What does this paycheck calculator estimate?
It estimates net pay by combining your gross pay, selected deductions, an annualized 2026 federal income-tax estimate, employee Social Security and Medicare taxes, and the state/local effective rate you enter.
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How is federal income tax estimated?
The calculator annualizes the current paycheck using the selected pay frequency, subtracts entered pre-tax deductions and the 2026 standard deduction for your filing status, applies the 2026 ordinary-income tax brackets, then divides the estimated annual tax across pay periods.
How are Social Security and Medicare calculated?
Employee Social Security is estimated at 6.2% up to the 2026 wage base, Medicare at 1.45% with no wage cap, and employer payroll withholding of Additional Medicare Tax begins once wages paid by that employer exceed $200,000 for the year.
Why can an actual paycheck differ?
Actual payroll can differ because Form W-4 entries, multiple jobs, special credits and deductions, employer benefit tax treatment, state/local rules, taxable fringe benefits, payroll rounding and other compensation are not fully represented by a short planning calculator.
Worked example: Paycheck
Enter the following values in the Paycheck Calculator and calculate to reproduce this result. This is an illustrative scenario, not a personalized recommendation or a current quote.
- Gross pay this period: 3000
- Pay frequency: Weekly (52)
- Federal filing status: Single
- Pre-tax deductions this period: 200
- Post-tax deductions this period: 50
- State/local effective tax rate: 5
- Year-to-date wages before this paycheck: 45000
- Annual nonrefundable federal credits: 0
Example result: $1,925.15. Estimated net pay from $3,000.00 gross pay for this weekly period.
Calculation used: Gross − pre-tax deductions − estimated federal income tax − FICA − state/local estimate − post-tax deductions
How to interpret this example
Pay frequency changes the annualization used for withholding estimates. The same gross amount entered as weekly pay and monthly pay represents very different annual income. Check pre-tax and post-tax deductions separately against the real pay statement.
Frequently asked questions
Sources and methodology
The calculator uses the current federal figures or official agency guidance described below where those rules apply. State-specific results should always be checked with the relevant state tax authority.