Paycheck Calculator

Gross pay is your total earnings before any taxes or deductions are taken out — it's the salary or hourly rate you agreed to with your employer. Net pay (also called take-home pay) is what actually lands in your bank account after federal tax, FICA, state tax, and any pre-tax or post-tax deductions are subtracted. This calculator shows both so you can see exactly where the difference goes.

FICA stands for the Federal Insurance Contributions Act, and it funds Social Security and Medicare. Employees pay 6.2% of wages up to an annual wage base ($168,600 in 2024) for Social Security, plus 1.45% of all wages with no cap for Medicare. Unlike federal income tax, FICA is a flat percentage and applies starting from your very first dollar earned.

Pre-tax deductions like 401(k) contributions and employer health insurance premiums are subtracted from your gross pay before federal (and often state) income tax is calculated. That means every dollar you contribute pre-tax reduces your taxable income dollar-for-dollar, which can lower the tax bracket portion you owe. It's why increasing your 401(k) contribution often costs less out-of-pocket than the raw percentage suggests.

Only in a simplified way. Most states use their own progressive brackets, credits, and deductions rather than one flat rate, so this tool lets you enter a single flat state tax percentage as an estimate if you know it. For an exact number, check your state's department of revenue or a state-specific paycheck calculator — this tool is best used for a quick federal-level estimate.

Your paycheck reflects gross pay minus federal income tax withholding, FICA, any state tax, pre-tax deductions like 401(k) and health insurance, and post-tax deductions like Roth contributions or benefits. Even at the same salary, take-home pay varies by filing status, deduction elections, and pay frequency, which is why two people with identical salaries can see different net pay.

Not directly — enter your regular gross pay for the period you're evaluating. Bonuses are often taxed differently (frequently at a flat 22% federal supplemental rate) rather than through your regular withholding tables, so a bonus paycheck's net amount may not match what this calculator estimates for regular wages.

This calculator uses the 2024 IRS standard deductions: $14,600 for single filers, $29,200 for married filing jointly, and $21,900 for head of household. These amounts reduce your taxable income before the progressive federal tax brackets are applied, and they update annually for inflation, so future tax years will use different figures.