Free 2026 US paycheck calculator

Paycheck Calculator

Estimate take-home pay from regular US W-2 wages with automatic 2026 federal and state withholding, Social Security, Medicare, and applicable employee state disability insurance (SDI), unemployment insurance (UI), and paid-leave deductions. Choose a work state and pay date, then refine the result with your federal and state forms.

Your regular pay

Paycheck inputs

Raw inputs stay in this browser
How do you know your pay?

Choose the amount you have. Koody converts it to gross pay for the selected pay period.

Regular gross salary for a full year before taxes and deductions.

Choose the payroll schedule. Biweekly means every two weeks; semimonthly means twice a month.

Match Step 1(c) on the modern Form W-4 used for this job.

Work location and pay date

Choose where these wages are earned. Koody uses that state’s 2026 employer withholding method.

The date selects the rule in effect when a state changes withholding during 2026.

The choices update to match the selected state form.

Enter the allowances or exemptions claimed on your current state withholding form.

Koody applies the selected state’s official 2026 employer withholding method.

Paycheck deductionsOptional amounts per paycheck

Per paycheck. Modeled as reducing federal income tax wages, but not Social Security or Medicare wages.

Per paycheck for qualifying health, flexible spending account, or other cafeteria-plan deductions, excluding health savings account (HSA) contributions. Modeled as reducing federal income tax, Social Security, and Medicare wages.

Per paycheck through an employer cafeteria plan. Koody assumes this contribution is eligible to reduce federal, Social Security, and Medicare wages, then applies state-specific treatment such as California’s HSA addback. Do not enter a direct after-tax HSA contribution.

Per paycheck. Subtracted after the modeled taxes without changing taxable wages.

Modern Form W-4 adjustmentsOptional Steps 3 and 4

Enter annual amounts for Steps 3, 4(a), and 4(b). Step 4(c) is the extra amount withheld from each paycheck.

Annual credits entered on Step 3 of this job’s Form W-4.

Annual non-job income entered on Step 4(a).

Annual deduction amount entered on Step 4(b), not the standard deduction.

Extra federal income tax requested on each paycheck.

State, local, and year-to-date detailsOptional form and wage-base inputs

Extra state income tax requested on each paycheck.

Verified local rules appear for the selected state. Use the custom option only for a locality Koody does not model.

Some paid-leave programs change the maximum employee share by employer size.

Social Security wages from this employer before the current paycheck.

Medicare wages from this employer before the current paycheck.

Wages already subject to employee SDI, PFML, paid-leave, or state UI limits this year.

Plan across pay cycles

Budget equivalents

Compare every part of the selected regular paycheck with its average monthly and annual equivalents. These are planning conversions, not a claim that every real paycheck or calendar month is identical.

Gross pay, modeled taxes, deductions, and take-home pay across common budget periods
Paycheck linePer selected paycheckAverage monthAnnual equivalent

Start with one regular check

How to use this paycheck calculator

  1. 1
    Choose annual salary, hourly pay, or a gross paycheck.

    Hourly mode adds regular pay and any overtime entered for the selected pay period.

  2. 2
    Select pay frequency and federal filing status.

    Match the modern Form W-4 for this job, including the Step 2(c) multiple-jobs box when it is checked.

  3. 3
    Add only the optional details you know.

    Open deductions, Form W-4 adjustments, or year-to-date fields to make the regular-pay estimate more representative.

  4. 4
    Review take-home pay and its calculation receipt.

    Check the tax lines, deductions, wage bases, and budget equivalents instead of relying on the headline alone.

What your results mean

Take-home pay is the modeled cash left from this regular paycheck after federal and state income tax withholding, employee Social Security and Medicare taxes, applicable employee state payroll programs, selected local withholding, and paycheck deductions. Annualized and monthly values scale the same regular-pay scenario for budgeting.

Federal withholding is a prepayment, and withholding is not your final tax liability. A refund or balance due depends on full-year household income, credits, deductions, payments, and facts this paycheck calculator does not model.

Inspectable withholding

2026 Publication 15-T method and formulas

For federal income tax withholding, the calculator follows the 2026 federal withholding rules and percentage method in Publication 15-T Worksheet 1A for a modern Form W-4. It annualizes federal withholding wages using the selected number of pay periods, adds Step 4(a) other income, subtracts Step 4(b) deductions, and uses the 2026 percentage-method table for the selected filing status. The Step 2(c) choice selects the corresponding higher-withholding table.

The tentative annual withholding is converted to one pay period. Koody then subtracts that period’s share of Step 3 credits without going below $0 and adds the Step 4(c) extra amount. Payroll lines are rounded consistently to cents before the paycheck total is calculated.

State withholding uses the latest official employer percentage method or withholding tables in force for 2026, not a shortcut based on annual tax liability. The pay date selects midyear rule changes, and state filing choices, allowances, elected percentages, and form-specific adjustments appear only when that jurisdiction uses them. When an official schedule does not cover the selected pay frequency, the calculator labels the annualized or prorated fallback in the result.

State disability, unemployment, family-and-medical-leave, long-term-care, and similar employee programs are calculated separately from income tax. When an official annual wage base applies, Koody uses the year-to-date state-program wages to charge only the part of this paycheck that remains below the limit.

  • Hourly gross pay = hourly rate × regular hours + hourly rate × overtime multiplier × overtime hours.
  • Federal withholding wages = gross pay − eligible Section 125 deductions − eligible HSA contributions − traditional retirement contribution.
  • FICA wages = gross pay − eligible Section 125 deductions − eligible HSA contributions.
  • Take-home pay = gross pay − federal withholding − state and selected local withholding − Social Security and Medicare taxes − employee state payroll programs − paycheck deductions.
  • Average monthly take-home = annualized regular-pay take-home ÷ 12.

Worked default example

The default $75,000 annual salary paid monthly produces $6,250.00 of gross pay per regular check. For a single filer with a standard modern Form W-4, no Step 2(c) selection, no other adjustments, and no deductions, the 2026 federal percentage method produces $639.17 of federal income tax withholding. Social Security is $387.50 and Medicare is $90.63. The selected work state, pay date, state form, locality, and employee programs then determine the remaining withholding lines.

Cash-flow order and deduction treatment

  1. 1
    Start with gross regular wages.

    Salary and per-check inputs are converted directly; hourly mode calculates regular and overtime earnings first.

  2. 2
    Determine the federal and FICA wage bases.

    This model reduces federal wages for traditional retirement, eligible Section 125 deductions, and eligible pre-tax payroll HSA contributions. It reduces Social Security and Medicare wages for eligible Section 125 and pre-tax payroll HSA contributions.

  3. 3
    Calculate federal withholding and employee payroll taxes.

    Form W-4 entries drive federal withholding. Prior year-to-date wage fields are used for the Social Security wage base and Additional Medicare withholding threshold on this check.

  4. 4
    Subtract taxes and all deductions from gross pay.

    State and local withholding, employee state programs, and post-tax deductions affect take-home cash but do not alter the federal wage bases in this model.

Assumptions and limitations

  • This is a 2026 estimate for regular wages paid to a US W-2 employee under a Form W-4 from 2020 or later.
  • State income tax withholding is calculated for all 50 states and the District of Columbia from the selected work state and pay date. This calculator does not model residence-state reciprocity or multi-state allocations.
  • Verified high-use local rules appear when available. The “other locality” amount is a clearly labeled pay-stub fallback for fragmented local taxes that are not modeled automatically.
  • State disability, unemployment, family-leave, long-term-care, and similar employee programs are included when a statewide employee deduction applies. Employer plan choices or worker exemptions can still change a real pay stub.
  • Bonuses, commissions treated as supplemental wages, stock compensation, qualified tips, and other supplemental-wage methods are excluded.
  • Self-employment, contractor taxes, employer payroll taxes, and gross-up calculations are excluded.
  • Legacy pre-2020 Form W-4 allowances and worker-specific exemption rules not represented by the federal or state controls are excluded.
  • The calculator does not determine overtime eligibility, regular-rate adjustments, state overtime, or wage-and-hour compliance. The multiplier is only an earnings input.
  • Traditional retirement, Section 125, and HSA treatment follows the stated general assumptions. The HSA field is only for an eligible pre-tax payroll contribution through an employer cafeteria plan. Your plan and payroll records control whether a particular deduction is excluded from federal, Social Security, Medicare, state, or local wages.
  • Year-to-date wage inputs mean wages from this employer before the current paycheck. They do not reconcile prior withholding or combine wages across employers.
  • Repeating one regular paycheck across a year is a budgeting equivalent. Unpaid leave, irregular hours, partial-year work, extra-paycheck calendars, and payroll rounding can change actual totals.

Common questions

Frequently asked questions

Is paycheck withholding the same as final tax owed?

No. Withholding is money prepaid through payroll. Final tax, a refund, or a balance due depends on the full tax return and facts outside one regular paycheck.

Why might the result differ from my pay stub?

Common reasons include state or local taxes, employer-specific benefit tax treatment, year-to-date wage limits, a different Form W-4 entry, supplemental pay, partial-period wages, and payroll rounding. Compare each line instead of only the net amount.

Does a traditional 401(k) contribution reduce every paycheck tax?

Generally, a traditional salary deferral reduces federal income tax wages but remains subject to Social Security and Medicare taxes. This calculator models that general treatment. Your plan and payroll record control the actual deduction.

Does this calculator include state and local taxes?

Yes. It automatically calculates 2026 state income tax withholding for the selected work state and verified local rules where available. A clearly labeled custom amount remains available for fragmented local jurisdictions that are not modeled.

Does it include state disability or paid family leave?

Yes, when a statewide employee payroll deduction applies. The receipt separately identifies employee disability, unemployment, paid-family-and-medical-leave, long-term-care, and similar programs. Employer plan choices or exemptions can still make a pay stub differ.

What is the difference between biweekly and semimonthly pay?

Biweekly pay normally means 26 checks a year, while semimonthly pay means 24 checks a year. That changes gross pay per check for the same annual salary and changes how annual Form W-4 amounts are allocated.

Can I use this for overtime or a bonus?

Hourly mode can add hours at a multiplier you supply, but it does not decide overtime eligibility. Bonuses and other supplemental wages are excluded because their withholding method can differ from regular wages.

Are my calculator inputs saved or sent anywhere?

No. Raw inputs used by this calculator stay in your browser; the calculator does not save or transmit them.

Sources

Rules and sources reviewed August 2, 2026.

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