Take-Home Pay Calculator
Gross salary is the number in an offer letter. Take-home pay is what reaches your account after federal income tax, FICA, state and local taxes, health premiums, retirement contributions and other payroll deductions. Use this calculator as a paycheck-level planning estimate before accepting a role, changing benefits or comparing a raise.
How net pay is estimated
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1
Enter gross pay
Use an annual salary or convert your per-paycheck amount to the same basis before comparing results.
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2
Set tax assumptions
Choose realistic federal, state and local withholding rates for your filing status and work location.
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3
Add pre-tax deductions
Traditional 401(k), HSA, FSA and many health insurance premiums reduce taxable income before income tax is calculated.
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4
Subtract post-tax deductions
Roth 401(k), life insurance, union dues, garnishments and similar items come out after tax.
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5
Review the gross-to-net split
Compare each line with a real paystub so you can adjust the assumptions for your employer and state.
Payroll deductions in the order they usually apply
- Pre-tax health insurance premium: lowers taxable wages, and often FICA wages when paid through a cafeteria plan.
- 401(k), HSA and FSA contributions: traditional 401(k), HSA and FSA contributions usually lower income-tax wages. Roth 401(k) is post-tax.
- Federal income tax: withheld through Form W-4 and IRS payroll tables.
- FICA: 6.2% Social Security on wages up to the 2026 wage base of $184,500, plus 1.45% Medicare on all wages and a 0.9% Additional Medicare Tax above $200,000 for a single filer.
- State income tax: no broad wage income tax in nine states, flat in some states and progressive in others.
- Local income tax: applies in places such as New York City, Philadelphia and many Ohio or Pennsylvania municipalities.
- Post-tax deductions: Roth 401(k), union dues, life insurance, garnishments and other after-tax items.
Quick example
A $120,000 California salary for a single filer with 10% traditional 401(k) contributions and a $200 monthly pre-tax health premium:
| Line | Annual |
|---|---|
| Gross pay | $120,000 |
| Health premium (pre-tax) | -$2,400 |
| 401(k) contribution | -$12,000 |
| Income-tax wages before standard deduction | $105,600 |
| Federal income tax estimate | -$15,800 |
| FICA estimate | -$8,996 |
| California state tax estimate | -$6,800 |
| Net take-home pay | $74,004 |
That is roughly 62% of gross pay. The exact ratio changes quickly with filing status, benefit elections, state rules and local taxes.
Watch for
- Bonus and RSU vesting: supplemental wages up to $1 million are usually withheld at a 22% federal flat rate, but your final tax can be higher or lower when you file.
- Employer 401(k) match: valuable compensation, but it is employer-paid and does not increase the cash that lands in the paycheck.
- Multi-state work: reciprocity agreements and remote-work sourcing can change which state taxes the wage.
Frequently Asked Questions
Payroll systems use the full W-4 withholding method, employer benefit rules, local taxes, year-to-date wage limits and rounding. Your paystub is the authority; this calculator is a planning model you can tune to match it.
No. Traditional 401(k) contributions reduce federal income tax wages and usually state income tax wages, but Social Security and Medicare still apply to the wage. HSA and FSA deductions through a cafeteria plan can reduce FICA wages.
Annual-limit deductions and wage bases reset in January. FSA elections, front-loaded retirement contributions and the Social Security wage base can make early paychecks look different from later ones.
No. Contractors usually pay self-employment tax, which covers both the employee and employer shares of Social Security and Medicare, and they often make quarterly estimated tax payments. Use a separate contractor net-income calculation.
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