Paychecks & payroll
A take-home pay calculator for job offers, raises and W-4 checkups
This take-home pay calculator turns a salary into net pay per paycheck after 2026 federal income tax and FICA, so the clients weighing an offer or a raise see the real number on your site.
Included on every plan, even the free Practitioner plan. No card needed.
How do you calculate take-home pay from a salary?
Subtract pre-tax deductions from gross salary, estimate federal income tax using the 2026 brackets and standard deduction, then subtract Social Security and Medicare (6.2% Social Security + 1.45% Medicare (7.65%)2026 · SSA and IRS). Divide the annual net by the number of pay periods. State and local taxes, which this estimate leaves out, reduce it further.
January, when the first paycheck of the year looks different
The first January paycheck often differs from December's: new benefit deductions, a raise, a changed W-4 or the Social Security wage base resetting. Clients with a job offer are asking the same question from the other side: what does $95,000 actually mean every two weeks? Both groups want a number they can trust before they talk to HR or sign.
What the client types into a search box
“why is my paycheck smaller this year and what will I actually take home”
How a client works through it
Enter the annual salary
Gross pay before any deductions, from an offer letter or the pay stub's year-to-date figures.
Set pay frequency and filing status
Weekly, biweekly, semimonthly or monthly, plus the filing status that drives the brackets.
Add pre-tax deductions
401(k), health premiums and similar deductions that lower taxable wages.
See net pay per check
Take-home per paycheck, annual net, federal tax and FICA appear together; the client can send them to your firm.
What lands in your inbox
When a client asks your firm to review the result, the request arrives as a contact record with their inputs and results attached, by email and, on paid plans, by webhook to your CRM.
Received
Salary, pay frequency, filing status and pre-tax deductions tell you the household's income level and benefits picture. High salaries near the wage base or above the Additional Medicare Tax threshold suggest withholding gaps. A client entering an offer amount is mid-decision and may need help comparing packages.
Why is take-home pay so much lower than salary?
The result splits the gap into its parts. Federal Income Tax depends on filing status and pre-tax deductions; FICA (SS + Medicare) is a flat percentage of wages, with Social Security stopping at the $184,5002026 · SSA wage base and the Additional Medicare Tax of 0.9% on wages over $200,0002026 · IRS. Pre-Tax Deductions are shown so clients see they are savings, not lost pay.
Take-Home per Paycheck is the line most clients care about. It will usually be a little higher than the real stub because state tax, local tax and after-tax deductions are not included, which is worth saying in the calculator's subtitle.
Results shown: Take-Home per Paycheck · Annual Net Pay · Federal Income Tax · FICA (SS + Medicare) · Pre-Tax Deductions.
The FICA part, worked out
On a $90,000 salary, Social Security tax is $90,000 × 6.2% = $5,580 and Medicare is $90,000 × 1.45% = $1,305, so FICA totals $6,885 a year, or $264.81 per biweekly check across 26 checks. Pre-tax 401(k) deferrals do not reduce FICA, only income tax, which is why the calculator treats them that way.
What does a paycheck calculator do for a tax practice?
It catches withholding problems early. A client who runs the calculator in January and sees a different net than expected is the client who would otherwise owe in April. One request now is a short W-4 review; the same issue in April is an unhappy client and possibly an underpayment penalty.
It also reaches people outside your client list. Paycheck searches are common, and a prospect who gets a clear answer on your site, in your colors, remembers who explained it.
Follow-ups this request opens
- Review the client's W-4 and adjust withholding for the rest of the year
- Compare two job offers including benefits and pre-tax deductions
- Estimate the effect of raising 401(k) contributions on net pay
- Check whether a two-earner household is under-withheld
What this calculator leaves out
- No state or local income taxes, which can be significant.
- Pre-tax deductions reduce income tax only; health premiums under a cafeteria plan would also reduce FICA in real payroll.
- No credits, such as the child tax credit, that a W-4 can account for.
- Bonus and supplemental wage withholding methods are not modeled.
Platform disclaimer shown under the calculator: Estimates only. Uses 2026 federal brackets and standard deduction, and FICA (6.2% Social Security up to the $184,500 wage base + 1.45% Medicare, plus the 0.9% Additional Medicare Tax withheld on wages over $200,000); excludes state/local tax and credits. Pre-tax deductions are assumed to reduce income tax only. Not tax advice.
Compliance note for firms
A take-home estimate is not payroll advice and not a withholding certificate. When a client asks your firm to adjust their W-4 based on it, you are giving written tax advice, and Circular 230 §10.37 expects you to consider the facts the calculator ignores, such as a spouse's wages, credits and state withholding.
Not legal advice. See our disclaimer and the guide to compliance for client calculators.
2026 figures this page relies on
| Figure | Value | Tax year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employee FICA: Social Security / Medicare | 6.2% Social Security + 1.45% Medicare (7.65%) | 2026 | SSA and IRS |
| Social Security wage base (taxable maximum) | $184,500 | 2026 | SSA |
| Additional Medicare Tax and withholding threshold | 0.9% on wages over $200,000 | 2026 | IRS |
The same values drive the calculator. Full list on the 2026 figures page.
Terms your client sees in the calculator
These definitions appear in the calculator's collapsible Definitions block, so clients don't have to call to ask what a label means.
- Take-home pay
- What you actually receive after federal income tax, FICA and pre-tax deductions are subtracted from gross pay, shown per paycheck and per year. This estimate leaves out state and local income tax, tax credits and after-tax deductions, so your real paycheck may be lower than shown, particularly in states with an income tax.
- Gross salary
- Your total yearly pay before any taxes or deductions. It is the starting point for every calculation here. For hourly work, multiply your hourly rate by expected hours per year. Bonuses and overtime count too, though they are often withheld at different rates than regular pay.
- Pay frequency
- How often you are paid: weekly (52), biweekly (26), semimonthly (24) or monthly (12) paychecks a year. The calculator divides annual net pay by this number to get take-home per paycheck. Biweekly and semimonthly look similar, but biweekly produces two extra paychecks a year, each slightly smaller.
- Federal income tax
- Tax on your taxable income: gross salary minus pre-tax deductions and the standard deduction, taxed through progressive brackets. The calculator uses the 2026 federal brackets and standard deduction for your filing status. It estimates your annual liability rather than replicating your employer’s withholding, which depends on your W-4.
- Filing status
- The category you file your federal return under, such as single, married filing jointly or head of household. It sets the standard deduction and the width of the tax brackets, so the same salary can produce noticeably different federal tax depending on status. Choose the status you expect to file with.
- FICA
- The federal payroll taxes for Social Security and Medicare. This calculator uses 6.2% for Social Security on wages up to the wage base plus 1.45% for Medicare on all wages (2026, SSA and IRS), plus the Additional Medicare Tax on high wages. Unlike income tax, FICA is figured on wages before most pre-tax deductions.
In our glossary: FICA · Social Security wage base · Additional Medicare Tax
Take-Home Paycheck calculator: questions from firms and clients
Does the calculator include state income tax?
No. It covers federal income tax and FICA. Firms in states with income tax often mention that in the calculator subtitle so clients expect a lower real paycheck.
What FICA rates does it use?
6.2% Social Security + 1.45% Medicare (7.65%)2026 · SSA and IRS, with Social Security stopping at the $184,5002026 · SSA wage base and the Additional Medicare Tax of 0.9% on wages over $200,0002026 · IRS.
Why does my paycheck increase late in the year?
If wages pass the Social Security wage base, the 6.2% Social Security withholding stops for the rest of the year. High earners see a bigger net in the last months, which the annual figures in the calculator reflect.
Can clients use it to fill in a W-4?
It helps them see whether withholding is roughly right, but a W-4 change should be checked with the IRS Tax Withholding Estimator or your firm, especially for two-earner households.
Does it handle hourly pay and overtime?
Use the hourly paycheck calculator for hourly wages and overtime.
Can an employer use this to set a net salary?
For working backward from a target net, the net-to-gross calculator is the right tool.
Are bonuses withheld the same way?
Not always. Employers may withhold a flat supplemental rate on bonuses. The calculator treats all pay as regular wages, so a bonus check can differ.
Which plan includes it?
Every plan, including the free Practitioner plan, which runs up to 5 calculators at once alongside the other tax tools. Firm (up to 50) and Network (no cap) add webhooks and white-label. See pricing.
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Answer the January question before the client calls
Embed the Take-Home Paycheck calculator on your firm's site in an afternoon and receive requests with the numbers already filled in.
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