Paycheck Calculator

What this paycheck estimate calculates

This calculator starts with one paycheck, calculates gross wages, subtracts deductions according to their tax treatment, applies 2026 federal withholding and employee FICA, and then shows the complete path to take-home pay. Salary and hourly pay are supported, including ordinary overtime and bonus pay.

The federal calculation follows the automated percentage method in IRS Publication 15-T. It accepts the current Form W-4 filing status and Steps 2 through 4. Social Security, Medicare and Additional Medicare use the employee rates, wage base and employer withholding threshold in IRS Publication 15.

The paycheck equation

A useful paycheck result has to reconcile. The calculator keeps the entire equation visible:

• gross pay;
• less pretax deductions;
• less federal income-tax withholding;
• less Social Security and Medicare;
• less state and local withholding;
• less post-tax deductions;
• equals take-home pay.

Every current-paycheck amount is rounded to cents before the equation is shown. The annual table is only a projection made by repeating the same paycheck for the selected number of pay periods.

Using the W-4 fields

Choose the filing status from Step 1. Check the multiple-jobs option only when Step 2(c) is checked on the employee’s form. Enter Step 3 credits and Steps 4(a) and 4(b) as annual amounts. Step 4(c) is different: it is the extra amount withheld from this paycheck.

The exempt choice affects federal income-tax withholding only. It does not automatically exempt wages from Social Security or Medicare.

Pretax deductions are not all alike

Choose a tax treatment for each deduction instead of putting every benefit in one pretax box. A traditional 401(k) contribution commonly reduces federal and state income-tax wages but remains subject to FICA. A qualifying cafeteria-plan benefit can also reduce Social Security and Medicare wages. State-only and post-tax treatments are available when the payroll item works differently.

Working in two or three states

Add up to three work-state rows and allocate the current gross paycheck by percentage, dollar wages, hours or workdays. Percentage allocations must total 100%, and dollar allocations must equal the paycheck’s gross wages. Hour and workday allocations divide all wages in proportion to the entered totals.

If a valid reciprocity or exemption certificate makes an employer withhold for the resident state, choose “Resident state — certificate on file” on that row. The calculator never assumes that a certificate exists.

Current state-tax boundary

The 2026 federal engine is automatic. States without a broad wage income tax are recognized as zero state income-tax withholding. For other states, enter the effective withholding rate supplied by payroll or calculated from the state’s current employer worksheet. Local withholding is also an entered effective rate.

This is deliberate: state withholding depends on certificates, allowances, reciprocity, nonresident wage sourcing, local rules and rounding. A missing state module stops the take-home result instead of silently treating an unknown tax as zero. State unemployment, disability, paid-leave and similar payroll programs are not yet calculated.

Estimate, then compare

This tool estimates payroll withholding, not final annual tax liability, and it is not tax, legal or payroll advice. Compare the result with the employer’s payroll system, the employee’s current forms and the current instructions from every relevant government jurisdiction.

Frequently asked questions

What does this paycheck calculator include?

It calculates gross pay, 2026 federal income-tax withholding, employee Social Security and Medicare withholding, paycheck deductions, and state/local estimates using the effective rates you enter. It supports salary or hourly pay and up to three work-state allocations.

Is this the same as my final income-tax bill?

No. Payroll withholding is money sent in during the year. Your final tax return combines all income, deductions, credits, payments and jurisdiction rules, so the final balance can differ.

Why does the calculator ask for year-to-date wages?

Social Security withholding stops at its annual wage base, and Additional Medicare withholding begins after an employer has paid an employee more than the federal threshold. A paycheck that crosses either threshold needs the earlier wages to calculate the current check correctly.

How are bonuses taxed?

You can combine the bonus with regular wages or model the optional federal supplemental-wage rate. The employer chooses the permitted method. Bonuses remain subject to Social Security and Medicare rules.

How does the multi-state calculation work?

Allocate the paycheck across one, two or three work states by percentage, dollars, hours or workdays. If a valid reciprocity certificate makes withholding follow the resident state, select that explicitly for the row. Taxable states currently require the effective state and local withholding rates from payroll or the jurisdiction worksheet.

Why are state withholding rates entered manually?

State payroll withholding is not one universal tax-rate table. Certificates, allowances, reciprocity, wage sourcing, local taxes and employer rounding can all change the result. Until a jurisdiction's official 2026 module is implemented and tested, the calculator asks for an explicit effective rate rather than pretending an unsupported formula is zero.

Which deductions reduce taxable wages?

It depends on the benefit. A traditional 401(k) contribution commonly reduces federal and state income-tax wages but not Social Security and Medicare wages. A qualifying cafeteria-plan deduction may reduce both income-tax and FICA wages. Choose the treatment that matches the payroll deduction.