First paycheck reality check.
Hourly or salaried. Add your real deductions. See the net number, with the math shown, so you understand where every dollar of gross actually goes.
· Pay type
Before any taxes or deductions
Seven states are bracket-accurate. Three are flat. Nine have no state income tax. Every other state uses a flat 4.5% approximation. See the transparency block below.
Enter per-pay-period amounts unless noted. Section 125 exemptions (health, HSA, FSA) reduce FICA wages automatically.
Pre-tax, reduces federal taxable income
Informational. If your contribution is below this, we show the missed match below.
Pre-tax, exempt from FICA under Section 125
Pre-tax, exempt from FICA under Section 125
Pre-tax, exempt from FICA under Section 125
Pre-tax, exempt from FICA under Section 125
Post-tax, does not reduce taxable income
Post-tax, used by employer to buy company stock
· Custom deductions
Up to 10 rows. Union dues, parking, transit, garnishments, anything that comes out of your paycheck.
No custom rows yet.
That is $61,593 a year in take-home pay.
· Where your gross goes
Each bar is one pay period. Totals add to $2,885 of gross.
· Effective tax rate
· The Real Cost lens
Your net pay is also future buying power.
If you took every dollar of net annual pay ($61,593) and instead invested it at a 7% real return for 30 years, it would grow to roughly $6,261,755. That is not a recommendation. It is the Real Cost lens: every spending decision has a 30-year shadow.
· Transparency
The formula, plainly.
Formula
Gross per period = annual salary / pay periods (or hourly rate * regular hours + 1.5 * hourly rate * overtime hours). Pre-tax deductions reduce federal taxable income. Health premium, HSA, and FSA also reduce FICA wages (Section 125). 401(k) traditional reduces federal tax but not FICA. Federal tax uses the 2026 brackets and standard deduction. Social Security applies at 6.2% up to the $184,500 wage base. Medicare applies at 1.45% on all wages, plus 0.9% on wages above $200,000 single / $250,000 MFJ. State tax uses the bracket for the state selected. Net = gross minus all of the above.
Assumptions
- 2026 federal brackets and standard deduction
- FICA rates as currently set by federal law
- State tax is bracket-accurate for CA, NY, NJ, OH. Flat for IL (4.95%), MA (5%), PA (3.07%). Nine states have no income tax (TX, FL, WA, NV, SD, AK, WY, TN, NH). Every other state uses a flat 4.5% approximation.
- Section 125 cafeteria plan exemption applied to health, HSA, and both FSAs. 401(k) traditional reduces federal taxable income only, not FICA wages.
- Overtime is 1.5x for any hours entered in the overtime field. Double-time and shift premiums are not modeled.
- Annualization assumes the same gross every pay period for the full year.
Limitations
- No local or city income tax (NYC, Philadelphia, etc.)
- No state-specific credits, SDI, or paid family leave withholdings
- No itemized deductions, child tax credit, EIC, or other federal credits
- No after-tax 401(k), mega-backdoor Roth, or non-qualified deferred compensation
- No tip income, commission structure, or supplemental wage withholding rules
What this calculator is NOT
Not a substitute for your actual pay stub. Not tax advice. Not a recommendation to contribute, change withholdings, or pick a filing status. It is a teaching tool: enter your real numbers, see the math, and compare to your real pay stub. If the numbers diverge meaningfully, your actual pay stub is right, not this calculator.
Start from your gross pay for this pay period.
Gross per period = $2,885
Subtract pre-tax deductions, then federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare, and state tax.
Pre-tax $0 | Federal $295 | Social Security $179 | Medicare $42 | State $0
2026 federal brackets and the SSA wage base. Full methodology, assumptions, and limits are in the transparency block below.
Subtract any post-tax deductions to reach take-home pay.
Post-tax $0 -> Net per period = $2,369
Education only. Not personalized financial advice. Calculator estimates 2026 federal and state tax based on the inputs you provide. Verify against your actual pay stub.
Reviewed by Joseph Citizen. Last reviewed 2026-05-13. Most useful between ages 18 and 65.
Assumptions
- 2026 federal brackets and standard deduction (IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32), pulled from lib/referenceData2026.ts.
- 2026 Social Security wage base $184,500 (SSA).
- Overtime rate is 1.5x the hourly rate (federal Fair Labor Standards Act minimum). State-specific double-time and shift-premium rules are not modeled.
- Pre-tax 401(k), HSA, and FSA healthcare and dependent-care reduce federal taxable wages.
- Section 125 cafeteria-plan exemption: health premium, HSA, FSA reduce FICA wages too.
- State tax simplifications: flat-rate approximations or no-tax handling per state.
- No federal or state tax credits (CTC, EITC, education credits, etc.).
- Employer 401(k) match is reported but doesn't affect tax math (it's the employer's money, not yours, at the moment of withholding).
Limitations
- Real employer W-4 withholding uses IRS tables and per-pay-period calculation; this annual-divided-by-frequency shortcut typically over-withholds slightly.
- Bonus and supplemental wages are withheld at a flat 22% federal under IRS rules; this calculator treats every dollar as regular wages.
- Self-employment income (SE tax = 15.3% covering both halves of FICA) is not modeled.
- Local income tax (NYC, Philadelphia, etc.) is not modeled.
- Progressive-state tax simplifications can deviate by hundreds or thousands of dollars for high-income households in states like CA, NY, NJ. Use the state's own calculator for accuracy.
- HSA family/individual limit checks, FSA carryover and use-it-or-lose-it rules are not modeled.
- It is not a pay stub. Employers withhold based on Form W-4 selections, which can produce different per-paycheck numbers.
- It is not a tax return. It does not file IRS Form 1040 or any state return.
- It is not personalized tax advice. A CPA or HR/benefits team owns the household-specific call on 401(k) percentage, HSA contribution, etc.
- It is not a recommendation about adjusting W-4 withholding, opening an HSA, or contributing to a 401(k).