Salary or hourly pay to take-home per paycheck, month and year, with 2026 federal brackets, Social Security, Medicare, 401(k) and state tax
Your salary is not what reaches your bank account. Before a paycheck lands, three things come out for almost every employee: federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare. Many people also lose state income tax and anything they put into a 401(k) or a pre-tax health plan. This calculator works through each of those for tax year 2026, using the brackets and standard deductions the IRS published in Revenue Procedure 2025-32, and shows the result per paycheck, per month and per year.
Start with gross pay. Subtract a traditional 401(k) contribution and any section 125 deductions (health, dental and vision premiums, payroll HSA and FSA contributions) — that is the wage base for income tax. Subtract the standard deduction: $16,100 single, $32,200 married filing jointly and $24,150 head of household in 2026. What is left is taxable income, and the brackets apply to it one slice at a time: 10% on the first slice, 12% on the next, and so on. Social Security is 6.2% of wages up to the $184,500 wage base for 2026, and Medicare is 1.45% of all wages, plus 0.9% above $200,000 ($250,000 for a joint return). A 401(k) lowers income tax but not Social Security or Medicare; section 125 deductions lower both.
| Salary | Federal income tax | Social Security + Medicare | Take-home a year | A month | Every 2 weeks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $30,000 | $1,420 | $2,295 | $26,285 | $2,190 | $1,010.96 |
| $40,000 | $2,620 | $3,060 | $34,320 | $2,860 | $1,320 |
| $50,000 | $3,820 | $3,825 | $42,355 | $3,530 | $1,629.04 |
| $60,000 | $5,020 | $4,590 | $50,390 | $4,199 | $1,938.08 |
| $75,000 | $7,670 | $5,738 | $61,593 | $5,133 | $2,368.94 |
| $100,000 | $13,170 | $7,650 | $79,180 | $6,598 | $3,045.38 |
| $150,000 | $24,734 | $11,475 | $113,791 | $9,483 | $4,376.58 |
Moving into a higher bracket only taxes the dollars above the line at the higher rate. On a $100,000 salary a single filer is in the 22% bracket, but federal income tax is $13,170 — 13.2% of gross. Add Social Security and Medicare and the total federal share is 20.8%. The same salary earned by a married couple filing jointly, with the larger standard deduction and wider brackets, owes $7,640 in federal income tax. A raise can never lower your take-home pay through the brackets alone.
Putting 10% of a $60,000 salary into a traditional 401(k) moves $6,000 into retirement savings, but take-home pay falls by only $5,280, because the contribution comes out before income tax. The 12% bracket pays the rest. The IRS limit on employee 401(k) deferrals for 2026 is $24,500. A Roth 401(k) contribution is made after tax, so it lowers take-home pay by the full amount now in exchange for tax-free withdrawals later.
9 states do not tax wages in 2026: Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, Wyoming. Everywhere else, rates and brackets vary by state, and some cities and counties add their own tax. Rather than guess a state table that may be out of date, the calculator asks for your combined state and local rate: an average rate, not your top bracket, gives the closest answer. Your last pay stub shows the state tax withheld; divide it by gross pay for the period to get the rate to enter.
Payroll withholding is an estimate made by your employer from your W-4, not the tax you finally owe. Claiming dependents on the W-4 lowers withholding through the child tax credit, which this calculator does not include; extra withholding requested on the W-4 raises it. Bonuses are often withheld at a flat 22% federal rate. The IRS Tax Withholding Estimator checks whether your W-4 is set so that the year comes out close to even — worth running after a raise, a second job or a change in family.
Contractors and gig workers have no employer withholding and pay self-employment tax instead of the employee share of FICA: 15.3% on 92.35% of net earnings, of which half is deductible. The figures on this page describe W-2 wages. For 1099 income use the self-employment tax calculator and plan quarterly estimated payments.
About $34,770 a year, or $2,897 a month, for a single filer in 2026 with no state income tax: $40,560 gross at 2,080 hours, less $2,687 federal income tax and $3,103 Social Security and Medicare. State tax, if your state has one, comes off that.
About $41,455 a year, or $3,455 a month, for a single filer in 2026 with no state income tax: $48,880 gross at 2,080 hours, less $3,686 federal income tax and $3,739 Social Security and Medicare. State tax, if your state has one, comes off that.
About $74,678 a year, or $6,223 a month, for a single filer in 2026 with no state income tax: $93,600 gross at 2,080 hours, less $11,762 federal income tax and $7,160 Social Security and Medicare. State tax, if your state has one, comes off that.
About $3,396 a month for a single filer in 2026 with no state income tax — $48,000 a year gross, less $3,580 federal income tax and $3,672 FICA.
About $1,946 a month for a single filer with no state income tax in 2026. At $26,400 a year, federal income tax is $1,030 and FICA $2,020.
It depends on income and state. For a single filer with no state tax in 2026, federal income tax plus FICA is 14.2% of a $40,000 salary and 17.9% of $75,000. State tax adds a few points in most states.
No. For 2025 through 2028 part of qualified overtime and tips can be deducted, but it is claimed on the tax return rather than taken off each paycheck. The overtime pay calculator estimates the overtime deduction separately.
Tax rules, limits and pay data change. Check the current figures with the primary source before acting on them.