Take Home Pay Calculator
See what actually hits your bank account. Enter your gross salary, filing status, state rate and pre-tax deductions, then press Calculate to estimate your net paycheck.
Written by TopicDrill Editorial Team·Updated June 2026
Where each gross dollar goes
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How the take-home pay calculator works
The tool starts with your gross salary and removes each layer of withholding in the order a payroll system does. Pre-tax deductions come off first, then federal income tax is figured on the remaining wages after the standard deduction, using progressive brackets. Social Security and Medicare are charged on your full gross wage, and a flat state rate is applied to your taxable wages.
The donut chart splits every gross dollar into its destination, so you can instantly see how much stays with you and how much goes to each tax. Switch the pay period to view your net amount weekly, bi-weekly, monthly or per year.
A quick example
A single filer earning $75,000 who contributes $6,000 a year to a 401(k) in a state with a 5 percent income tax keeps roughly 74 to 76 percent of gross pay. On a bi-weekly cycle that is about $2,100 to $2,150 per paycheck, with federal tax and FICA making up the largest withheld slices.
Things to keep in mind
This is an estimate using 2024 federal brackets and a single flat state rate, so it will not capture local taxes, additional Medicare on high earners, or credits. For the official withholding worksheet, see the IRS Tax Withholding Estimator. To see how a raise pushes income into a new band, try our tax bracket calculator.
Frequently asked questions
What does take-home pay mean?
Take-home pay, also called net pay, is the money that actually lands in your bank account after taxes and deductions come out of your gross salary. It is what you have left to spend, save or invest each pay period.
Which taxes are withheld from a paycheck?
Most paychecks have federal income tax, Social Security at 6.2 percent up to the annual wage base, and Medicare at 1.45 percent. Many workers also pay state income tax. Pre-tax items like 401(k) and health premiums are subtracted before income tax is figured.
Why is my net pay lower than my salary divided by 12?
Your gross salary is the figure before any withholding. Once federal tax, FICA, state tax and benefit deductions are removed, the remaining net pay is smaller. This tool shows each slice so you can see exactly where the difference goes.
Do pre-tax deductions increase my take-home pay?
Pre-tax deductions lower the income that federal and state taxes are calculated on, so they reduce your tax bill. The contribution itself still leaves your paycheck, but you keep more of every dollar than if you were taxed on it first.
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