About & how we calculate
US Paycheck Math publishes take-home pay estimates for US salaries. Each page is produced by one calculation engine from a single rules file, and the same engine runs in the calculator on every page.
Steps
- Taxable income = salary − 2026 standard deduction ($16,100 single, $32,200 married filing jointly, $24,150 head of household).
- Federal income tax from the 2026 rate tables in IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32.
- Social Security 6.2% up to $184,500; Medicare 1.45% plus 0.9% above $200,000 ($250,000 married filing jointly).
- State income tax and any state payroll premium withheld from employees, from the state's official page.
- Take-home = salary − all of the above; monthly = ÷12, biweekly = ÷26.
2026 federal brackets
| Rate | Single | Married filing jointly | Head of household |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10% | up to $12,400 | up to $24,800 | up to $17,700 |
| 12% | up to $50,400 | up to $100,800 | up to $67,450 |
| 22% | up to $105,700 | up to $211,400 | up to $105,700 |
| 24% | up to $201,775 | up to $403,550 | up to $201,750 |
| 32% | up to $256,225 | up to $512,450 | up to $256,200 |
| 35% | up to $640,600 | up to $768,700 | up to $640,600 |
| 37% | over $640,600 | over $768,700 | over $640,600 |
Testing
Before publishing, the engine is checked against the base amounts printed in the IRS rate tables, the Social Security maximum of $11,439.00, state maximums, and a hand-worked example; the browser calculator is checked against the build engine to the cent.
Limits
These are estimates for planning, not tax advice. They assume W-2 wages, the standard deduction, no pre-tax deductions and no credits.