Take-Home Pay Calculator
Gross salary is a negotiating number. Take-home pay is the one you live on. This calculator shows the gap between them for 2026 — every tax, every deduction, per paycheck and per month.
Tax year 2026 · Updated 2026-08-29 · Federal, state and local withholding · Free, no sign-up
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How big is the gap between gross and net?
For most American workers the answer is between a fifth and a third of gross pay. The floor is set by federal income tax and FICA, which together take roughly 17% of a $50,000 salary and 26% of a $150,000 salary for a single filer. State and local tax then add anywhere from nothing to about 12%.
The table shows the same salary in four very different tax environments.
| State | Gross | Total tax | Annual take-home | You keep |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas (no income tax) | $100,000 | $20,820 | $79,180 | 79.2% |
| Illinois (flat 4.95%) | $100,000 | $25,625 | $74,375 | 74.4% |
| California | $100,000 | $27,160 | $72,840 | 72.8% |
| New York City | $100,000 | $29,874 | $70,126 | 70.1% |
| Portland, Oregon | $100,000 | $29,440 | $70,560 | 70.6% |
That is a spread of more than $8,620 a year on an identical salary, which is why a relocation offer should always be compared after tax rather than on the headline number. The state comparison calculator does it side by side.
Deductions that are not taxes
A large part of the gap is not tax at all. Health insurance premiums, dental and vision cover, a flexible spending account, a health savings account, life and disability cover, commuter benefits, union dues, and your own retirement contributions all reduce the deposit while buying you something.
The ones taken before tax are worth more than their face value. A $200-a-month health premium deducted pre-tax reduces your taxable wages by $2,400 a year, so in a 22% federal bracket with a 5% state rate it costs you about $1,750 of take-home rather than $2,400. Our guide to pre-tax and post-tax deductions sets out which is which and why the order matters.
Turning take-home into a monthly budget
If you are paid every two weeks, dividing your paycheck by two and calling it a fortnightly budget will leave you short ten months of the year and flush in two. Twenty-six paychecks divided by twelve months is 2.167 checks a month, not 2. The reliable approach is to take your annual take-home, divide by twelve, and treat the two extra checks as a separate savings event.
The calculator shows annual, monthly and per-paycheck figures together for exactly this reason.
Frequently asked questions
What percentage of my paycheck goes to taxes?
For a single filer earning $75,000, roughly 22% in a no-income-tax state and up to 32% in a high-tax city. The federal and FICA portion is the same everywhere; state and local tax is what moves the number.
How do I increase my take-home pay?
Correct your W-4 if it is over-withholding, move deductions ahead of the tax line where possible, and check whether a benefit you are paying for post-tax could be elected pre-tax instead. Beyond that, the only lever is earning more or working in a lower-tax jurisdiction.
Should I aim for a big refund?
A large refund means you lent the government money at no interest all year. Aiming for a small refund or a small balance due is the efficient position, and the W-4 Step 4 fields are how you steer toward it.