Estimate take-home pay from gross pay, pay frequency, filing status, state, 401(k) contributions, and health premiums.
The salary you negotiate and the amount that reaches your bank account are two different numbers. Federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare, and any state income tax come out first, and pre-tax choices like a 401(k) contribution shrink the taxable amount before those are figured. Depending on income, filing status, and elections, the gap between gross and take-home commonly runs 20–30%. This calculator estimates where that money goes, line by line.
Each deduction is listed separately so you can see what's driving your take-home. Federal income tax uses the current-year brackets and the standard deduction for your filing status. Social Security and Medicare are flat payroll taxes on gross pay (Social Security stops at the annual wage base). The state line reflects only the flat rate you enter — it doesn't model any state's brackets, credits, or local taxes. The estimated total tax rate at the bottom is everything withheld as a share of gross, which is the quickest way to sanity-check the result against a real paystub.
Itemized deductions, tax credits (child tax credit, EITC, education credits), supplemental wages like bonuses or overtime, and local income taxes aren't modeled. If any apply, your actual take-home will differ. The estimate is built for regular, recurring pay — not one-off payments.
No state rate is entered. If you live in a state with no income tax, leaving it blank is correct; otherwise enter your effective rate as a flat percentage.
Not directly — bonuses are often withheld at a different supplemental rate, and this tool assumes recurring pay on a set schedule.
It's treated as a pre-tax contribution, so it lowers taxable income here. An employer match isn't part of this paycheck — it's money added to your retirement account, not withheld from your check.