Take-Home Paycheck Calculator (2026)
See what lands in your paycheck after federal income tax and FICA, and how pre-tax 401(k) and benefits change it.
Want to understand the concept, not just the number? Read Where Your Paycheck Actually Goes and more below.
How it's calculated
Your take-home pay is your salary minus federal income tax, Social Security, and Medicare, after any pre-tax deductions. This calculator applies the 2026 federal brackets and the standard deduction for your filing status, then adds the FICA payroll taxes. State and local taxes are not included, so your real check may be a little smaller.
Take a $100,000 salary for a single filer with no deductions. After the $16,100 standard deduction, $83,900 is taxable, which comes to $13,170 of federal income tax. Social Security and Medicare add $7,650. That leaves $79,180 a year, or about $3,045 every two weeks. The effective rate on the whole salary is 20.82 percent.
Pre-tax deductions change the picture. A traditional 401(k) contribution lowers your income tax but not your Social Security and Medicare, since those still apply to the full wage. Pre-tax benefits like an HSA or health premiums lower both. Each shrinks your take-home cash, but the money is not gone. It is going to retirement or benefits instead of the tax bill.
Assumptions
- Federal income tax uses the 2026 brackets and the standard deduction for your filing status. FICA is 6.2 percent Social Security up to the $184,500 wage base plus 1.45 percent Medicare, with an extra 0.9 percent over $200,000. — IRS 2026 brackets, SSA wage base
- State and local taxes, your actual W-4 withholding, and post-tax deductions are not included. This is a federal estimate.
Last updated: 2026-08-08 · Tax year 2026
These assumptions follow our general methodology.
Frequently asked questions
How much of my paycheck goes to taxes?
For a $100,000 single salary with no deductions, about 21 percent goes to federal income tax and FICA combined, leaving roughly $79,000. Your share rises with income and falls with pre-tax deductions. State tax, where it applies, comes on top.
What is FICA?
FICA is the payroll tax for Social Security and Medicare. As an employee you pay 6.2 percent for Social Security up to the wage base, $184,500 in 2026, and 1.45 percent for Medicare on everything, with an extra 0.9 percent on wages over $200,000. Your employer matches most of it.
Does a 401(k) increase my take-home pay?
No, it lowers your take-home cash, since the contribution comes out of your check. What it does is cut your income tax, so the true cost of contributing is less than the amount you put in. The money goes to your retirement account rather than the government.
Why is my actual paycheck different from this?
This estimates your annual federal tax owed. Your real withholding depends on your W-4 and can be higher or lower, and it does not include state or local tax, or post-tax deductions like Roth contributions. Treat this as a clean federal estimate.
Does this include state taxes?
No, this covers federal income tax and FICA only. For a state-by-state figure, use the Take-Home Pay by State calculator, which adds each state income tax on top, or the State Income Tax calculator for the state piece on its own.