Estimate what actually lands in your account — free, no sign-up, updated for 2026. Enter your gross salary, any pre-tax deductions, and an estimated tax rate — and see your take-home pay per paycheck and per year.
Rough estimate only — real paychecks use tax brackets, FICA caps, and state rules, not one flat rate. Adjust the rate to match your situation; this is planning guidance, not a pay stub.
Two things shrink a salary into take-home pay: pre-tax deductions (401(k), HSA, insurance), which come out before tax and lower your taxable income, and taxes — federal and state income tax plus FICA (Social Security and Medicare). This calculator uses one combined rate you set; real withholding uses brackets, so treat the result as a solid estimate.
Gross salary is a headline; take-home is what reaches your account. Three things sit between them: pre-tax deductions (401(k), HSA, some insurance premiums), taxes (federal income tax, FICA, and state or local tax where it applies), and post-tax deductions. This calculator handles the first two, which is where nearly all the money goes.
On $60,000 gross with $3,000 of pre-tax deductions and a 25% combined rate: taxable pay is $57,000, tax is $14,250, and take-home is $42,750 — about 71% of gross. Per paycheck that is $1,644.23 biweekly (26 cheques), $1,781.25 semi-monthly (24), or $3,562.50 monthly. The biweekly and semi-monthly figures differ even though the annual total is identical, which is why comparing two jobs on "per paycheck" is misleading unless the pay frequency matches.
The combined tax rate is doing all the work, and it is an estimate. It has to cover federal income tax (progressive — your marginal rate is higher than your effective rate), FICA at 7.65% — 6.2% Social Security plus 1.45% Medicare, which on $60,000 is $4,590 — and any state and local income tax, which ranges from nothing to several percent depending on where you live. If you set 25% and your state takes 5%, this calculator is optimistic by roughly $3,000 a year. Set the rate high rather than low: being pleasantly surprised in April is the better error.
The $3,000 default reduces take-home by less than $3,000. At a 25% rate it saves $750 of tax, so the real cost to your paycheck is $2,250 — while the full $3,000 lands in your 401(k) or HSA. That is the entire argument for pre-tax saving, and it gets stronger the higher your marginal rate. It also means "I can't afford to contribute more" is usually less true than it feels.
Contractors and freelancers have no employer half of FICA — you pay both sides as self-employment tax, roughly 14.1% of net profit, and nothing is withheld for you. Use the self-employed tax calculator instead, and see how much to set aside for the per-payment habit that keeps the bill funded.
A planning estimate, not official withholding or tax advice.
Subtract pre-tax deductions from your gross salary, apply your estimated total tax rate to what's left, and subtract that too. Divide by your number of paychecks for the per-check amount. This calculator does it — set the rate to match your bracket and state.
For a rough number, many US workers land around 20–30% once federal, state, and FICA are combined. Use a lower rate for lower incomes/no state tax, higher for high earners or high-tax states.
Related: self-employed tax calculator · savings goal calculator · monthly budget guide.
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Yes. The Take-Home Pay Calculator is completely free, runs in your browser, and never asks for a signup, email, or download. Enter your numbers and the result updates instantly.
It uses standard formulas and recalculates the moment you change a value, so the math is exact for the inputs you enter. Treat the result as a reliable planning estimate; for decisions with legal or tax consequences, confirm the figures with a qualified professional.
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Last reviewed: September 2026. Free to use, no signup — Take-Home Pay Calculator by ToolWise Digital.
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