Enter your salary and see what actually lands in your account each payday, line by line.
Pay stub estimate · 2026Every two weeks
Take-home pay per check
$2,368.94
$61,593 a year · $5,132.71 a month
Gross pay
$2,884.62
401(k)
$0.00
Pre-tax benefits
$0.00
Federal income tax
−$295.00
Social Security
−$178.85
Medicare
−$41.83
State & local tax
$0.00
Net pay
$2,368.94
Take-home
Taxes
401(k) & benefits
Effective tax rate 17.9% · federal bracket 22%.
Uses the 2026 standard deduction; credits and itemizing are not included.
How your paycheck is put together
Every paycheck follows the same order. Knowing it makes it easier to see which changes actually raise your take-home pay.
Gross pay. Your salary divided by the number of paychecks in a year: 52 weekly, 26 every two weeks, 24 twice a month or 12 monthly.
Pre-tax deductions. Traditional 401(k) contributions and health premiums come out first, which lowers the income that gets taxed.
Federal income tax. Figured on your annual income minus pre-tax deductions and the standard deduction, using the progressive brackets. Only the slice of income inside each bracket is taxed at that rate.
FICA. 6.2% Social Security up to $184,500 of wages, plus 1.45% Medicare on all wages.
State and local tax. Varies from 0% to over 10% depending on where you live and work.
Your income tax, bracket by bracket
This is how the federal tax above is calculated for the numbers you entered.
Bracket
Income taxed
Tax
10%
$12,400
$1,240.00
12%
$38,000
$4,560.00
22%
$8,500
$1,870.00
Ways to raise your take-home pay
Move health spending into an HSA or FSA; those dollars skip income tax and FICA.
Check your W-4 after a life change. Too much withholding means a smaller check now and a refund later.
A higher 401(k) percentage lowers your check by less than it puts away, because part of it would have gone to tax.
Start with gross pay. Subtract pre-tax deductions such as a traditional 401(k) and health premiums. Federal income tax is figured on what's left after the 2026 standard deduction ($16,100 for single filers). Then Social Security (6.2%) and Medicare (1.45%) come out of your wages. What remains is your net pay.
Why is my real paycheck slightly different?
Employers withhold using the IRS percentage method and your W-4, which can differ from your final annual tax. Extra W-4 withholding, tax credits, other income and state rules also change the number. This calculator estimates your full-year tax and spreads it evenly.
Does a 401(k) lower Social Security and Medicare tax?
No. Traditional 401(k) contributions reduce federal income tax (and usually state tax), but Social Security and Medicare are still charged on them. Pre-tax health premiums under a cafeteria plan reduce both.
What is the Social Security wage limit for 2026?
$184,500. Wages above that are not subject to the 6.2% Social Security tax. Medicare has no limit, and an extra 0.9% applies to wages over $200,000 for single filers ($250,000 married filing jointly).
What should I enter for state tax?
Enter your state's approximate income tax rate, plus any city tax. States such as Texas, Florida, Nevada, Washington and Tennessee have no wage income tax, so use 0. For states with brackets, your effective rate is usually a few points below the top rate.