US Paycheck Calculator
Estimate a steady paycheck with 2026 federal rules and state support for Texas, Florida and Illinois. This is an annual-tax allocation, not an exact Form W-4 payroll calculation.
Rule year: 2026 · USD · Sources checked
Estimated net pay per chosen period
One regular job, full-year pay, under 65, not blind or claimable as a dependent, no spouse earnings, credits, itemised deductions, local taxes or other income. Regular 401(k) deferrals only, without catch-up. Federal and state rows are annual liability allocations; FICA uses one-employer withholding rules. Unsupported states produce no estimate.
Federal tax by income bracket
Each rate applies only to its slice of taxable ordinary income. No capital gains, credits or alternative minimum tax are included.
| Bracket | Taxable slice | Rate | Tax |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 to 12,400 | $12,400.00 | 10% | $1,240.00 |
| 12,400 to 50,400 | $36,500.00 | 12% | $4,380.00 |
| 50,400 to 105,700 | $0.00 | 22% | $0.00 |
| 105,700 to 201,775 | $0.00 | 24% | $0.00 |
| 201,775 to 256,225 | $0.00 | 32% | $0.00 |
| 256,225 to 640,600 | $0.00 | 35% | $0.00 |
| 640,600 to above | $0.00 | 37% | $0.00 |
For informational purposes only. This estimate is not financial advice, a tax return, a payroll calculation or a lender decision. See the supported circumstances and exclusions below.
How this calculator works
Annualise your regular gross pay using the chosen frequency. Qualifying Section 125 benefits reduce both federal taxable wages and FICA wages; traditional 401(k) deferrals reduce federal taxable income but not FICA. The model applies the ordinary 2026 standard deduction and brackets, then divides annual taxes across equal pay periods. Illinois uses its basic personal exemption for the supported wage-only scenario. Actual payroll withholding can differ because of W-4 choices, credits, bonuses, other jobs and the timing of the Social Security cap.
Formula and rules
Annual gross = period gross × pay periods. Federal taxable income = max(0, gross − Section 125 benefits − traditional deferrals − standard deduction). Net pay allocation = (gross − deductions − federal tax − state tax − payroll withholding) / pay periods.
Assumptions and limitations
One regular job, full-year pay, under 65, not blind or claimable as a dependent, no spouse earnings, credits, itemised deductions, local taxes or other income. Regular 401(k) deferrals only, without catch-up. Federal and state rows are annual liability allocations; FICA uses one-employer withholding rules. Unsupported states produce no estimate.
Worked example
Illustration: $2,500 biweekly for 26 periods is $65,000 annually. Select Single and Texas, with no pre-tax deductions. The example below applies the 2026 $16,100 standard deduction, ordinary brackets and employee payroll rates.
- Estimated net pay per chosen period
- $2,092.60
- Federal annual-tax allocation per period
- $216.15
- State annual-tax allocation per period
- $0.00
- FICA withholding allocation per period
- $191.25
Official sources and review
Reviewed against the sources below on 2026-10-06. Rates are held in versioned rule modules. Versioned rules, official source review and year-specific calculation tests.
- IRS Publication 505 (2026) ↗
2026 ordinary-income rate schedules, standard deductions and capital-gain worksheet thresholds.
- IRS: Social Security and Medicare withholding ↗
Employee Social Security 6.2%, Medicare 1.45%; employer Additional Medicare withholding starts above $200,000.
- SSA: Contribution and benefit base ↗
2026 covered-earnings cap: $184,500.
- IRS: Additional Medicare Tax ↗
0.9% additional tax and filing-status thresholds; withholding and final liability differ.
- Illinois Department of Revenue: income tax rates ↗
Individual income tax rate: 4.95%.
- Illinois Department of Revenue: personal exemptions ↗
2026 $2,925 exemption; exclusions above federal AGI $250,000/$500,000.
- Texas Comptroller: personal income tax ↗
Texas does not impose personal income tax; other taxes still apply.
- Florida Department of Revenue: personal income tax ↗
Florida does not impose personal income tax.
Common questions
Is this my exact payroll withholding?
No. The federal and state amounts allocate a simplified annual liability across regular pay periods. Use the IRS withholding estimator and your payroll record for W-4 decisions.
Which states are supported?
Texas and Florida have no personal income tax; Illinois uses the supported basic wage-only model. Other states are explicitly unsupported, and local or city taxes are excluded.
Does a 401(k) contribution reduce FICA?
Traditional employee deferrals reduce federal taxable income in this model but do not reduce Social Security or Medicare wages. Qualifying Section 125 benefits are handled separately.