Paycheck
Estimate take-home pay using the 2026 IRS Publication 15-T federal withholding method and jurisdiction-specific state rules.
One of three practical calculators on Paycalc.org. Free, fast, and no signup required.
Calculator
Use salary or hourly inputs, adjust deductions, and compare withholding scenarios without leaving the page.
Estimate for the current pay period
Annualized net: $0.00
Estimate only. Actual withholding depends on employer payroll systems, tax elections, and jurisdiction-specific rules.
Paycheck knowledge
A paycheck is the result of several separate wage bases and withholding systems. These explanations help you understand why changing one input can affect some taxes but not others.
Gross pay is the starting amount earned for the pay period. Federal income-tax wages, Social Security wages, and Medicare wages can differ after deductions are classified. A traditional 401(k) contribution commonly reduces federal income-tax wages while remaining subject to Social Security and Medicare; some qualifying Section 125 benefits can reduce both.
Form W-4 Step 3, Step 4(a), and Step 4(b) are annual inputs used inside the federal withholding method. Step 4(c), by contrast, is an additional dollar amount withheld each pay period. PayCalc models these fields separately so a yearly credit is not accidentally treated as a per-check adjustment.
For 2026, Social Security withholding stops after covered wages reach the annual wage base, while ordinary Medicare continues without the same cap. Additional Medicare withholding also depends on year-to-date wages. Entering prior wages is therefore important when modeling a paycheck near those thresholds.
Separately identified supplemental wages can be withheld using methods that differ from regular wages. The optional federal flat method is not the same thing as the employee's final income-tax rate, and Social Security, Medicare, state, and local taxes may still apply.
An employer may know facts that a public calculator does not: exact year-to-date wages, benefit-plan tax treatment, local residence and work rules, reciprocity certificates, garnishments, employer-paid premiums, prior supplemental wages, and payroll-specific rounding. Use PayCalc as a transparent planning estimate, then reconcile a real paycheck by comparing gross wages, each taxable-wage base, each tax line, deductions, and net pay rather than comparing only the final deposit.
How it works
Gross pay, federal withholding, FICA, state rules, deductions, and year-to-date thresholds can all affect take-home pay. Our guide explains what the calculator models and why a real payroll result can differ.