Take-Home Pay & Income Tax Calculator
Turn gross salary into net pay after tax and deductions.
Reduces income-tax base, not FICA.
Take-home pay
- Income tax
- $9,650.00
- FICA (Social Security + Medicare)
- $6,885.00
- Total tax
- $16,535.00
- Effective tax rate
- 18.37%
- Marginal tax rate
- 22%
2026 US federal brackets per IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32. A simplified estimate that excludes state, local, and other credits. Your figures stay on this device and are never put in the URL.
How the take-home pay calculator works
The calculator turns gross annual salary into net pay in three steps. First it finds your taxable income: taxable = max(0, gross − pretax − deduction), where pretax is 401(k) and similar contributions and deduction is the standard or itemized deduction. Negative results are floored at zero.
Next it applies marginal income-tax brackets. Each bracket only taxes the slice of income that falls inside it: tax = Σ rate_i × (min(taxable, upper_i) − lower_i) for every bracket your taxable income reaches. Then it adds FICA on your full gross: Social Security at 6.2% up to the wage base, Medicare at 1.45% with no cap, plus 0.9% on wages above the additional-Medicare threshold. A key rule is built in: pre-tax contributions reduce the income-tax base but not the FICA base, so Social Security and Medicare are always charged on the whole gross. Take-home is gross − income tax − FICA.
Worked example
A single filer earning $90,000, contributing $6,000 to a 401(k), with a $14,600 standard deduction, using 2024 brackets and a $168,600 Social Security wage base.
| Step | Calculation | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Taxable income | 90,000 − 6,000 − 14,600 | $69,400 |
| Income tax (10%) | 0.10 × 11,600 | $1,160 |
| Income tax (12%) | 0.12 × (47,150 − 11,600) | $4,266 |
| Income tax (22%) | 0.22 × (69,400 − 47,150) | $4,895 |
| Income tax total | sum of the three slices | $10,321 |
| Social Security | 0.062 × 90,000 | $5,580 |
| Medicare | 0.0145 × 90,000 | $1,305 |
| FICA total | 5,580 + 1,305 | $6,885 |
| Total tax | 10,321 + 6,885 | $17,206 |
| Take-home | 90,000 − 17,206 | $72,794 |
The effective rate is 17,206 / 90,000 = 19.1%, while the marginal rate is 22% (the top bracket the $69,400 reaches). Notice FICA is computed on the full $90,000, not the reduced $69,400, so the 401(k) saved income tax but not payroll tax.
How to use it
- Enter gross annual salary before any deductions.
- Add pre-tax contributions (401(k), traditional IRA via payroll, HSA) so the income-tax base drops while FICA stays on gross.
- Set the deduction to the standard deduction for your filing status, or your itemized total if larger.
- Choose the bracket set and wage base that match your tax year and filing status.
- Read both the effective and marginal rates: use marginal to judge the tax on a raise, and effective to gauge your overall burden.
Limitations
This is an estimate, not tax advice. It covers federal income tax and US FICA only. It does not model state or local income tax, the child tax credit or other credits, the earned income credit, the QBI deduction, capital-gains rates, self-employment tax, employer pre-tax benefits like health premiums, or the way per-paycheck W-4 withholding can differ from your annual liability. For filing decisions, consult a qualified tax professional.
Frequently asked questions
Why does my 401(k) lower my income tax but not my FICA?
Pre-tax 401(k) contributions are excluded from your federal income-tax base, so they shrink the taxable amount the brackets apply to. They are not excluded from Social Security and Medicare wages, so FICA is charged on your full gross. That is why a 401(k) saves you income tax at your marginal rate but never reduces the 7.65% FICA line.
What is the difference between effective rate and marginal rate?
Your marginal rate is the rate on your last dollar earned: the top bracket your taxable income reaches. Your effective rate is total tax divided by gross, which blends every bracket plus FICA and is always lower. A worker in the 22% bracket commonly has an effective rate near 19%.
Does the calculator include state income tax?
No. It computes federal income tax from the brackets you supply plus US FICA. State and local income taxes vary by location and are not included, so your real net pay will be lower in states that levy an income tax.
Why is Social Security capped but Medicare is not?
Social Security tax (6.2%) only applies to wages up to the annual wage base, so once you cross that ceiling no further Social Security is withheld. Medicare (1.45%) has no cap, and an extra 0.9% applies to wages above the additional-Medicare threshold.
Does this show monthly or annual take-home?
All figures are annual. To estimate a paycheck, divide the annual take-home by your number of pay periods (for example 12 for monthly, 26 for biweekly). Per-paycheck withholding can differ slightly from the annual total because of rounding and W-4 settings.