higher or lower, and the difference is settled when you file.
• Bonuses are often withheld at a flat 22% federal rate plus a state supplemental rate, instead of your real rate.
• Social Security stops once your wages pass $184,500, so late-year paychecks of high earners are larger.
• Local taxes vary by city, county and school district. Use your state's calculator for the exact local option.
• Credits such as the Earned Income Tax Credit and state credits are claimed when you file.

How to increase your take-home pay

• Check your withholding with the IRS Tax Withholding Estimator or our federal tax withholding calculator, and update your W-4 after a raise, a new job or a change in your family.
• Use pre-tax benefits such as a 401(k), HSA, FSA and commuter benefits.
• If you earn tips or overtime, keep records so you can claim the federal deductions when you file.
• If you are paid a bonus, see how much you keep with the bonus tax calculator.

Methodology, sources and last updated

The calculator estimates your full-year tax and divides it by your pay periods. Federal tax uses the 2025 and 2026 brackets, standard deduction and credits (Rev. Proc. 2025-32, including the 2025 tax law changes) and the 2026 Social Security wage base. Each state uses the same rules as our individual state paycheck calculators, which cite the state tax agency for every rate, deduction and payroll program. For joint filers, enter combined household wages. Results are estimates, not tax advice.

Last reviewed: October 29, 2026.