Estimate your US take-home pay after federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare, state tax and pre-tax deductions like 401(k) and health premiums. Supports all 50 states and every pay frequency.
Exact - this state has a flat income tax.
| Gross pay | $3,653.85 |
| 401(k) - 6% | −$219.23 |
| Health premium (pre-tax) | −$83.08 |
| Federal income tax | −$397.72 |
| Social Security (6.2%) | −$221.39 |
| Medicare (1.45%) | −$51.78 |
| Texas state tax | $0.00 |
| Net pay | $2,680.65 |
Estimate based on 2026 federal parameters. State tax uses the exact flat rate. Local/city taxes, SDI, PFML and credits are not included. Not tax advice - confirm with IRS Publication 15-T and your state revenue department.
The gap between your salary and what actually reaches your bank account is usually 25-35%. This calculator applies deductions in the order payroll really uses them, including the detail most estimators get wrong: 401(k) contributions and Section 125 benefits reduce different tax bases.
Where
Payroll does not apply every deduction to the same base. A traditional 401(k) contribution lowers your federal and state taxable wages but not your Social Security and Medicare wages. A health premium paid through a Section 125 plan lowers both. That means a dollar of health premium saves you an extra 7.65% compared with a dollar of 401(k) contribution, purely on the tax side.
Enter your pay
Choose salary or hourly. Hourly mode converts your rate and weekly hours into annual gross automatically.
Set filing status and state
Filing status determines your standard deduction and bracket thresholds. State selection applies the correct income tax rate.
Add pre-tax deductions
Enter your 401(k) percentage, health premium and HSA contribution. Watch how each affects a different part of the tax stack.
Review the breakdown
The itemised table shows every line on your paycheck, so you can reconcile it against your actual pay stub.
Evaluating a job offer
Compare offers in different states on a take-home basis - a $10,000 higher salary in California can net less than the lower offer in Texas.
Budgeting for a mortgage
Lenders qualify you on gross income, but you pay the mortgage from net. Start here, then use the mortgage calculator.
Tuning your W-4
Test extra withholding amounts to avoid a surprise April bill or an oversized interest-free refund.
Deciding on 401(k) contributions
See the real per-paycheck cost of raising your contribution rate - it is always less than the contribution itself.
For most US workers, total withholding runs 25-35% of gross pay. Roughly 7.65% is FICA (Social Security and Medicare), 8-20% is federal income tax depending on income and filing status, and 0-10% is state tax. Part of the remaining gap is your own 401(k) and benefit contributions, which is savings rather than tax.
No. Traditional 401(k) contributions reduce federal and state income tax but not FICA. Section 125 benefits - health, dental, vision premiums and HSA contributions made through payroll - reduce both, which makes them slightly more tax-efficient per dollar.
Supplemental wages under $1 million are withheld at a flat 22% federal rate, plus FICA and state. That is a withholding rule, not a tax rate. If your actual marginal rate is lower, the excess comes back as a refund when you file.
No. US tax brackets are marginal - only the income above each threshold is taxed at the higher rate. A raise always increases take-home pay. Means-tested benefit cliffs can behave that way, but tax brackets cannot.
Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington and Wyoming levy no tax on wage income. They typically compensate with higher sales or property taxes, so total tax burden is not always lower.
Federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare use exact 2026 statutory rates and thresholds. State tax uses exact rates for flat-tax states and representative effective rates for progressive states. City taxes, SDI, PFML and tax credits are not modeled, so treat the result as a close estimate.