Take-Home Pay Calculator
A planning estimate of what each paycheck deposits, built from rates you supply — your effective federal and state rates from last year’s return, not a baked-in tax table that goes stale every January.
How to use this calculator
- Find your effective rates once — on last year’s federal return, divide total tax by gross income. Do the same for state. These are single honest numbers that already average your brackets, credits and deductions.
- Enter pre-tax deductions for the year: traditional 401(k), workplace health premiums, HSA and FSA elections. They shrink the income the tax rates apply to.
- Pick your pay frequency and read the per-check figure. Compare it against a real pay stub — if they differ a lot, your W-4 withholding is out of line with your actual tax, which is fixable.
The formula
The whole estimate is four subtractions:
take-home = gross − pre-tax deductions − federal − state − FICA
where federal and state taxes apply to (gross − pre-tax deductions) at your effective rates, and FICA applies to gross:
| FICA component | Employee rate | Applies to |
|---|---|---|
| Social Security | 6.2% | Wages up to an annual cap that adjusts each year |
| Medicare | 1.45% | All wages (plus a small surtax at high incomes) |
Effective vs marginal: being “in the 22% bracket” does not mean 22% of income goes to federal tax — only the last dollars do. The effective rate (total tax ÷ total income) is always lower, and it is the only rate that predicts a paycheck. That is why this tool asks for it instead of guessing from a bracket table that changes every year.
Worked example
$60,000 gross, $3,600 in pre-tax deductions, 11% effective federal, 4% state, 7.65% FICA, paid biweekly:
- Income-taxed base: 60,000 − 3,600 = $56,400
- Federal: 56,400 × 11% = $6,204 · State: 56,400 × 4% = $2,256 · FICA: 60,000 × 7.65% = $4,590
- Take-home: 60,000 − 3,600 − 13,050 = $43,350 a year — an overall 21.75% of gross to tax
- Per biweekly check: 43,350 ÷ 26 = $1,667.31
These are the defaults in the form above — press Calculate and the numbers match.
Frequently asked questions
What is an effective tax rate?
Total tax divided by total income — the average across all your brackets after deductions and credits. It is always lower than your top bracket, and it is the number that actually predicts take-home pay.
Why is my real paycheck different from this estimate?
Withholding is set by your W-4, which is a prediction of your tax, not the tax itself. Local taxes, benefit premiums and mid-year raises also move the real check. A large gap usually means the W-4 is worth updating.
Do 401(k) contributions reduce FICA taxes?
No. Traditional 401(k) money escapes income tax now but still pays Social Security and Medicare. Health premiums and FSA/HSA money through a workplace cafeteria plan typically escape both.
Guides
- Gross Pay vs Net Pay: What Sits Between Them
- What Is FICA Tax? The 7.65% on Every Paycheck
- Pre-Tax vs Post-Tax Deductions on Your Paycheck
Related calculators
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