How it works
- Income-tax wages = salary − 401(k) − pre-tax health premiums.
- Federal taxable income = income-tax wages − the 2026 standard deduction ($16,100 single, $32,200 married filing jointly, $24,150 head of household).
- Federal income tax is applied progressively using the 2026 brackets (10% to 37%).
- FICA: Social Security 6.2% up to $184,500 of wages; Medicare 1.45% on all wages plus 0.9% above $200,000 ($250,000 married filing jointly). 401(k) deferrals are still subject to FICA; Section 125 health premiums are not.
- State tax: for fully modeled states (CA, NY, OR, MN, NJ, VA, WI, DC) the official 2026 standard deduction, exemptions, brackets and credits are applied (plus CA SDI at 1.3% of all wages). Flat-tax states use the official 2026 rate and deduction; Utah includes its taxpayer credit. Other states use an approximate flat rate and are labeled Estimate.
- Dependents: the 2026 child tax credit ($2,200 per child under 17, up to $1,700 refundable) and $500 credit for other dependents, phased out by $50 per $1,000 above $200,000 ($400,000 joint).
- Take-home = salary − all taxes − deductions, divided by your number of paychecks per year.
This is an annualized estimate; it assumes the standard deduction, no credits other than the dependent credits, no other income and no local taxes. See our methodology for sources.
Worked examples
$75,000, single, bi-weekly, Texas
Federal income tax $7,670.00, Social Security $4,650.00, Medicare $1,087.50, no state tax. Take-home: $61,592.50 per year, or $2,368.94 per paycheck (effective tax rate 17.9%).
$120,000, married filing jointly, semi-monthly, California, 6% 401(k), $3,000 pre-tax health
401(k) $7,200.00; federal income tax $8,816.00; FICA $8,950.50; California income tax $2,534.16 and CA SDI $1,521.00. Take-home: $87,978.34 per year, or $3,665.76 per paycheck.
$60,000, single, California
Taxable income after the $5,900 CA standard deduction is $54,100.00; tax from the 2026 brackets less the $158 personal credit is $1,573.08 of California income tax, plus $780.00 CA SDI (1.3%). Take-home: $1,847.57 per bi-weekly paycheck.
$90,000, married filing jointly, two children, Utah
Federal tax before credits $6,440.00, less $4,400.00 of child tax credits = $2,040.00. Utah tax at 4.45% is $4,005.00, less the taxpayer credit of $1,508.14 = $2,496.86.
Frequently asked questions
What are the 2026 federal tax brackets?
For 2026 the rates are 10%, 12%, 22%, 24%, 32%, 35% and 37%. For single filers, 12% starts above $12,400 of taxable income, 22% above $50,400, 24% above $105,700, 32% above $201,775, 35% above $256,225 and 37% above $640,600. Married-filing-jointly thresholds are $24,800, $100,800, $211,400, $403,550, $512,450 and $768,700.
What is the 2026 standard deduction?
$16,100 for single filers, $32,200 for married filing jointly and $24,150 for head of household (IRS 2026 inflation adjustments).
How much is FICA in 2026?
Social Security is 6.2% of wages up to the 2026 wage base of $184,500 (a maximum of $11,439). Medicare is 1.45% of all wages, plus an additional 0.9% on wages above $200,000 (single/head of household) or $250,000 (married filing jointly).
Which states have no state income tax on wages?
Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, Wyoming. This calculator uses 0% for those states. (Washington taxes certain capital gains, and New Hampshire's former interest/dividends tax has ended, but neither taxes wages.)
How accurate is the state tax estimate?
California, New York, Oregon, Minnesota, New Jersey, Virginia, Wisconsin and DC are fully modeled from official 2026 state publications (brackets, standard deductions, exemptions and credits, plus CA SDI). Utah includes its taxpayer credit, and 16 flat or simple-system states use their official 2026 rate and main deduction. Thirteen more graduated states (AL, DE, KS, MD, MA, MO, NE, NM, ND, OK, RI, SC, WV) use 2026 brackets from a compiled table and are labeled Estimate until verified against each state revenue department. For the remaining states (AR, CT, HI, ME, VT) we use one approximate effective rate, clearly labeled as an estimate, so results are a ballpark. Local/city taxes are not modeled. See the methodology page for sources.