Know your real paycheck.
A precise, beautifully visual US paycheck calculator. Tweak any input and watch your take-home update in real time.
Your inputs
Take-home per paycheck
$2,224.95Of $3,269.23 gross · effective 24.8% · marginal 22%
Where it goes
Annual breakdown
- Take-home$57,84968.1%
- Federal income tax$9,21010.8%
- FICA (SS + Medicare)$6,3657.5%
- State income tax$5,5276.5%
- Pre-tax (401k + health)$6,0507.1%
Pay statement · Estimate
Bi-weekly paycheck
Single · California
Net pay
$2,224.95Earnings
Pre-tax deductions
Taxes withheld
Annual gross
$85,000
Annual net
$57,849
Effective
24.8%
Compare scenarios
Side-by-side what-ifs: a raise, a state move, a 401(k) bump.
How this paycheck calculator works
PaycheckCalculator.fyi turns the question "what's actually going to land in my bank account?" into a live, visual answer. Type a salary in the form on the left, and the numbers on the right update in real time as the calculator walks through the same steps your employer's payroll software does — pre-tax deductions first, then federal income tax on what's left, then FICA on your gross, then state tax.
We start by subtracting your traditional 401(k) contribution and any employer-sponsored health insurance premium from your gross. The result is your federal taxable income (after the standard deduction for your filing status). Federal income tax is computed progressively across the 2024 brackets — 10%, 12%, 22%, 24%, 32%, 35%, and 37% — so your effective rate is always lower than your top marginal rate.
FICA is calculated separately on your full gross wages: 6.2% Social Security up to the $168,600 wage base, 1.45% Medicare on every dollar, plus an extra 0.9% Medicare surtax on wages above $200,000. State income tax is approximated with a per-state effective rate that closely tracks the average outcome for typical wage earners. For more on methodology and what we don't include, see our about page.
Want to dig deeper? We've written plain-English guides on how paychecks work, what each line on a pay stub means, the impact of pre-tax deductions, and a 50-state overview of state income tax. Or jump straight to a specific state.
Common paycheck scenarios
A few worked examples to give you a feel for typical take-home pay across different income levels and states.
$60,000 single, Texas
No state income tax; 5% to a 401(k). Take-home roughly $48,000/yr — about $1,847 every two weeks.
$85,000 single, California
5% to a 401(k); CA state tax ~$4,800/yr. Take-home roughly $61,000/yr — about $2,346 bi-weekly.
$120,000 MFJ, New York
Married filing jointly, 8% 401(k). Take-home roughly $90,000/yr — about $3,460 bi-weekly. NYC residents would see a few thousand less.
$200,000 single, Florida
No state tax; 10% to a 401(k). Take-home roughly $138,000/yr — about $5,300 bi-weekly. Crosses the 32% federal bracket.
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Frequently asked questions
How accurate is the PaycheckCalculator.fyi paycheck calculator?▾
PaycheckCalculator.fyi uses 2024 federal income tax brackets, the $168,600 Social Security wage base, the 1.45% Medicare rate plus the 0.9% Additional Medicare Tax over $200,000, and a simplified flat-rate approximation for each state's income tax. It's a great quick estimate, but local taxes, credits, and itemized deductions are not included.
Which states are supported?▾
All 50 states plus DC. No-tax states (TX, FL, WA, NV, SD, WY, AK, TN, NH) correctly compute $0 state income tax. Browse our state index for state-specific notes.
Is my salary data saved or sent anywhere?▾
No. All calculations run entirely in your browser. Your inputs are never transmitted to a server. Share links encode your inputs directly into the URL.
Can I compare different scenarios like a raise or moving states?▾
Yes. Open the Compare page to view up to three scenarios side-by-side with deltas highlighted in green or red.
Can I download my paycheck breakdown as a PDF?▾
Yes. Use the Share bar on the main calculator to download a one-page PDF of your paycheck stub.
What's the difference between marginal and effective tax rate?▾
Your marginal rate is the rate on the next dollar you earn — the bracket your income tops out in. Your effective rate is your total federal tax divided by your gross income, which is always lower because the lower brackets tax the first chunks of your income at lower rates.
Why is my Social Security tax higher than my federal income tax on a low salary?▾
FICA is calculated on your gross wages with no standard deduction. Federal income tax kicks in only after subtracting $14,600 (single) and is then progressive starting at 10%. On lower incomes, the flat 6.2% Social Security tax can easily exceed the small federal income tax.
Does a 401(k) contribution reduce my Social Security tax?▾
No. Traditional 401(k) contributions reduce your federal (and usually state) income tax by lowering taxable income, but FICA — Social Security and Medicare — is still calculated on your full gross wages. Pre-tax health insurance premiums under a Section 125 plan, however, do reduce FICA.
How do bi-weekly and semi-monthly differ?▾
Bi-weekly means every 14 days (26 paychecks per year), so two months out of the year you'll get three paychecks. Semi-monthly means twice a month (24 paychecks per year), always on the same calendar dates like the 15th and last day. Annual gross is the same; the per-period amount is slightly different.
What about local city or county income tax?▾
We don't model local income taxes. If you live in NYC, Philadelphia, most Ohio cities, several Indiana counties, or some Michigan cities, your real take-home will be a few hundred to a few thousand dollars lower per year than what we show.