🧾Paycheck Calculator 2026 — Take-Home Pay by State

What it is

An estimator for what actually lands in your account each pay period: gross pay less federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare, and your state’s income tax and employee payroll programs.

How it works

Federal withholding runs the IRS Publication 15-T annual percentage method — pay is annualized, the Form W-4 line-1g reduction and Step 3 credits are applied, and the result is divided across pay periods. State tax uses an annualized approximation of that state’s rate schedule with its standard deduction or exemptions, and any employee-paid programs (paid family leave, unemployment, long-term care) are added at their published rates and ceilings.

Getting the most from it

1. Pick your state so its rate schedule and payroll programs load from the verified pack.
2. Enter gross pay per period and how often you are paid.
3. Match the filing status and Step 2 checkbox to what your Form W-4 says.
4. Add qualifying children so the Step 3 credit is applied, and year-to-date wages so ceilings land correctly.
5. Read the assumption note under the result before comparing against a pay stub.

Reading your result

The federal line is computed the way payroll software computes it, so it should track your stub closely when your W-4 entries match. The state line is an approximation — close, but not a table replica — and any gap against your stub usually traces to pre-tax deductions the tool does not see.

What it can't tell you

Pre-tax retirement, health, and HSA/FSA contributions are not modelled, nor are post-tax deductions, garnishments, or local taxes, which are disclosed but never computed. State figures are approximations of published schedules; the state’s own withholding tables govern.