Paycheck Calculator
Turn gross pay per period into take-home pay: enter your federal and state withholding rates and get FICA, deductions, and net pay.
Enter your gross pay per paycheck, pay frequency, and withholding rates to see exactly where your money goes. Computes Social Security (capped at the 2026 wage base), Medicare, and your net per period plus annualized take-home pay.
Withholding rates are user-entered — find your effective federal rate on a recent pay stub or estimate it with the Income Tax Calculator. FICA: 6.2% Social Security up to the 2026 wage base ($184,500), 1.45% Medicare on all wages. Estimates only, not tax advice.
How to use this calculator
- Enter your gross pay for one pay period.
- Choose your pay frequency (weekly, biweekly, semi-monthly, monthly).
- Enter your federal and state withholding rates as percentages — check a recent pay stub.
- Click Calculate to see every deduction, net pay per period, and annual take-home.
The formula
Withholding = gross × rate. Social Security = 6.2% × min(annualized wages, $184,500) ÷ periods. Medicare = 1.45% × gross. Additional Medicare = 0.9% × max(0, annualized wages − $200,000) ÷ periods. Net = gross − all deductions.
Worked example
A $2,500 biweekly paycheck with 12% federal and 5% state withholding: $300 federal, $125 state, $155 Social Security, and $36.25 Medicare are withheld — $616.25 total — leaving net pay of $1,883.75 per period.
Frequently Asked Questions
What withholding rate should I enter?
Use the effective federal withholding rate from a recent pay stub (federal withholding ÷ gross pay), not your tax bracket — withholding reflects your W-4 settings, pre-tax deductions, and pay frequency. Your actual tax rate at filing time can differ; compare this tool's result with the Income Tax Calculator to see if you are over- or under-withheld.
How is Social Security tax calculated on my paycheck?
6.2% of wages up to the 2026 Social Security wage base of $184,500 — a maximum of $11,439 per year. Once your year-to-date wages pass the cap, Social Security withholding stops and your later paychecks get slightly bigger. Medicare's 1.45% has no cap.
Why doesn't my take-home match this exactly?
Pre-tax deductions (401(k), health insurance, HSA) reduce the wages that withholding and FICA apply to, and this calculator does not subtract them — enter your gross after those deductions for the closest match, or treat the result as a before-benefits estimate. Post-tax deductions like Roth 401(k) or union dues also come out after this math.
What is the additional Medicare tax?
An extra 0.9% on wages over $200,000 in a year ($250,000 joint). Employers withhold it once your pay from them exceeds $200,000 regardless of filing status. This calculator includes it automatically when your annualized wages cross the threshold.