This calculator uses IRS-published federal income tax brackets and standard deductions, plus Social Security Administration wage-base figures, for the selected tax year to estimate your take-home pay.
Federal tax applies to taxable income β your gross salary minus the standard deduction and any pre-tax deductions such as 401(k) contributions or Section 125 health premiums. Tax is charged progressively: each bracket's rate applies only to the slice of income within that band, not your entire income. This calculator assumes you take the federal standard deduction rather than itemizing.
Social Security (6.2%) and Medicare (1.45%) are calculated on your full gross salary (minus any Section 125 pre-tax health premiums, which are FICA-exempt), unlike federal income tax β 401(k) contributions reduce taxable income but not FICA wages. Social Security is capped at the annual wage base; earnings above it aren't taxed for Social Security. An additional 0.9% Medicare surtax applies to wages above a filing-status-based threshold.
State tax is estimated using each state's published top rate applied to your federal taxable income. This is exact for flat-rate states, but an approximation for states with graduated brackets β it will overestimate the actual liability for lower earners in those states. States with no income tax show $0. Actual liability also depends on your state's own deductions, credits, and filing rules, which this calculator doesn't model.
This calculator estimates standard payroll-style deductions for a typical W-2 employee. It doesn't account for itemized deductions, tax credits (such as the Child Tax Credit or Earned Income Tax Credit), self-employment tax, or income from outside employment. State tax figures are an approximation, not a substitute for a real state tax calculation.
Federal figures are based on the IRS's published federal income tax rates and brackets. FICA wage-base and rate figures are based on the Social Security Administration's published contribution and benefit rates.