AboutUS Salary & Paycheck Calculator
Estimate 2026 regular federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare, and average net pay from salary or hourly wages. Texas and Florida wage income tax supported; other state taxes excluded. Not exact employer withholding.
2026 annualized tax estimate
Estimate regular federal taxes and average net pay for one W-2 employee. This is not exact employer withholding. Salary details stay on your device.
Your estimate
Start with your gross income
Enter salary or hourly pay and choose a filing status. Your breakdown will appear here when the inputs are valid. No estimated amounts are shown for incomplete or invalid entries.
Results are estimates, not professional tax advice. The basic standard deduction assumes you are under 65, not blind, not a dependent, and eligible to claim it. Actual withholding, credits, deductions, state/local taxes, and benefits may change your pay and final tax liability.
How this estimate works
Gross pay is your income before taxes or payroll benefits. This calculator estimates ordinary federal income tax after the basic standard deduction, plus the employee share of Social Security, base Medicare, and Additional Medicare annual liability. Net pay is what remains after these included taxes. Missing taxes and benefits can reduce actual take-home pay.
This is an annualized regular-tax model for tax year 2026, not a withholding worksheet or complete tax-return calculation. No data is automatically rolled into another year. For Form W-4 planning, use the official IRS Tax Withholding Estimator.
Illustrative 2026 example: single employee in Texas
At $75,000.00 annual gross wages, a $16,100.00 basic standard deduction leaves $58,900.00 of federal taxable income. Regular federal income tax is $7,670.00, Social Security is $4,650.00, and base Medicare is $1,087.50. Additional Medicare and Texas individual wage income tax are $0.00 in this example.
That leaves $61,592.50 after included annual taxes, or $2,368.94 per average biweekly period (26/year), before local taxes or benefits. This example assumes one ordinary W-2 job, no credits or other deductions, and eligibility for the basic standard deduction.
Official sources and tax-year verification
2026 configuration verified October 12, 2026. Sources distinguish annual estimated tax from employer withholding; some links are background references for methods excluded here.
- IRS Revenue Procedure 2025-32: 2026 tax schedules and deductions
- IRS Publication 505 (2026): estimated tax schedules
- IRS 2026 inflation-adjustment announcement
- IRS Publication 15 (2026): employee payroll tax rates
- SSA: 2026 contribution and benefit base
- IRS Topic 560: Additional Medicare Tax liability
- IRS Publication 15-T (2026): employer withholding methods (not implemented here)
- IRS Form W-4 (2026): employer withholding settings (not collected here)
- Texas Comptroller: no individual income tax
- Texas Comptroller: current administered taxes
- Florida Department of Revenue: no personal income tax
How to use US Salary & Paycheck Calculator
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this calculate my employer’s exact paycheck withholding?
No. It estimates annual regular federal income tax using the 2026 standard deduction and progressive IRS schedules, adds employee Social Security and Medicare liability, then divides by average pay periods. Actual withholding depends on Form W-4, employer payroll methods, year-to-date wages, and other circumstances. This calculator does not implement Publication 15-T withholding.
Which states are supported?
Texas and Florida’s zero individual wage income tax is supported for an employee who lives and works in the selected state all year. Other states, Washington DC, local taxes, cross-state work, moves, and payroll benefits are excluded. Federal-only coverage does not assume your state tax is zero.
What is the difference between biweekly and semimonthly?
Biweekly pay usually occurs every two weeks, using 26 payments in this annual-average model. Semimonthly pay occurs twice a month, using 24. Some calendars have an extra weekly or biweekly paycheck; this tool does not model those calendars.
Does the standard deduction reduce Social Security or Medicare?
No. The basic standard deduction reduces federal taxable income only. Social Security and Medicare use covered gross wages. The standard deduction is not a payroll deduction taken out of your wages.
How is Additional Medicare Tax estimated?
The calculator applies 0.9% to covered wages above the annual liability threshold: $200,000 for single or head of household, $250,000 for married filing jointly, and $125,000 for married filing separately. Employers generally start withholding at $200,000 regardless of filing status, so actual paychecks may differ.
Can I use this for a joint return with two earners?
No. Joint filing here assumes one employee and a spouse with no income. Do not combine two salaries, because the Social Security wage base applies separately to each employee. Use a tool that models both earners or professional advice for that situation.
Are credits, benefits, or special 2026 deductions included?
No. Tax credits, itemized deductions, retirement contributions, insurance, senior/blind/dependent adjustments, qualified tips/overtime/car-loan deductions, charitable deductions, alternative minimum tax, other income, and post-tax deductions are excluded. The basic standard deduction assumes eligibility and a taxpayer under 65 who is not blind or claimed as a dependent.
Why can the displayed pay-period amounts differ by a cent?
Annual tax components are rounded to cents and summed. Each period component is rounded independently. A disclosed rounding adjustment reconciles those rounded amounts with annual net divided by the selected period count. Repeated rounded checks need not exactly equal the annual estimate.