Take-Home Pay Estimator
Estimate your paycheck after federal income tax, Social Security, and Medicare.
Your answer
Turn on JavaScript to use this calculator. The formula is explained below so you can work it out by hand.
How this calculator works
This estimator starts with your gross pay and subtracts the main paycheck taxes:
- Federal income tax — gross pay, minus pre-tax deductions and the standard deduction for your filing status, run through that year's federal brackets.
- Social Security — 6.2% of wages up to the yearly wage base.
- Medicare — 1.45% of all wages, plus an extra 0.9% that employers withhold on wages above $200,000.
- State and local tax — a flat rate you enter, applied after pre-tax deductions. State rules vary a lot, so this is a rough placeholder.
Take-home = gross − pre-tax deductions − federal income tax − Social Security − Medicare − state tax
It does not include tax credits (such as the Child Tax Credit), itemized deductions, special deductions such as those for qualified tips or overtime, or after-tax payroll deductions. Your actual paycheck also depends on the W-4 you gave your employer. For withholding decisions, use the IRS Tax Withholding Estimator.
Example
A single filer earning $52,000 in 2026, paid every two weeks, with no pre-tax deductions:
| Item | Per year |
|---|---|
| Taxable income ($52,000 − $16,100 standard deduction) | $35,900 |
| Federal income tax (10% on the first $12,400, 12% on the rest) | $4,060 |
| Social Security (6.2%) | $3,224 |
| Medicare (1.45%) | $754 |
| Take-home before state tax | $43,962 |
That's about $1,690.85 per biweekly paycheck before any state income tax.
Sources
- IRS: IRS releases tax inflation adjustments for tax year 2026
- Social Security Administration: Contribution and Benefit Base
- IRS: Questions and answers for the Additional Medicare Tax
Tax data last reviewed October 3, 2026.
Category: Money & Pay, Taxes, Personal Finance