Three lists — assumed behavior, items not modeled, and structural limitations.
Assumed by this calculation
Filing statusSingle
Pre-tax 401(k)6% of gross
Standard deductionApplied (no itemized)
State taxFlat 5% (override field)
Pay periodAnnual
Tax year model2026 (IRS Pub. 15-T)
Not modeled (out of scope)
Tax creditsNot applied (CTC, EITC, etc.)
Investment incomeCapital gains / dividends not tracked
HSA / FSA contributionsPre-tax healthcare accounts not modeled
Structural limitations
Health insurance pre-taxRequires per-employee plan data
Stock income / RSUsVesting + capital gains logic out of scope
Self-employment taxSee 1099 vs W-2 guide for 15.3% SE tax
City / local income taxesVary by jurisdiction; not modeled
Confidence visualization
What if your state tax rate changed?
Drag the slider to see how state income tax affects your take-home. The page result updates in realtime. Use this to model a job offer in another state.
0.0%15.0%
Saved scenarios
Compare this calculation with another
Scenarios are saved locally on your device. No account required. Compare two side-by-side to see which one wins on take-home, effective rate, or tax burden.
You have no saved scenarios yet. Use the Save button in the export panel to add one.
Side-by-side comparison
Scenario A
—
—
Scenario B
—
—
Input
Scenario A
Scenario B
Diff
These scenarios are from different calculators. Only same-tool comparisons are supported.
Need even more?See audit data, version history, and feedback
Each result represents a different way to read the same net estimate:
Annual net: gross minus federal tax, FICA, state tax, and your 401(k) contribution.
Monthly net: annual net divided by 12.
Bi-weekly net: annual net divided by 26.
Total tax rate: federal, state, and FICA combined as a share of gross pay.
Three Net-Pay Scenarios That Often Change the Decision
Scenario
What to watch
Why it matters
$8K raise at the same employer
Monthly net, not just annual gross
A raise that sounds meaningful on paper may shrink materially after federal, state, and FICA withholding.
Moving from a 5% tax state to a 0% tax state
Total tax rate and annual net
The relocation value may come more from state tax removal than from the base salary itself.
Increasing 401(k) from 6% to 10%
Annual net versus tax rate
You can see the real cash-flow tradeoff instead of assuming a contribution increase is either free or too painful.
This is where the tool becomes useful: not "what is my net pay?" in isolation, but "does this compensation change still improve my real monthly outcome?"
What This Tool Does Not Fully Model
Tax credits such as CTC, EITC, or education credits
Itemized deductions and many special-case adjustments
City or local income taxes
Employer benefit deductions beyond the simple 401(k) input shown here
Self-employment tax for contractors
If your situation is more complex than a straightforward W-2 paycheck, treat this as a directional estimate, not a filing-grade result.
Here's something that catches a lot of people off guard: your gross salary and your take-home pay can differ by 25–35% - sometimes more. That gap isn't just taxes, and understanding every piece of it puts you in a much stronger position when negotiating your next offer, planning a budget, or deciding whether a raise is actually worth the effort it took to get.
Before You Compare Offers, Know Your Net Pay
Use the take-home pay calculator to see what you actually keep after federal tax, FICA, and state withholding. Then use the negotiation script generator to practice asking for what you're worth - backed by real numbers, not gut feelings.
Federal Income Tax
Progressive rates from 10% to 37% (2026 brackets). Only the income within each bracket is taxed at that rate - not your entire salary.
Social Security (FICA)
6.2% on wages up to $184,500 in 2026. Once you hit this threshold mid-year, SS withholding stops - which is why some higher earners see bigger paychecks in Q4.
Medicare
1.45% on all wages with no cap. High earners above $200,000 pay an additional 0.9% Medicare surtax.
State Income Tax
Ranges from 0% (TX, FL, WA, and 6 others) to 13.3% (CA top bracket). Most middle-income earners pay 3–7% effective state rate.
Pre-tax Deductions
401(k) up to $23,500, HSA up to $4,300 (single), FSA up to $3,200. Each dollar contributed pre-tax reduces your taxable income, lowering both federal and state taxes simultaneously.
Note: Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, and Wyoming have no state income tax. For a $90,000 earner, this can mean $4,000–$6,300 more in annual take-home pay compared to a 5–7% state income tax state.
2026 Federal Income Tax Brackets
Rate
Single Filers
Married Filing Jointly
10%
Up to $12,400
Up to $24,800
12%
$12,401 – $50,400
$24,801 – $100,800
22%
$50,401 – $105,700
$100,801 – $211,400
24%
$105,701 – $201,775
$211,401 – $403,550
32%
$201,776 – $256,225
$403,551 – $512,450
35%
$256,226 – $640,600
$512,451 – $768,700
37%
Over $640,600
Over $768,700
Real Take-Home Pay Examples (2026)
Here's what estimated net pay can look like for a single filer with standard deduction, 5% state tax, and 6% 401(k) contribution:
Gross Salary
Federal Tax
FICA
State (5%)
Net Take-Home
Effective Rate
$50,000
~$3,460
$3,825
$2,350
~$37,365/yr
~19.3%
$75,000
~$6,680
$5,738
$3,525
~$54,558/yr
~21.3%
$100,000
~$11,850
$7,650
$4,700
~$69,800/yr
~24.2%
$130,000
~$18,062
$9,945
$6,110
~$88,083/yr
~26.2%
$200,000
~$33,854
$14,339
$9,400
~$130,407/yr
~28.8%
* Includes 6% 401(k) pre-tax. Numbers are estimates - use the calculator above for your own situation.
Take-Home Pay Questions Answered
How reliable is this calculator?
This calculator provides a reliable estimate for most W-2 employees with straightforward tax situations. It applies 2026 federal brackets, the standard deduction, FICA rates, the additional 0.9% Medicare surtax for high earners, and your 401(k) contribution. It does not account for tax credits (Child Tax Credit, EITC, etc.), additional income sources, or itemized deductions. For complex situations, consult a CPA.
Does contributing to a 401(k) reduce my taxes?
Yes - traditional 401(k) contributions are pre-tax, meaning they reduce both your federal and state taxable income. A 6% contribution on a $75,000 salary ($4,500) saves approximately $990–$1,530 in federal taxes depending on your bracket, plus additional state tax savings. Roth 401(k) contributions are post-tax, so they don't reduce current-year taxes but grow and withdraw tax-free.
What's the difference between marginal and effective tax rate?
Your marginal rate is the rate that applies to your last dollar of income - the highest bracket you reach. Your effective rate is your total federal tax divided by your total gross income. A single filer earning $100,000 is in the 22% marginal bracket, but their effective federal rate is about 13.2% because the first $12,400 of taxable income is taxed at 10%, the next $38,000 at 12%, and so on.
Why is my paycheck different every time?
Your paycheck can vary due to changes in hours worked (for hourly employees), bonus payments, changes in benefit deductions (health insurance premiums that renew annually), hitting the Social Security wage base cap ($184,500), or mid-year W-4 changes. Once you've earned $184,500 in wages, Social Security withholding stops - which typically means larger paychecks in the final months of the year for higher earners.
Independent Salary Data Researcher
Published Jan 15, 2024
Updated Aug 6, 2026
Maintained by the author using IRS Publication 15-T, SSA wage-base announcements, and BLS OEWS data.
All calculator formulas are deterministic JavaScript — no AI inference in the numbers.
Content is reviewed for accuracy when tax figures are updated annually. See Methodology · Author Profile
