US federal take-home pay calculator
Figures Last checked Where these come from
On $85,000 filing single, federal income tax is $9,870 and FICA $6,503, leaving $68,628 — an effective 19.26%. Before state tax, which most states levy and this page does not model.
Why this says "federal"
Because that is what it calculates. Most states levy their own income tax with their own brackets, several cities levy one on top, and a handful of states levy none at all. Each is a separate authority publishing separate figures on its own schedule — so "US take-home pay" is not one calculator but one federal calculator plus dozens of state ones, each needing its own annual re-check.
The alternative would be to apply some average state rate, which would be wrong in every state including the ones charging nothing. Calculating the federal half exactly and naming the page for it is the honest version. If you are in a state with an income tax, your actual take-home pay is lower than the figure here.
The marginal rate that falls before it rises
Social Security stops at the wage base — $184,500 in 2026 — so the dollar after it costs 1.45% in FICA rather than 7.65%. It is the one point in the US system where earning more gets cheaper, and it is why a paycheck often grows partway through the year and shrinks again every January.
Above $200,000 the Additional Medicare tax takes it back up to 2.35%. At $220,000 that is $180.00 on top, with Social Security frozen at $11,439.00 — the most anyone pays in 2026. A calculator using a flat 7.65% is wrong on both sides of the cap.
A 401(k) does not save you FICA
A traditional 401(k) contribution is exempt from federal income tax but not from Social Security or Medicare — those are charged on gross wages before any pre-tax deduction. Calculators that subtract the contribution before FICA overstate take-home pay for every contributor, and the error grows with the contribution.
It matters for the real cost of contributing: you save your marginal income tax rate, not that rate plus 7.65%.
What catches people out
- This is federal only. State income tax is not included. Most states levy their own, several cities levy one on top, and each publishes its own brackets on its own schedule. If you live somewhere with a state income tax, your actual take-home pay is lower than the figure here — by a few per cent in some states and appreciably more in others. The page is named "federal" for that reason rather than burying the caveat.
- A traditional 401(k) contribution reduces your income tax but not your FICA. Social Security and Medicare are charged on your gross wages before any pre-tax deduction. Calculators that net a 401(k) off before FICA overstate take-home pay for every single contributor, and the error grows with the contribution.
- Your marginal rate falls and then rises again. Social Security stops at the wage base, so the dollar after it costs 1.45% in FICA rather than 7.65% — the one point in the system where earning more gets cheaper. Above $200,000 the Additional Medicare tax takes it back up to 2.35%.
- The $200,000 Additional Medicare figure is a withholding threshold, applied by your employer without regard to filing status. The threshold that decides what you finally owe does depend on filing status and is settled on your return — so a married couple can see it withheld and then reconciled later.
- This assumes you take the standard deduction. If you itemise — large mortgage interest, big charitable giving, high state taxes — your taxable income and therefore your tax will differ. It also assumes wages only: no self-employment income, which carries both halves of FICA rather than one.
Questions
Why does this not include my state tax?
Because there is no single answer to model. Most states levy their own income tax with their own brackets and their own rules, some cities add another on top, and a handful of states levy none at all.
Building each one properly means sourcing and re-checking dozens of separate authorities every year. Rather than guess at an average — which would be wrong everywhere — this calculates the federal half exactly and says so in its title.
Why did my take-home pay go up partway through the year?
You probably crossed the Social Security wage base, $184,500 in 2026. Once your year-to-date wages pass it, Social Security stops being withheld for the rest of the year and your paycheck rises by 6.2%.
It resets every January, which is why the first paycheck of the year is often smaller than the last one of the old year.
Does a 401(k) contribution save me FICA too?
No. A traditional 401(k) is exempt from federal income tax but not from Social Security or Medicare — those are charged on your gross wages.
This is worth knowing because it changes the real cost of contributing: you save your marginal income tax rate, not your marginal rate plus 7.65%.
What is the difference between the standard deduction and itemising?
The standard deduction is a flat amount everyone can subtract from income before the brackets apply. Itemising means listing actual deductible expenses instead, and is only worth doing when they add up to more.
This calculator assumes the standard deduction, which is what most filers take.
Is this the same calculation as the UK or Australian pages?
No — three different systems. The US charges tax after a standard deduction and changes the brackets themselves according to filing status, which has no UK or Australian equivalent. FICA is capped partway up; UK National Insurance falls to a lower rate instead; the Medicare levy in Australia is uncapped.
Each is a separate page with its own sources and its own check date, because they are genuinely different rather than the same page in three currencies.
Sources
Paid somewhere else?
The same question in the two other systems this site covers. Each is a separate calculator with its own sources and its own check date — both give an answer that is complete rather than federal-only, because neither country devolves income tax the way the United States does to its states.
UK take-home pay Australian take-home pay
Work out the next thing
- Pro rata salaryWhat "£35,000 pro rata" actually pays for a part-time week — annual, monthly, weekly and hourly, against the full-time equivalent.
- Hourly rate to salaryHourly, contractor day rate and annual salary converted in any direction — with the weeks you are paid kept separate from the weeks you work.
- Overtime payWhat a week of overtime is worth — and the rate the whole week averages, which is the figure the minimum wage is measured against.