Paycheck Calculator
See your real take-home pay after federal tax, Social Security, Medicare, and state income tax — for any state, filing status, pay schedule, and 401(k) rate.
A $65,000 single salary in CA nets about $1,755 per bi-weekly paycheck (70.2% take-home) — versus $1,976 in a no-tax state like Texas.
6.2% + 1.45%
Employee Social Security and Medicare (FICA) rates on gross wages
70.2%
Take-home share for the worked example ($65,000, single, CA)
$14,600
Federal standard deduction (single) applied before income tax brackets
What actually comes out of your paycheck
Four stacked deductions separate your salary from your deposit.
Gross is not what you keep
Federal tax, Social Security, Medicare, and state tax are stacked deductions. The gap between your salary headline and your deposited paycheck is usually 20-35%, depending on your state and income.
Your state can swing thousands
No-income-tax states (TX, FL, WA, and others) keep more of every paycheck. High-rate states like California and New York take a visible bite. Same salary, very different take-home.
Pre-tax 401(k) cuts income tax — not FICA
Traditional 401(k) dollars lower your taxable income for federal and state income tax, but Social Security and Medicare are still charged on your full gross pay.
How the Paycheck Calculator Works
Formula
retirement = min(gross × pct%, 401(k) limit)
federalTaxable = max(0, gross − retirement − standard deduction)
federalTax = progressive sum over IRS brackets (by filing status)
socialSecurity = min(gross, wage base) × 6.2%
medicare = gross × 1.45% (+0.9% above $200k single)
stateTax = (gross − retirement) × state top marginal rate
net = gross − retirement − federalTax − SS − medicare − stateTax
perPaycheck = net ÷ pay periods per yearEnter gross annual pay
Your salary before any taxes or deductions.
Pick filing status and state
Selects your federal brackets, standard deduction, and state income tax rate.
Set 401(k) contribution
Pre-tax retirement reduces taxable income for income tax (but not FICA).
Choose pay frequency
Annual net is divided into weekly, bi-weekly, semi-monthly, or monthly paychecks.
Review the breakdown
See where each dollar goes and how net pay scales with salary.
This calculator is an estimate. State income tax uses each state's top marginal rate as a flat rate, so graduated-rate states are slightly overstated for lower earners, and it does not model local/city taxes, pre-tax health premiums, or specific withholding allowances.
Tax brackets, the Social Security wage base, and FICA rates come from the IRS and SSA for the current tax year; UK figures use HMRC income tax bands and National Insurance. Use the result for planning and compare against your actual pay stub.
Frequently Asked Questions
Related Calculators
Pair this with adjacent pay and tax tools.
Take-Home Pay Calculator
Full salary-to-net breakdown with regional tax models.
Income Tax Calculator
Estimate your federal income tax bill by bracket.
Annual Salary Calculator
Convert hourly or per-paycheck pay into an annual figure.
Net Income Calculator
See income left after taxes and key deductions.