US Salary Tax Estimator
Gross → modeled net average
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US Salary Tax Estimator
2026 annual tax model · monthly average
Your gross salary, minus taxes.
Estimate annual pay after FICA, federal income tax, and your assumed state tax rate. The monthly figure is an average, not a paycheck forecast.
Preparing the calculator. You can enter amounts when it is ready. If this message remains, reload the page or read the calculation guide below.
What this 2026 take-home estimate actually shows
Enter an annual salary, choose single or married filing jointly, and optionally enter an effective state income-tax rate. The result is a simplified annual estimate divided by 12 for comparison. It is not a prediction of the amount your employer will deposit in a particular month.
1. Social Security and Medicare
The model applies the employee Social Security rate of 6.2% to the first $184,500 of 2026 wages. It applies Medicare at 1.45% without that wage cap, plus 0.9% Additional Medicare Tax to wages above $200,000. The $200,000 threshold models when an employer must start withholding; a married couple's final Additional Medicare Tax can differ because filing-status thresholds are not identical to the employer withholding threshold.
2. Federal income-tax estimate
The model applies 2026 federal brackets after only the standard deduction: $16,100 for single or $32,200 for married filing jointly. It does not model your W-4, dependents, tax credits, itemized deductions, other income, bonuses, or every tax-law exception. Your actual payroll withholding follows IRS withholding methods and may differ substantially from this annualized figure.
3. State tax is your assumption, not a state-by-state calculation
The state input is a single effective percentage applied to gross salary. It does not calculate a particular state's brackets, deductions, credits, local income taxes, or residency rules. Enter a rate only if you have a reasonable estimate; entering zero means the result excludes state income tax, not that your state tax liability is necessarily zero.
Important exclusions before comparing a job offer
This tool has no input for 401(k), HSA, health-insurance premiums, or other pre-tax benefits. Do not subtract them from annual salary here to simulate a pay stub: traditional 401(k) deferrals generally reduce federal taxable income but remain subject to Social Security and Medicare tax, while HSA payroll treatment depends on how the contribution is made. Roth contributions are different again.
For context, the 2026 basic employee 401(k) elective-deferral limit is $24,500; the 2026 HSA limits are $4,400 for eligible self-only HDHP coverage and $8,750 for eligible family coverage. Those amounts are not included in this calculator's result, and eligibility, catch-up rules, and employer contributions can change a person's limit.
How to use the result
- Compare the same salary with the two supported filing-status models only if both apply to your scenario.
- Try an estimated effective state rate, then check the difference from the zero-state-rate scenario.
- For a real paycheck decision, compare employer benefit deductions and use your pay stubs with the IRS Tax Withholding Estimator.
Why is my real paycheck different?
Employers use the IRS withholding tables and your W-4, and a paycheck can include insurance, retirement contributions, bonuses, and other items this simplified annual model does not include. A yearly estimate divided by 12 is not a pay-period withholding calculation.
Can I share a scenario?
Ordinary input no longer changes the address. Sharing options start with a page link without inputs. Only if you select the off-by-default option will salary, filing status and assumed state rate enter a previewed link. Review that address before copying. Anyone receiving that link can see the values; opening its query string can put them in server requests or logs. Clearing an old link from the current address does not erase its initial request, earlier history or logs. Sharing flow checked October 11, 2026; the tax-source check dates below have not been refreshed.
Official references, checked September 24, 2026: SSA 2026 wage base; IRS 2026 brackets and standard deduction; IRS Additional Medicare Tax and withholding; IRS 2026 401(k) limit; IRS 2026 HSA limits; IRS Tax Withholding Estimator. This is general information, not personalized tax advice.