2026 Take-Home Pay Calculator

Gross salary is not the money you can spend

A $72,000 offer feels like $6,000 a month until the first paycheck lands closer to $4,500—or less in California or New York. Rent, groceries, and a car note are paid with take-home pay. Comparing jobs on gross salary alone is how people sign leases they cannot carry. This U.S. paycheck calculator estimates federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare, and state wage tax so you can budget from a more honest number.

Pick a filing status and a state. Texas, Florida, and the other no-wage-tax states stay on federal plus FICA. High-tax states take another slice. The math stays in your browser: we do not need your Social Security number or a payroll login.

What the estimate includes

Federal taxable income starts with salary minus the 2026 standard deduction for your filing status. Income tax then uses the IRS progressive brackets (10%, 12%, 22%, 24%, and higher). Only the dollars inside each band are taxed at that band’s rate.

Payroll taxes sit on top: 6.2% Social Security up to the wage base and 1.45% Medicare on all wages. State tax uses that state’s 2026 wage structure—zero, flat, or simplified brackets—after a simple state deduction where the state has one. City income tax (New York City, many Ohio and Pennsylvania localities) is not included.

You get monthly take-home, a biweekly check (annual net ÷ 26), and an effective combined rate.

How to use it for a U.S. job offer

Enter the gross annual salary on the offer letter. Choose single, married filing jointly, or head of household. Choose the state where you will live and file—not the state printed on the company’s HQ. If you are paid biweekly, the biweekly line is the one to compare with a rent autopay.

Then subtract what this page still omits: 401(k), medical premiums, HSA, and extra withholding. A $200 biweekly 401(k) deferral is about $433 a month. Pre-tax health insurance of $180 per check is about $390 a month. Those two lines often explain the gap between this estimate and a real stub.

Worked examples

On this model, a $72,000 single salary in Texas loses federal tax in the 10–22% bands plus FICA and keeps a monthly net in the high $4,900s. The same salary in California or Oregon is lower after state tax. A $90,000 married couple in Florida still pays federal tax and FICA but no state wage tax.

These figures are orientation: enough to decide whether $2,400 rent is plausible, not enough to replace ADP, a CPA, or your employer’s payroll preview.

Limits you should read before you rely on this

The calculator does not model child tax credit, student loan interest, itemized deductions, NYC or other local tax, SDI, unemployment insurance, or bonus supplemental withholding. Two coworkers with the same salary can have different take-home for all of those reasons.

Use KindCalc to get a planning floor. Confirm the real number with a paystub when the decision is a lease, a car note, or a resignation.

Typical examples

Frequently asked questions

Why is my real paycheck different?

City or county tax, 401(k), health premiums, HSA contributions, extra W-4 withholding, and tax credits all change net pay. This tool models federal income tax, FICA, and a simplified state wage tax for the filing status you pick.

Which tax year do the brackets follow?

Federal brackets and standard deductions are a 2026 IRS planning set (single $16,100, married filing jointly $32,200, head of household $24,150). State rates follow published 2026 wage-tax structures and skip local add-ons and most credits.

Does this include Social Security and Medicare?

Yes. Employee Social Security is 6.2% up to the 2026 wage base used in the tool, and Medicare is 1.45% of wages. Additional Medicare tax on high earners is not modeled. Self-employment tax is not modeled.

Which states have no wage income tax?

Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, and Wyoming. Washington taxes some capital gains, not ordinary wages, so wage take-home here is treated as 0% state income tax.

Can I use this for a mortgage application?

Lenders want paystubs and W-2s. Use this to sanity-check rent or a house payment against net pay, then confirm with the mortgage calculator and real documents.