Paycheck Calculator

Estimate federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare, an optional state percent, and net pay. A rough 2026 bracket estimate, not a W-4.

Gross pay per paycheck ($) *

Pay frequency *

Filing status *

Pre-tax deduction per paycheck ($)

State tax (%)

Smart Tips

• Federal income tax is a rough estimate. It annualizes taxable wages, applies the 2026 brackets, and divides the tax back to one paycheck. It is not IRS Publication 15-T withholding and it is not a Form W-4.

• Taxable wages for federal income tax and the state percent are gross pay minus the pre-tax deduction, times paychecks per year. The standard deduction is not subtracted.

• Social Security and Medicare use annual gross pay. The pre-tax deduction is not subtracted from those taxes.

• The Social Security wage base for 2026 is $184,500. Additional Medicare Tax uses $200,000 for single or head of household and $250,000 for married filing jointly.

The Formula

Taxable wages = (gross − pre-tax) × paychecks per year

n = Paychecks per year
52 weekly, 26 biweekly, 24 semimonthly, and 12 monthly

Federal = Bracket tax for the year
2026 Rev. Proc. 2025-32 brackets on taxable wages. One paycheck is that tax divided by n

SS = Social Security for the year
6.2 percent of annual gross pay, capped at $184,500

Med = Medicare for the year
1.45 percent of annual gross pay. No wage base

Add = Additional Medicare Tax
0.9 percent of annual gross pay above $200,000 (single or head of household) or $250,000 (married filing jointly)

State = State tax for the year
The percent you enter times taxable wages

Net = Gross pay minus the pre-tax deduction, federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare, Additional Medicare Tax, and state tax
The year amount is divided by paychecks per year for one paycheck

Social Security wage base and employee rates: IRS Publication 15 (2026) states a 6.2 percent employee Social Security rate, a $184,500 wage base, and a 1.45 percent employee Medicare rate. irs.gov/publications/p15 The same 2026 wage base is in IRS Topic No. 751. irs.gov/taxtopics/tc751 Additional Medicare Tax thresholds: IRS Topic No. 560. irs.gov/taxtopics/tc560 Federal brackets match the 2026 Rev. Proc. 2025-32 rows already used by the tax calculator on this site.

Key Insights

Not a W-4

Federal income tax is a rough 2026 bracket estimate. It is not IRS Publication 15-T withholding and it is not a Form W-4.

Gross vs Taxable

Social Security and Medicare use annual gross pay. Federal income tax and the state percent use gross pay minus the pre-tax deduction. The standard deduction is not subtracted.

Wage Base

Social Security is 6.2 percent of annual gross pay up to $184,500. Medicare is 1.45 percent of annual gross pay with no wage base.

Spread Across Paychecks

Each tax is calculated for the year, then divided by the number of paychecks. Social Security does not stop mid-year on this estimate.

Frequently Asked Questions

Annual taxable wages equal (gross pay minus the pre-tax deduction) times paychecks per year. Weekly uses 52, biweekly uses 26, semimonthly uses 24, and monthly uses 12. The 2026 ordinary income brackets from IRS Revenue Procedure 2025-32 are applied to that annual amount, and the tax is divided by paychecks per year. The standard deduction is not subtracted. This is a rough estimate. It is not IRS Publication 15-T withholding and it is not a Form W-4.

Social Security tax is 6.2 percent of annual gross pay, up to the 2026 wage base of $184,500. Gross pay above that base is not taxed for Social Security. The pre-tax deduction is not subtracted. The annual tax is divided evenly across paychecks. IRS Publication 15 (2026) states that the employee Social Security rate is 6.2 percent and the social security wage base limit is $184,500. IRS Topic No. 751 states the same 2026 wage base.

Medicare tax is 1.45 percent of annual gross pay. There is no wage base limit. Additional Medicare Tax is 0.9 percent of annual gross pay above $200,000 for single or head of household, and above $250,000 for married filing jointly. IRS Topic No. 560 lists those thresholds and says they are not indexed for inflation. The pre-tax deduction is not subtracted. This uses the filing-status threshold, not the employer withholding rule that starts at $200,000 for every employee. IRS Publication 15 (2026) states that the employee Medicare rate is 1.45 percent.

State tax equals the percent you type times annual taxable wages. Annual taxable wages are the same amount used for federal income tax: (gross pay minus the pre-tax deduction) times paychecks per year. The default is 0 percent. This calculator does not include state tax tables.

Net pay equals gross pay minus the pre-tax deduction, federal income tax, Social Security tax, Medicare tax, Additional Medicare Tax, and state tax. The year column is the annual amount. The paycheck column is that annual amount divided by paychecks per year. Displayed amounts are rounded to the nearest cent, so a paycheck amount times paychecks per year can differ from the year column by a few cents.

It does not use the IRS Publication 15-T wage-bracket or percentage method, and it does not apply Form W-4 steps. It does not subtract the standard deduction or tax credits. It does not calculate local tax or the employer share of FICA. Social Security uses a $184,500 cap on annual gross pay, then that tax is spread evenly over every paycheck rather than stopping mid-year.

Federal ordinary income brackets are IRS Revenue Procedure 2025-32 for tax year 2026. Employee Social Security is 6.2 percent up to the 2026 contribution and benefit base of $184,500 from the Social Security Administration and IRS Publication 15 (2026). Employee Medicare is 1.45 percent with no wage base (Publication 15 and Topic No. 751). Additional Medicare Tax thresholds are from Topic No. 560 and are not indexed. As of 14 October 2026, the IRS had not published tax year 2027 brackets and SSA had not published the 2027 wage base, so this page stays on 2026. This is a rough estimate, not Publication 15-T withholding and not a Form W-4.

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Note:This is a rough estimate. It is not IRS Publication 15-T withholding and it is not a Form W-4. Social Security uses the 2026 wage base of $184,500 from IRS Publication 15. Additional Medicare Tax uses the filing-status thresholds in IRS Topic No. 560.