Paycheck Calculator
Enter your salary or hourly rate and pay schedule to see one paycheck line by line: gross pay, pre-tax 401(k) and health deductions, 2026 federal tax, Social Security, Medicare, state tax and the net amount that reaches your bank.
Last updated November 3, 2026
Result
$2,368.94 per paycheck
Estimated net pay from a gross paycheck of $2,884.62. Taxes are 17.9% of gross.
| Line | Per paycheck | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $2,884.62 | $75,000.00 |
| - Pre-tax retirement | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| - Pre-tax health and benefits | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| - Federal income tax | $295.00 | $7,670.00 |
| - Social Security | $178.85 | $4,650.00 |
| - Medicare | $41.83 | $1,087.50 |
| Net pay | $2,368.94 | $61,592.50 |
Estimate only. 2026 federal tax, standard deduction, not employer withholding.
Show the work
Formula: net paycheck = gross - pre-tax deductions - federal tax - Social Security - Medicare - state tax - post-tax deductions
- Gross pay: $75,000.00 a year / 26 paychecks = $2,884.62.
- Pre-tax deductions a year: retirement 0% of $75,000.00 = $0.00; health and benefits $0.00 x 26 = $0.00.
- Social Security and Medicare wages: $75,000.00 - $0.00 health = $75,000.00 (retirement does not reduce them).
- Taxable income: $75,000.00 - $0.00 - $16,100.00 standard deduction = $58,900.00 (never below $0).
- Federal income tax (2026): $12,400.00 at 10% + $38,000.00 at 12% + $8,500.00 at 22% = $7,670.00 a year.
- Social Security: $75,000.00 x 6.2% = $4,650.00. Medicare: $75,000.00 x 1.45% = $1,087.50.
- Each line / 26 paychecks: pre-tax retirement $0.00, pre-tax health and benefits $0.00, federal income tax $295.00, social security $178.85, medicare $41.83.
- Net paycheck: $2,884.62 - $515.68 = $2,368.94.
- Annual: $75,000.00 - $0.00 - $0.00 - $13,407.50 tax - $0.00 post-tax = $61,592.50 (tax is 17.9% of gross).
Result: $2,368.94 per paycheck
How one paycheck is built
net paycheck = gross − pre-tax deductions − federal tax − Social Security − Medicare − state tax − post-tax deductions
Gross pay for one check is your yearly pay divided by the number of paychecks: 52 for weekly, 26 for every two weeks, 24 for twice a month and 12 for monthly. An hourly rate is first turned into a year by multiplying by your hours per week and 52 weeks.
The tax lines are worked out for the whole year and then divided by the same number of paychecks, so every line on the stub is a yearly figure shared evenly. Each line is rounded to the cent, so the stub always adds up exactly.
See how we calculate for the formulas, sources and review schedule behind every calculator.
Also useful alongside this calculator: Overtime Calculator.
Why health premiums lower more than income tax
Health premiums paid through an employer cafeteria plan (Section 125) come out before income tax, Social Security and Medicare are figured. This page applies that rule to the health and benefits amount you enter, so it reduces federal taxable income, the state base and the wages used for payroll tax.
For a single filer earning $75,000 paid every two weeks, a $100 premium per paycheck is $2,600 a year. Total yearly tax falls from $13,407.50 to $12,636.60, so $770.90 of tax disappears and the premium costs about $1,829 of take-home pay rather than $2,600.
How a 401(k) percentage changes the check
Traditional 401(k) contributions are entered as a percentage of gross pay, the way most payroll systems collect them. They reduce federal taxable income and the state base, but Social Security and Medicare are still charged on the full wages after health premiums.
That is why a 6% contribution lowers your net check by less than the contribution itself: part of the money would have gone to tax anyway. Roth contributions are taxed first, so enter them as post-tax deductions.
Weekly, biweekly, semimonthly and monthly
The schedule changes the size of each check, not the yearly total. Every two weeks means 26 checks, so two months a year contain three of them. Twice a month means 24 equal checks, always on set dates. A $20 hourly worker on 40 hours a week gets $800 gross weekly, and after $115.28 of tax a net check of $684.72.
What this estimate does and does not do
It is an estimate using the 2026 standard deduction, not the IRS Publication 15-T withholding tables your employer uses. It has no W-4 extras, credits, other income, itemized deductions or state-specific rules: state tax is one flat percentage.
This is general information, not tax advice.
Sources and data
Tax year 2026. Federal tax brackets: IRS Revenue Procedure 2025-32 (section 4.01). Standard deductions: IRS announcement IR-2025-103 (October 9, 2025). Social Security wage base of $184,500, the 6.2% and 1.45% employee rates and the 0.9% Additional Medicare Tax above $200,000: IRS Publication 15 (2026). Pre-tax treatment of cafeteria plan premiums: Internal Revenue Code section 125.
Checked against these documents on November 2, 2026; refreshed each January.
Sources
Official and primary sources for the statements on this page. Their authors have not reviewed or endorsed this page.
- Internal Revenue Service, Rev. Proc. 2025-32, inflation adjustments for tax year 2026.. The 2026 federal income tax bracket thresholds used for the estimate (section 4.01).
- Internal Revenue Service, IR-2025-103 (October 9, 2025), tax year 2026 inflation adjustments.. The 2026 standard deduction: $16,100 for single filers, $32,200 for married couples filing jointly and $24,150 for heads of household.
- Internal Revenue Service, Publication 15 (2026), (Circular E), Employer's Tax Guide.. The 6.2% Social Security rate with the $184,500 wage base for 2026, and the 1.45% Medicare rate with no wage base limit.
- Internal Revenue Service, Topic no. 751, Social Security and Medicare withholding rates.. The 0.9% Additional Medicare Tax withheld on wages above $200,000 regardless of filing status, and the $184,500 Social Security wage base for 2026.
- Internal Revenue Service, Publication 15-T (2026), Federal Income Tax Withholding Methods.. Describes the percentage-method and wage-bracket tables employers use, which depend on the employee's Form W-4 and which this flat estimate does not replicate.
- Internal Revenue Service, Publication 15-B (2026), Employer's Tax Guide to Fringe Benefits.. Cafeteria plans let employees receive qualified benefits, including accident and health benefits, on a pre-tax basis under Internal Revenue Code section 125; Table 2-1 shows accident and health benefits exempt from income tax withholding and from Social Security and Medicare tax.
How to use the Paycheck Calculator
- Choose salary per year or hourly rate, enter the amount, and add hours per week if hourly.
- Pick your pay frequency and filing status.
- Enter 401(k) percentage, health deductions per paycheck and any state tax rate.
- Add post-tax deductions per paycheck if you have them.
- Read the line-by-line stub and net paycheck, then use Show the work, Copy, Print or Share.
Worked example
A single filer earning $75,000 and paid twice a month puts 6% ($4,500 a year) into a 401(k), pays $100 per paycheck for health insurance ($2,400 a year), pays a flat 4% state tax and has $50 per paycheck of post-tax deductions. Payroll wages are $72,600, taxable income is $52,000 and federal tax is $6,152 a year; Social Security is $4,501.20, Medicare $1,052.70 and state tax $2,724. Gross $3,125.00 less $938.74 of deductions and tax leaves a net paycheck of $2,186.26.
| Line | Per paycheck |
|---|---|
| Gross pay | $3,125.00 |
| Pre-tax retirement (6%) | $187.50 |
| Pre-tax health and benefits | $100.00 |
| Federal income tax | $256.33 |
| Social Security | $187.55 |
| Medicare | $43.86 |
| State tax (4%) | $113.50 |
| Post-tax deductions | $50.00 |
| Net paycheck | $2,186.26 |
Frequently asked questions
Why is my real paycheck different from this result?
Employers withhold using your W-4 and IRS Publication 15-T tables, and your plan, state and local rules may add items that this flat estimate leaves out.
Which deductions come out before tax?
Traditional 401(k) contributions and Section 125 health premiums are usually pre-tax. Roth 401(k), union dues and loan repayments are normally taken after tax.
Does the pay frequency change how much tax I pay?
No. The yearly tax is the same for any schedule; only the size of each check changes, apart from a few cents of rounding per paycheck.
How are hourly paychecks estimated?
The hourly rate is multiplied by your weekly hours and 52 weeks to get a yearly figure, so unpaid weeks and overtime premiums are not included.
What happens if my deductions are higher than my pay?
The calculator shows a message instead of a result, because pre-tax deductions cannot exceed gross pay and net pay cannot be negative.