2026 federal rates

US take-home pay calculator

See what lands in your account after federal income tax and FICA. Updates as you type, with every assumption stated.

Annual salary

Filing status

401(k) or other pre-tax retirement, per year

Health premiums and other pre-tax, per year

Take-home, federal and FICA only

$93,250 per year

$7,771 a month · $3,587 every two weeks

Gross salary

$120,000

Federal income tax

- $17,570

Social Security

- $7,440

Medicare

- $1,740

Effective rate

22.29%

Your next dollar

29.65%

State and local tax are not in this figure. Nine states charge no income tax, so there this is close to your real take-home. Everywhere else, subtract your state rate from the total.

What this assumes

Federal income tax and FICA only. State and local income tax are not included, and in most states that is a meaningful further deduction.
2026 federal brackets and a standard deduction of $16,100 single or $32,200 filing jointly. Taking the standard deduction rather than itemising.
Social Security at 6.2% up to $184,500, then nothing. Medicare at 1.45% with no cap, plus 0.9% above $200,000 single or $250,000 jointly.
No tax credits applied, including the child tax credit, which can change the result substantially.
None of the deductions introduced for tips, overtime, car loan interest or seniors are applied. If any apply to you, your real tax is lower than this.
Pre-tax retirement reduces income tax but not FICA, which is why a 401(k) contribution saves less than your marginal rate suggests.
A full year at one employer. Two employers in a year usually means over-withholding Social Security, which comes back as a refund.
Salary income only. No capital gains, self-employment income, or other earnings.

An estimate for comparing offers, not tax advice. If the number matters for a filing rather than a decision, check it with an accountant.

Rates from IRS Revenue Procedure 2025-32, 2026 tax year, last checked 11 August 2026.

Questions

Frequently asked questions

The parts of a US paycheck that most often surprise people.

Why does this not include state tax?

Because there are fifty different answers and each one has its own brackets, deductions, reciprocity rules and sometimes city surcharges on top. A calculator that guessed would be wrong for most people reading it. Nine states charge no income tax at all, so for those this figure is close to complete; everywhere else, take your state rate off the total.

Why is my take-home lower than my bracket suggests?

Because a bracket only covers federal income tax. Social Security takes 6.2% up to the wage base and Medicare takes 1.45% with no cap, so the real cost of your next dollar is your bracket plus roughly 7.65% until you pass the Social Security limit.

Does a 401(k) contribution save me my full marginal rate?

No, and this is the detail most estimates get wrong. A traditional 401(k) defers income tax but not payroll tax, so you save your income tax bracket and still pay Social Security and Medicare on the money.

What is the difference between the effective and marginal rate?

The effective rate is what you paid across all your income. The marginal rate is what the next dollar costs. Above the Social Security wage base the marginal rate can drop below the effective one, because that portion of payroll tax stops while everything you already earned still paid it.

Is this good enough to negotiate with?

It is good enough to compare two federal figures against each other, which is usually what an offer decision needs. It is not tax advice, and if the number matters for a filing rather than a decision, check it with an accountant.

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