Take-Home Pay Calculator

Introduction

This Take-Home Pay Calculator estimates net pay from gross wages after federal income tax withholding, FICA Social Security and Medicare, and pretax 401(k) deferral. Enter gross per pay period or annual salary, pay frequency, filing status, dependents, and deferral percent. Output shows estimated net check and may show tax and FICA breakdown. Use it when changing W-4, raising 401(k) deferral, or comparing job offers on spendable income rather than headline salary.

Who this calculator is for

Employees who see $3,200 biweekly gross and wonder what lands in the bank after 401(k) at 6% and married filing jointly withholding. New hires picking benefits during open enrollment use it before committing deferral percent. Side-hustle workers with one W-2 job check whether main job withholding covers tax on small 1099 income when paired with the Tax Calculator.

State and local tax, health insurance, HSA, FSA, garnishments, and union dues may be omitted unless the form adds them. Self-employment tax on 1099 income is not modeled here.

What it estimates

Pretax 401(k) reduces federal taxable wages per paycheck. FICA applies to gross before 401(k) up to wage base for Social Security; Medicare continues without cap. Federal withholding uses simplified W-4 logic or annualized bracket estimate divided by pay periods.

Actual employer payroll systems use IRS Publication 15-T tables with exact allowances; small differences of $10 to $30 per check are normal. Bonus checks may use supplemental withholding rate flat percent unless aggregated.

Inputs explained

Match pay frequency to your employer: biweekly 26, semimonthly 24, weekly 52.

• Gross pay: Per-period or annual gross before deferrals.
• Pay frequency: Weekly, biweekly, semimonthly, monthly.
• Filing status: Single, married filing jointly, etc., for withholding tables.
• 401(k) deferral rate: Percent of gross contributed pretax each period.
• Dependents or W-4 credits (optional): Reduce withholding if modeled.
• Additional withholding (optional): Extra federal per paycheck.

How to read the results

Net pay is estimated take-home for one period. Multiply by periods per year for annual net spendable cash before other deductions. Compare net after raising 401(k) from 4% to 8%; net drops less than gross deferral because tax withholding falls too.

If net seems high versus actual checks, you may pay state tax or insurance not modeled. If net seems low, check filing status and whether bonus was included in gross. Cross-check annualized tax to Tax Calculator.

Worked example

Biweekly gross $3,200, married filing jointly, 401(k) deferral 6%, no state tax modeled. Deferral $192 per check, taxable about $3,008. FICA about $245 combined Social Security and Medicare on $3,200. Federal withholding might near $280 to $350 depending on W-4 assumptions. Net roughly $2,400 to $2,500 per biweekly check.

Drop deferral to 0% and net rises about $140 after tax because lost deferral $192 plus slightly higher withholding on full taxable. Raise deferral to 10% and net falls but retirement savings rise $128 per check versus 6%. Annual net near $62,000 to $65,000 range before other deductions.

Practical use cases

Open enrollment: see paycheck cost of maxing 401(k) to IRS limit. New job MFJ: compare net at old single withholding versus updated W-4. Part-time second job: enter smaller gross to see if extra withholding needed.

HSA and FSA pretax elections further reduce taxable wages but are not always in this form. Roth 401(k) deferral is after-tax and does not reduce federal withholding the same way traditional deferral does; enter Roth separately if the tool distinguishes types. Pair with 401(k) Calculator for long-term growth from deferral chosen here.

Limitations and related tools

State tax, local earned income tax, pre-tax health premiums, Roth 401(k), ESPP, and stock comp withholding differ by employer. Garnishments and child support not included. Multiple jobs each withhold as if the only job unless you add extra withholding on W-4.

See Tax Calculator, Salary Calculator, 401(k) Calculator, tax planning strategies 2026.

How It Works

1. Enter gross and frequency. Type gross per paycheck and select biweekly or other schedule.
2. Set filing status. Choose MFJ, single, or other status matching your W-4.
3. Add 401(k) deferral percent. Enter pretax retirement contribution rate from benefits enrollment.
4. Read net pay estimate. Calculate and review net check. Adjust deferral and recalculate to see tradeoff.

Formula and methodology

The Take-Home-Paycheck Calculator uses this identity for the scenario you enter. A bank, payroll system, or tax program may round on a 360-day year or average daily balance, so a statement can differ by a small amount.