TabSalary calculator guide
Estimate a 2026 paycheck from annual gross income
This planning estimate annualizes federal income tax using 2026 brackets and the standard deduction, adds employee Social Security and Medicare taxes, and applies your state-rate and deduction inputs before dividing net pay by pay frequency.
Independently built and maintained · Published 2026-08-09 · Last reviewed 2026-08-23
The gap between salary and take-home confuses almost everyone the first time they see it. Federal income tax withholding, Social Security, and Medicare together typically remove a fifth to a third of gross pay, and that is before state taxes, health premiums, and retirement contributions. Estimating the gap before a job change, raise, or move prevents budgeting against money that will never arrive.
This calculator uses published 2026 figures: the inflation-adjusted federal brackets and standard deductions announced by the IRS in October 2025, the Social Security employee rate of 6.2% up to the 2026 wage base, and Medicare at 1.45% with the additional 0.9% surtax above high-income thresholds. State tax is a simplified rate you control, because state systems range from flat to highly progressive and no single formula covers them.
How the calculation works
Estimated net pay = gross pay − federal income tax − payroll taxes − estimated state tax − entered deductions
- Subtract entered income-tax deductions and the 2026 standard deduction to estimate taxable income.
- Apply progressive 2026 federal brackets for the selected filing status.
- Estimate Social Security, Medicare, and state tax, then divide annual net pay by pay frequency.
Worked example
A $75,000 single filer with no additional deductions lands at $58,900 taxable income after the $16,100 2026 standard deduction. Applying the progressive 2026 brackets gives $7,670 in federal income tax; Social Security adds $4,650 and Medicare $1,087.50. Dividing the remainder across 26 biweekly checks yields roughly $2,369 per paycheck before any state tax or benefits deductions.
What this estimate does not include
- This is not a W-4 withholding calculation and does not include credits, dependents, local tax, itemized deductions, bonuses, or employer-specific payroll rules.
- The state rate is a simplified user-entered estimate rather than a state tax engine.
- Some pre-tax benefits affect payroll taxes differently; the entered deduction is modeled as reducing income tax only.
Use the result as a planning estimate, not as personalized financial, tax, legal, or investment advice.
Source ledger
Primary references- Internal Revenue Service news release IR-2025-103: tax year 2026 inflation adjustments (standard deductions of $16,100 single, $32,200 joint, $24,150 head of household; 2026 rate schedules).
- Social Security Administration: 2026 contribution and benefit base of $184,500 with the 6.2% employee OASDI rate.
- Internal Revenue Service Topic No. 560: Additional Medicare Tax withholding and 0.9% thresholds by filing status.
- IRS Tax Withholding Estimator — the official tool for W-4-specific withholding questions beyond this planning estimate.
Rates and rules are checked against the primary source before publication and re-checked whenever the source changes. External links open in a new tab; calculator inputs never leave your browser.