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Take-Home Pay Calculator
What actually lands in your bank account
Gross salary is a headline number; take-home pay is the one that pays rent. Defaults use common US planning rates (as of 2026-09-28). Instant recalculation — no signup.
Results
Estimated net pay per paycheck
$0.00
Gross per check $0.00 · Effective tax rate 0%
FICA (7.65%) / year$0.00
Federal income tax / year$0.00
State income tax / year$0.00
Pre-tax deductions / year$0.00
Net per month$0.00
Net pay / year$0.00
Estimates only. Uses your effective tax rates — not IRS brackets — and flat 7.65% FICA. State rules, local taxes, and the Social Security wage base cap are not modeled. Not tax advice.
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How this take-home pay calculator works
Offer letters quote gross salary, but budgets run on net pay. PlainCalc works backward from gross: subtract pre-tax deductions (401(k), HSA, premiums), then apply your effective federal and state rates plus FICA (Social Security + Medicare at 7.65%). What remains is an approximate paycheck, month, and year of spendable income.
The most common mistake is typing your marginal tax bracket where the effective rate belongs. A 22% bracket does not mean 22% of your income goes to federal tax — it means the last dollar is taxed at 22%. Most single earners at $75k see federal effective rates in the low teens. When in doubt, check last year's return: total tax ÷ adjusted gross income is your effective rate.
What this estimate leaves out
This is a planning sketch, not a payroll engine. It does not model the Social Security wage base cap (high earners pay less than 7.65% on income above it), state-specific brackets or local taxes, Roth vs. traditional 401(k) timing, or bonuses taxed at supplemental rates. For offer comparisons, pair it with our salary to hourly calculator and overtime pay calculator.
Start with gross annual salary. Subtract pre-tax deductions like 401(k) and insurance premiums. Apply your effective federal and state income tax rates to the remainder, subtract 7.65% FICA, and divide by pay periods per year. This calculator does that math instantly — the key input is your effective tax rate, not your marginal bracket.
What is the difference between marginal and effective tax rate?
Your marginal rate is the tax on your next dollar of income (your bracket). Your effective rate is total tax divided by total income — almost always lower. For take-home estimates, always use the effective rate. Using the marginal rate overstates taxes and understates your paycheck.
What is FICA and how much is it?
FICA is the federal payroll tax funding Social Security and Medicare: 6.2% Social Security + 1.45% Medicare = 7.65% on wages, matched by your employer. Social Security stops applying above the annual wage base; this calculator models a flat 7.65% for simplicity, so it slightly overstates tax for very high earners.
Should I use gross or net pay for budgeting?
Net pay. Budgets built on gross salary quietly overstate available money by 20–35%. Use the take-home figure here, then budget housing, debt, and savings against it.
Why doesn't this match my actual paycheck?
Real payroll uses IRS withholding tables and your W-4 elections, state-specific brackets, local taxes, and exact deduction timing. This tool is a dated, transparent estimate for planning and offer comparison — your pay stub is the ground truth.
Is this tax advice?
No. PlainCalc publishes dated assumptions for planning math. For filing decisions, withholding elections, or anything with penalties attached, talk to a tax professional.
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