Gross salary to net paycheck: 2026 federal brackets, Social Security and Medicare, pre-tax benefits, and a flat state rate.
HSA and health premiums (cafeteria plan) skip income tax and FICA; 401(k) skips income tax only.
Set to 0 for no-income-tax states (TX, FL, WA, …). Real state brackets vary; this flat rate is an approximation.
Take-home pay depends heavily on where you work. These state pages bake in the real 2026 state income-tax rules so the numbers match your location:
California · New York · Texas · Florida · Illinois · Pennsylvania · Ohio · Georgia · North Carolina · Washington
This paycheck calculator turns gross salary into take-home pay using 2026 federal tax brackets, Social Security and Medicare (FICA), pre-tax benefit deductions, and a flat state rate. It shows exactly how each slice reduces your paycheck.
The calculator starts from gross salary, subtracts pre-tax deductions like 401(k) and HSA contributions, then applies 2026 federal income tax via the bracket walk, Social Security (6.2% up to the wage base) and Medicare (1.45%, plus 0.9% over the high-income threshold), and a flat state rate. What's left is your take-home pay, broken down so you can see where every dollar goes.
Start with gross pay, subtract pre-tax benefits, then federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare, and state tax. What remains is your net paycheck.
FICA is the combined Social Security (6.2%) and Medicare (1.45%) payroll tax withheld from every paycheck, matched by your employer.
Contributions to a 401(k), HSA, or pre-tax health premiums lower your taxable income, reducing the income tax withheld even though they shrink gross pay.
Federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare, and state tax together commonly take 25–35% of gross pay. Pre-tax benefits reduce the taxable amount but also lower the cash that reaches your account.
Traditional 401(k) contributions lower your taxable income, so they cut federal and state income tax — but not Social Security or Medicare, which are charged on your full wages.
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