Paycheck Calculator
Estimate your US take-home pay after federal tax, state tax, Social Security and Medicare.
Simplified estimate for a single filer using federal brackets and standard deduction. Actual withholding depends on your W-4, locality and filing status.
About the Paycheck Calculator
Your gross salary and your take-home pay are two very different numbers. The AlarmDaddy Paycheck Calculator estimates your net pay after the major US deductions: federal income tax, state income tax, Social Security, Medicare, and your pre-tax 401(k) contribution.
Enter your annual salary, your state income-tax rate, your 401(k) percentage, and your pay frequency. The calculator applies the federal tax brackets and standard deduction for a single filer, the 6.2% Social Security tax (up to the wage base) and 1.45% Medicare tax, then subtracts your state tax to estimate take-home per paycheck and per year.
This is the calculator job-seekers run when comparing offers and the one new hires wish they had before their first paycheck. Note that it is a simplified single-filer estimate — your actual withholding depends on your W-4, filing status, and local taxes.
How to use this calculator
- 1Enter your annual salary.
- 2Enter your state income-tax rate (0% for no-income-tax states).
- 3Set your pre-tax 401(k) contribution percentage.
- 4Choose your pay frequency (bi-weekly or monthly).
- 5Read your take-home per paycheck and per year.
The formula
Pre-tax 401(k) is removed first. Social Security is 6.2% up to the annual wage base; Medicare is 1.45% with no cap. Federal tax applies the progressive brackets to income after the standard deduction and 401(k). State tax is applied at your entered rate. What remains is take-home pay.