Take-Home Pay Calculator
What your salary actually pays: annual, monthly, and per-paycheck take-home after federal income tax, Social Security, and Medicare — with an optional pre-tax 401(k) contribution. Federal taxes only: state and local income taxes vary too much to estimate responsibly and are not included.
Take-home pay (2026)
Example: $85,000 single, 2026 → $5,718.96/month after federal tax and FICA.
Where the money goes
An $85,000 single filer in 2026: the standard deduction of $16,100 brings taxable income to $68,900, on which the brackets charge $9,870 of federal income tax. FICA takes $5,270 for Social Security (6.2%) and $1,232.50 for Medicare (1.45%). What remains is $68,627.50 a year — $5,718.96 a month, or $2,639.52 per biweekly paycheck. The marginal bracket is 22%, but all federal taxes together consume 19.26% of gross. Every figure is computed by the same tested engine as the calculator above.
Your bracket is not your bite
Being "in the 22% bracket" does not mean losing 22% of your salary. Brackets are marginal: the first slice of taxable income is taxed at 10%, the next at 12%, and only the top slice at your bracket rate. That is why the overall federal bite here is 19.26% — and why a raise never leaves you with less take-home pay. See exactly how the slices stack on the Tax Bracket Calculator.
The one lever inside your control
A pre-tax 401(k) contribution reduces taxable income dollar for dollar, so each contributed dollar only "costs" you your marginal rate less than a dollar of take-home. At a 22% marginal rate, contributing 6% of the example salary trims take-home by far less than the contribution itself — the difference is tax you simply don't pay this year. FICA, by contrast, applies before the 401(k) and doesn't move.
Frequently asked questions
Why is my real paycheck different from this estimate?
This models federal income tax (with the standard deduction), Social Security, and Medicare. Your actual paycheck also reflects state and local income taxes, benefits premiums, W-4 elections, and any other pre- or post-tax deductions. Treat this as the federal floor of your withholding, not the whole picture.
Why does a 401(k) contribution lower income tax but not Social Security?
Traditional 401(k) contributions are excluded from federal income-tax wages but NOT from FICA wages — Social Security and Medicare are taxed on your pay before the 401(k) comes out. The calculator models this correctly, which is why the FICA lines do not move when you add a contribution percentage.
What are the marginal and overall rates it shows?
The marginal rate is the bracket your last dollar of taxable income falls in — what an extra dollar of income would be taxed at. The overall rate shown divides ALL federal taxes (income tax + FICA) by your gross salary, which is why it can differ substantially from your bracket.
Which tax year should I pick?
Use the current calendar year for paycheck planning — withholding follows the year the money is paid. The prior year is provided for checking a return you are about to file or comparing how the inflation adjustments moved the brackets.
Not tax advice: a planning estimate using the standard deduction and federal taxes only — no state or local income tax, no credits, no itemizing, no other deductions. Your actual liability is determined when you file; consult a tax professional for your situation. Values are processed locally in your browser and never transmitted. See the methodology page.