Pay Stub Calculator
Enter your gross pay and each deduction to see your net take-home pay, total taxes withheld, and your effective tax rate per pay period.
The gap between your salary and your take-home can be 25–35%. Knowing exactly where every dollar goes is the first step to managing it.
7.65%
FICA taken automatically — plus your employer matches it
$600+
average monthly in deductions for a $60K salary
22%
most common marginal rate for median earners
Decoding your pay stub
What every line means
Federal witholding = estimated income tax prepayment. State withholding = state equivalent. FICA = Social Security + Medicare. Benefits = your share of health/dental/vision premiums and any 401k contributions.
Pre-tax vs post-tax contributions
401k and HSA contributions reduce your taxable income. Roth 401k and after-tax contributions don't. Check your pay stub to see which type your contributions are — it matters at tax time.
How to increase your take-home
The legal ways: maximise pre-tax benefit contributions (lowers taxable income), adjust your W-4 withholding if over-withholding, or contribute to an HSA if you have a qualifying health plan.
How your paycheck is calculated
Net pay = gross pay − federal tax − state tax − FICA − benefits deductions. FICA = 6.2% Social Security + 1.45% Medicare = 7.65% of gross.
Effective rate = total taxes ÷ gross pay × 100. This is the rate that matters for budgeting — not your marginal bracket, which applies only to your highest dollars earned.