2026 paycheck calculator · all 50 states and D.C.
What do you actually take home?
Enter your pay and where you live. See every tax line on your paycheck, including the city and county taxes most calculators skip.
Runs in your browser. Nothing you type is uploaded.Rates checked against official sources on October 11, 2026.
Estimated take-home pay · 2026
Biweekly pay · Single · California
$2,461.79 per paycheck
from $3,269.23 before taxes · 26 paychecks a year
Where each dollar goes
- Take-home pay75.3%$64,007
- Federal income tax11.6%$9,870
- Social Security and Medicare7.6%$6,503
- State taxes5.4%$4,621
Line by line
Per paycheckPer yearPay
Taxes
Federal income tax$379.62$9,870
2026 brackets after the $16,100 standard deduction, worked out for the year and spread over your paychecks. IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32
Social Security$202.69$5,270
6.2% of wages up to $184,500. Traditional 401(k) contributions do not reduce it. SSA wage base · 2026
Medicare$47.40$1,233
1.45% of wages, with no cap. IRS Pub. 15 · 2026
California income tax$135.23$3,516
California taxes income at graduated rates from 1% to 12.3%, plus 1% on taxable income over $1 million, after the state standard deduction and exemption credits. State disability insurance (SDI) is a separate paycheck line. California · 2026
California SDI$42.50$1,105
California disability and paid family leave, withheld from the employee. The 2026 rate is 1.3% with no wage ceiling. CA EDD · 2026
Tap a line to see how it was worked out. Each paycheck is the year's figure divided by 26 and rounded to the cent.
Show the math
Federal income tax for the year
| Wages | $85,000.00 |
|---|---|
| Standard deduction | −$16,100.00 |
| Taxable income | $68,900.00 |
| Tax from the 2026 brackets | $9,870.00 |
| Federal income tax | $9,870.00 |
California income tax for the year
| Wages taxed by the state | $85,000.00 |
|---|---|
| Standard deduction | −$5,900.00 |
| Taxable income | $79,100.00 |
| Tax from the rate schedule | $3,673.86 |
| Exemption credits | −$158.00 |
| California income tax | $3,515.86 |
Sources for these figures
- IRS newsroom, tax year 2026 inflation adjustments (Rev. Proc. 2025-32)
- Rev. Proc. 2025-32 (PDF)
- Tax Foundation, 2026 federal income tax brackets
- IRS Publication 15-T, Federal Income Tax Withholding Methods
- IRS, 401(k) limit increases to $24,500 for 2026, IRA limit increases to $7,500
- SSA, Contribution and benefit base
- IRS Publication 15 (Circular E), Employer's Tax Guide
- IRS, Questions and answers for the Additional Medicare Tax
- California Franchise Tax Board, Tax News October 2026: 2026 Indexing
- California EDD, SDI contribution rates
What if
Estimate for tax year 2026. Your real paycheck depends on your W-4, your benefits and your employer's payroll system. This is education, not tax, payroll or financial advice.
More calculators
Take-home pay by state
Rank all states for your salaryThe same $85,000 salary leaves very different amounts depending on the state. Darker states keep more.
keeps the most keeps the least
California Texas Florida New York Pennsylvania Illinois Ohio Georgia North Carolina Michigan New Jersey Virginia Washington Arizona Massachusetts
How take-home pay is worked out in 2026
Take-home pay, or net pay, is what is left of your pay after taxes and deductions. Every paycheck goes through the same steps.
Start with pay for the year
A salary is used as it is. Hourly pay is the rate times hours a week times paid weeks, plus overtime. Tips and bonuses are added. Working with the whole year lets the tax brackets see your real income; the result is then divided by your number of paychecks: 52, 26, 24 or 12.
Take off before-tax deductions
A traditional 401(k), 403(b) or TSP contribution lowers the pay that income tax is charged on, but not Social Security or Medicare. Health, dental and vision premiums, HSA and FSA contributions usually lower both. Roth contributions come out after tax and change no tax line.
Federal income tax
The 2026 standard deduction is $16,100 for single filers, $32,200 for married couples filing jointly and $24,150 for heads of household. Income above that is taxed in bands: for a single filer, 10% up to $12,400, 12% up to $50,400, 22% up to $105,700, 24% up to $201,775, 32% up to $256,225, 35% up to $640,600, 37% above that. Only the dollars inside a band are taxed at its rate, so a raise never lowers take-home pay. Each child under 17 takes $2,200 off the tax.
Social Security and Medicare
Social Security is 6.2% of pay up to $184,500, so the most anyone pays in 2026 is $11,439. Medicare is 1.45% of all pay, plus 0.9% on pay above $200,000 ($250,000 for joint filers).
State income tax and state payroll programs
Nine states do not tax wages: Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington and Wyoming. The rest use a flat rate or brackets, each with its own deductions, exemptions and quirks, all of which are on the state pages. Some states also take premiums for disability or paid family leave, such as California's SDI.
City and county income tax
Some places add their own: New York City, Philadelphia, Detroit, every county in Indiana and Maryland, the largest Ohio cities and others. The local tax guide lists all 143 that this calculator covers.
What is left is yours
On $85,000 a year, a single person in California pays about $9,870 in federal income tax, $6,503 for Social Security and Medicare, $3,516 in California income tax and $1,105 for state disability insurance, leaving $64,007: $2,461.79 every two weeks. In Texas the same salary leaves $68,628. For someone living in New York City it leaves $61,376.
What the estimate leaves out
It is an estimate of a regular paycheck, not a tax return. It leaves out itemized deductions, credits other than those for children and dependents, tax owed to a second state, wage garnishments, and sales or property tax. Before changing your withholding, check with the IRS Tax Withholding Estimator or a tax professional. The method page sets out every formula and source.
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Questions
Is my salary sent anywhere?
No. The tax tables load with the page and all of the arithmetic happens in your browser. Your last inputs are remembered on your own device so they are there next time, and you can clear them with one click.
Is this my exact paycheck?
It is a close estimate, not a copy of your pay stub. It works out the tax for the whole year and spreads it evenly across your paychecks, which is how withholding is designed to work. Your employer's payroll system, your W-4 and benefits this page does not know about can move the real figure by a few dollars.
Why is local tax sometimes zero?
Local income tax is added only when you choose a city or county, or type in your own local percentage. The calculator covers 143 local income taxes in 11 states. It never guesses a rate for a place it does not have.
Does a 401(k) lower Social Security and Medicare?
No. A traditional 401(k) lowers federal income tax and, in most states, state income tax. Social Security and Medicare are still charged on the full amount. Health insurance premiums and HSA contributions taken through your employer do lower them.
Does it include the new deductions for tips and overtime?
Yes. From 2025 through 2028 you can deduct up to $25,000 of tips and up to $12,500 of overtime premium pay ($25,000 on a joint return) from federal taxable income. Enter tips or overtime and the deduction is applied, along with your state's own rule where it has one. You can switch it off to see the difference.
Why do two calculators give different answers?
Some copy the withholding tables employers use, some spread the year's tax evenly as this one does, and many skip city taxes or use last year's state rates. This site shows the working for every line, links the official source for every rate, and dates each check.
I work in New York City but live in New Jersey. Do I pay the city tax?
No. New York City income tax is charged to people who live in the five boroughs. Choose your home state and leave the city unselected. You may still owe New York State tax on wages earned there, which this estimate does not work out.
Why is so much taken from my bonus?
Employers usually withhold federal tax from bonuses at a flat 22%, plus Social Security, Medicare and state tax. That is a withholding rule, not a higher tax on bonuses. If 22% is more than the bonus really adds to your tax, the difference comes back as a refund.
Do states with no income tax take nothing from a paycheck?
No. Federal income tax, Social Security (6.2% up to $184,500) and Medicare (1.45%) apply everywhere. A few states without an income tax still take small payroll premiums, such as Washington's paid leave and long-term care programs.