United States
United States salary calculator 2026
Enter your pay to estimate what you keep after federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare in 2026. Choose a state to add state income tax where our rules for that state are ready.
VerifiedTax year 2026· Rules last checked · Amounts in USD
Federal taxes on wages in 2026
Federal income tax is charged on your wages after the standard deduction: $16,100 for single filers, $32,200 for married couples filing jointly and $24,150 for heads of household. Each slice of the remaining income is taxed at its own rate, so moving into a higher bracket never reduces your pay.
Social Security takes 6.2% of wages up to $184,500. Medicare takes 1.45% of all wages, plus 0.9% on wages above $200,000 ($250,000 for married couples filing jointly, $125,000 if married filing separately).
| Taxable income | Rate |
|---|---|
| $0 – $12,400 | 10% |
| $12,400 – $50,400 | 12% |
| $50,400 – $105,700 | 22% |
| $105,700 – $201,775 | 24% |
| $201,775 – $256,225 | 32% |
| $256,225 – $640,600 | 35% |
| Over $640,600 | 37% |
State and local taxes
Most states charge their own income tax, and some cities and counties add a local one. Each state page shows whether its rules have been verified against that state's revenue department. Where they have not, the page says so and the result is labelled as an estimate or as incomplete — we never assume a missing tax is zero.
Common questions
- Why is my actual paycheck different from this estimate?
- Employers withhold tax using your Form W-4 and each pay period on its own, while this calculator estimates your tax for the whole year. Benefits, bonuses, a second job or a spouse's income also change the result.
- Does the calculator include tax credits?
- No. Credits such as the child tax credit or the earned income credit depend on your household and are not applied, so your real tax can be lower.
- Are 401(k) contributions taxed?
- Traditional 401(k) contributions are not subject to federal income tax when you make them, but Social Security and Medicare still apply to that pay.
Read how we calculate and verify results in our methodology, or see every official source on the tax sources page.