About this calculator
Three layers decide a US paycheck. Federal income tax follows the IRS 2026 brackets after the standard deduction ($16,100 single, $32,200 married filing jointly in 2026). FICA is flat and federal: 6.2% Social Security on wages up to $184,500, plus 1.45% Medicare on all wages and 0.9% more withheld past $200,000. The third layer — state income tax — is where identical salaries diverge: nine states tax wages at 0%, several levy a single flat rate, and the rest run graduated tables that can top out above 13%. This hub runs the real 2026 structure for whichever state you pick; each state also has its own page below with its table, deductions and fine print.
The model is deliberately standard: one W-2 job, the standard deduction, no credits, and no pre-tax deductions such as 401(k) contributions or health premiums. That makes it the right tool for comparing states, salaries and pay frequencies on equal terms — and a slight underestimate of a real paycheck, where pre-tax deductions usually shrink the taxable slice. Local income taxes are excluded except where a state page flags them (Maryland counties, New York City, Pennsylvania municipalities and Ohio cities all levy their own, and their state pages say so plainly).
How to use it
- Pick your state, then enter salary (or hourly rate and hours) and how often you are paid.
- Choose your filing status — it sets both the federal brackets and, in most states, the state ones.
- Read take-home per paycheck, then open your state's page for its deductions, payroll extras and local-tax warnings.
The formula
Payroll withholding annualizes each check: the check is scaled to a year, taxed under the annual tables, and scaled back down. That is why the per-paycheck figures here are simply the annual amounts divided by the number of checks — and why a bonus (withheld at a flat 22% federal supplemental rate) or a mid-year job change makes real checks differ slightly.
Worked example
A single filer in California earning $85,000, paid every two weeks: gross per check is $3,269.23. Federal income tax takes $9,870 a year, Social Security $5,270 and Medicare $1,232.50; California income tax adds $3,515.86 and California SDI (1.3% for disability and paid family leave) a further $1,105 — leaving take-home of $2,461.79 per paycheck. Move the same salary to Texas and the state lines vanish: take-home rises to $2,639.52 per check, $177.73 more every two weeks, which is the comparison this tool exists to make.
Sources: Tax year 2026: IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32 federal brackets and standard deductions as amended by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act; Social Security wage base per the SSA 2026 announcement ($184,500); state structures from each state's tax authority — every state page names its own source. Last updated: October 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Which states have no income tax on a paycheck?
Nine states levy no tax on wage income in 2026: Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire (its interest-and-dividends tax was repealed from 2025), South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington and Wyoming. Washington still runs two payroll deductions — WA Cares at 0.58% and the employee share of Paid Family & Medical Leave — which its state page and this calculator include as payroll taxes, not income tax.
Why is the estimate lower than my real take-home?
Usually because of pre-tax deductions this standard model leaves out: 401(k) or 403(b) contributions, health-insurance premiums, and HSA/FSA amounts all reduce the wages that income tax is figured on. Add those back and a real paycheck is higher. Working the other way, local income taxes (where they exist) and any extra W-4 withholding pull it down. Married filing separately is not modeled here either; separate filers face different brackets and deductions.
Does pay frequency change my annual tax?
No — annual tax depends on annual wages, not on how the checks are sliced. Frequency changes only the per-check amounts (and small rounding in real payroll). It matters for budgeting, and for the Social Security wage cap in very high salaries paid unevenly, but $100,000 a year is taxed the same whether it arrives in 12, 24, 26 or 52 checks.
What tax year are these tables?
Tax year 2026 throughout: the federal brackets and standard deductions from IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32 as amended by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the Social Security wage base announced by the SSA for 2026, and each state's 2026 income-tax structure as published by its tax authority. Every state page names its source and the date it was checked.
What formula does this paycheck calculator use?
Net = gross − federal bracket tax (after the standard deduction) − 6.2% Social Security (to $184,500) − 1.45% Medicare (+0.9% over $200,000) − state tax under the state's own 2026 table. Payroll withholding annualizes each check: the check is scaled to a year, taxed under the annual tables, and scaled back down. That is why the per-paycheck figures here are simply the annual amounts divided by the number of checks — and why a bonus (withheld at a flat 22% federal supplemental rate) or a mid-year job change makes real checks differ slightly. The worked example on this page applies the formula step by step with real numbers, so you can verify the result by hand.