Paycheck Calculator

Take-home (net) pay is your gross pay minus federal income tax, FICA payroll taxes, state income tax where your state levies one, and any pre-tax or post-tax deductions. Federal income tax is progressive, with 2026 brackets running from 10% to 37% of taxable income after your standard deduction. FICA is a flat 7.65% of wages — 6.2% Social Security (up to the annual wage base) plus 1.45% Medicare.

State income tax is the biggest variable. It ranges from zero in nine states to a 13.3% top marginal rate in California. Structures differ too: Pennsylvania taxes all wages at a flat 3.07%, Illinois at a flat 4.95%, while states like California and New York use progressive brackets, and some localities (NYC, Maryland counties, many Ohio cities) add a local income tax on top.

Nine states levy no state income tax on wages: Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, Wyoming. Note that New Hampshire taxes only interest and dividends (being phased out), and Washington still collects employee payroll premiums for Paid Family & Medical Leave and the WA Cares Fund.

FICA (Federal Insurance Contributions Act) funds Social Security and Medicare. Employees pay 7.65% of gross wages — 6.2% Social Security up to the annual wage base plus 1.45% Medicare on all wages — and employers match it. High earners pay an extra 0.9% Additional Medicare Tax on wages above $200,000. FICA applies in every state, which is why even no-income-tax states never show 100% take-home.