Paycheck tax calculator
This breaks a paycheck into its tax lines so you can see which one is taking the most.
Where every dollar goes
2026 tax year · 26 pay periods| Line | Per paycheck | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $2,615.38 | $68,000.00 |
| 401(k) contribution | −$130.77 | −$3,400.00 |
| Federal income tax | −$130.46 | −$3,392.00 |
| Social Security | −$162.15 | −$4,216.00 |
| Medicare | −$37.92 | −$986.00 |
| Texas state income tax | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Take-home pay | $2,154.08 | $56,006.00 |
Every tax that comes out of a US paycheck in 2026
Six lines, and only the first two are the same for everyone.
| Tax | 2026 rate | Applies to | Who pays |
|---|---|---|---|
| Federal income tax | 10% to 37% | Progressive brackets after the standard deduction | Employee |
| Social Security | 6.2% | First $184,500 of wages | Employee and employer |
| Medicare | 1.45% | All wages, no cap | Employee and employer |
| Additional Medicare | 0.9% | Wages above $200,000 | Employee only |
| State income tax | 0% to 13.3% | Nine states charge nothing | Employee |
| State programs | 0.1% to 1.3% | Disability and paid leave in some states | Varies |
Social Security and Medicare together are called FICA. Your employer pays a matching 6.2% and 1.45%, which does not appear on your pay stub but is part of what you cost to employ. The Additional Medicare Tax has no employer match.
9 states take no income tax from wages: Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, Wyoming. In those, every line on your stub is federal apart from any state program such as Washington's paid leave or Alaska's employee unemployment contribution.
Why withholding is not the same as what you owe
Your employer does not know your full tax position. They know what you put on your W-4 and what they pay you, and they withhold as though that pay repeats every period for the whole year.
That assumption breaks whenever your income is uneven: a bonus, a mid-year raise, a second job, a working spouse, or any month you worked more hours. It also ignores anything the employer cannot see, such as investment income, itemised deductions or credits you qualify for.
The gap is settled when you file. A refund means you were over-withheld across the year, which is why a large refund is not really a windfall. If you consistently get one, the W-4 Step 4(b) deductions field is the lever that reduces it.
Common questions
- How much tax is taken out of my paycheck?
- Federal income tax at 10% to 37% depending on bracket, Social Security at 6.2% up to $184,500, Medicare at 1.45% on everything, plus state tax where it applies. Most middle incomes land between 15% and 30% in total.
- Why did my paycheck get smaller this month?
- Common causes are a benefit enrolment starting, a 401(k) rate change, crossing into a higher bracket for the year, or a bonus paid in the previous period pushing annualised withholding up.
- What is FICA on my pay stub?
- FICA is Social Security and Medicare combined: 6.2% and 1.45% for the employee, matched by the employer. It is charged on pay before any 401(k) deferral, which is why it is calculated on a higher wage figure than income tax.
- Can I stop federal tax being withheld?
- Only if you had no tax liability last year and expect none this year, in which case you can claim exempt on your W-4. Claiming exempt when you do owe tax leads to a bill and possibly a penalty when you file.
Choose your state
State rules change the answer more than anything else on this page.