How your paycheck is calculated
Your take-home pay is what is left after four groups of deductions:
- Pre-tax deductions: traditional 401(k) or 403(b) contributions, HSA contributions and health, dental and vision premiums paid through your employer. These lower the income you pay tax on. The HSA calculator shows how much an HSA saves you.
- Federal income tax: calculated with the 2026 tax brackets after the standard deduction. Credits such as the child tax credit reduce it further. See the 2026 tax brackets.
- FICA taxes: Social Security (6.2% up to the yearly wage limit) and Medicare (1.45%, plus 0.9% on high earnings). More in what is FICA.
- State and local taxes: state income tax, plus state programs such as disability insurance or paid family leave in some states, and city income tax in places like New York City.
An example paycheck
Here’s a $75,000 salary in California, paid every two weeks, line by line:
| $75,000 in California | Per paycheck | A year |
|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $2,884.62 | $75,000 |
| Federal income tax | −$295.00 | −$7,670 |
| Social Security | −$178.85 | −$4,650 |
| Medicare | −$41.83 | −$1,088 |
| California income tax | −$102.50 | −$2,665 |
| CA SDI | −$37.50 | −$975 |
| Take-home pay | $2,228.94 | $57,952 |
Paid every two weeks (26 paychecks), as a single filer with the standard deduction and no pre-tax deductions, on 2026 tax rules. That's 22.7% of the salary in tax overall (the effective rate), and 39.0% on the next dollar earned (the marginal rate).
Your own paycheck depends on your state, how often you’re paid, your filing status and your deductions: enter them in the calculator above to see yours.
Take-home pay at common salaries
The same salary takes home different amounts in different states. Here’s the yearly range, from the highest-tax state to the lowest, for a single filer:
| Salary | After tax a year | After tax a month |
|---|---|---|
| $40,000 | $31,606–$34,320 | $2,634–$2,860 |
| $50,000 | $38,801–$42,355 | $3,233–$3,530 |
| $60,000 | $45,996–$50,390 | $3,833–$4,199 |
| $75,000 | $56,013–$61,593 | $4,668–$5,133 |
| $100,000 | $71,332–$79,180 | $5,944–$6,598 |
| $150,000 | $99,936–$113,791 | $8,328–$9,483 |
Click a salary for every state’s figure, browse all salaries, or compare all 50 states and DC side by side in take-home pay by state.
How your state changes your paycheck
- No income tax on wages: Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington and Wyoming. See the states with no income tax.
- Programs paid from your wages: some states take a little more for disability insurance or paid family leave, such as California’s State Disability Insurance (SDI) and Washington’s paid leave and long-term-care premiums.
- City income tax: a few cities, such as New York City, add their own.
Each state’s paycheck calculator, listed below the calculator, starts with that state’s rules.
How often you’re paid
Your yearly tax is the same however you’re paid; only the size of each paycheck changes:
| Pay schedule | Paychecks a year | $75,000 a year, before tax |
|---|---|---|
| Weekly | 52 | $1,442.31 |
| Every two weeks | 26 | $2,884.62 |
| Twice a month | 24 | $3,125.00 |
| Monthly | 12 | $6,250.00 |
Paid every two weeks, two months of the year have three paychecks instead of two, which makes a budget built on two paychecks a month easier to keep.
Ways to take home more
- Save before tax. Traditional 401(k) and HSA contributions come out before income tax, so each dollar you save costs you less than a dollar of take-home pay. See the 401(k) calculator.
- Check your W-4. If you get a big refund every year, too much tax is coming out of your paychecks. The W-4 calculator shows what to change.
- Claim the tips and overtime deductions. From 2025 to 2028, part of your tips and overtime pay is deductible. Unless your withholding has been adjusted, the tax you save usually comes back as a bigger refund when you file. See no tax on tips and overtime.
- Know what a bonus leaves you. Bonuses are often withheld at a flat 22%, so the check can look smaller than your regular pay suggests. The bonus tax calculator shows what you’ll take home, and whether some comes back when you file.
Effective vs. marginal tax rate
Your effective tax rate is the share of your total pay that goes to taxes. Your marginal tax rate is the tax on your next dollar of pay, combining federal, FICA, state and local taxes. A raise is taxed at your marginal rate, not your effective rate, so it always increases your take-home pay. See does a raise into a higher bracket lower your pay?
About these estimates
The calculator uses each year’s published tax rules and assumes wages are your only income and that you take the standard deduction. See our methodology and sources for every assumption and the official sources we use. To see how your pay stub lines up with these figures, read how to read your pay stub.