Paycheck Calculator
What is a Paycheck Calculator?
Your gross salary and your take-home pay are two different numbers. A paycheck calculator estimates how much of your salary actually lands in your bank account each pay period after taxes and deductions.
Run the default inputs to see the flow: a $65,000 salary paid bi-weekly, a 12% federal rate, 5% state, 7.65% FICA, and a 5% 401k election. The 401k takes $3,250 off the top, leaving $61,750 taxable. Federal tax comes to $7,410, state to $3,088, and FICA to $4,724, so total deductions reach about $18,471 and annual take-home lands near $46,529. Divided across 26 paychecks, that is roughly $1,790 per period against a gross of $2,500. Raise the 401k election to 10% and each paycheck shrinks by only about $94, because the extra $3,250 of contributions comes back as lower taxes.
Enter your gross annual income first, then pick a pay frequency - weekly, bi-weekly, semi-monthly or monthly. Next come three rates: your effective federal rate, your state rate, and FICA, which defaults to the statutory 7.65% for employees. Finally, set your 401k contribution as a percentage of gross income. The calculator subtracts the retirement contribution first, applies the tax rates to what remains, and reports your net pay per period, annual take-home, total yearly deductions, and the retirement amount itself. Switching pay frequency re-slices the same annual picture - the weekly and monthly figures are just different cuts of one number.
Job offer comparison is the classic use case: a $70,000 offer in a high-tax state can net less than a $66,000 offer in a no-income-tax state, and this makes the difference visible. It also helps when setting 401k elections, sanity-checking a paycheck that looks off, and budgeting from net rather than gross. The model is intentionally simplified: it applies flat rates rather than progressive federal brackets, ignores the standard deduction and credits, uses flat FICA without the Social Security wage cap, and skips health premiums and other payroll deductions. Real paychecks often differ - favorably, since effective federal rates usually run below your bracket.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is take-home pay?
Take-home pay (net pay) is your gross income minus all deductions: federal and state income tax, FICA (Social Security and Medicare), and things like retirement contributions and health insurance. It is the amount you actually receive in each paycheck.
What is the FICA tax rate?
The FICA rate is 7.65% for employees: 6.2% for Social Security plus 1.45% for Medicare. Employers match this amount. Social Security tax has an annual wage cap, and high earners pay an extra 0.9% Medicare surtax above a threshold.
Why is my take-home pay less than this estimate?
This calculator is a simplified estimate using flat rates. Real paychecks also include health insurance premiums, HSA/FSA contributions, student loan garnishments and other deductions, and federal income tax is progressive rather than a single flat rate.
How do I calculate my paycheck from hourly pay?
Multiply your hourly rate by hours worked per week and by weeks worked per year to get gross annual income, then use this calculator. For example, $25/hour × 40 hours × 52 weeks = $52,000 gross per year.
How many paychecks will I get in a year?
It depends on the schedule: 52 on weekly, 26 on bi-weekly, 24 on semi-monthly, and 12 on monthly. Bi-weekly and weekly schedules produce two months a year with an extra paycheck, which is why many budgeters prefer them for sinking funds and debt payments.
Is a 401k contribution taken before taxes?
Traditional 401k contributions are deducted before income tax is calculated, which is why this calculator reduces taxable income by the contribution amount. Roth 401k contributions work the opposite way - they come out of take-home pay with no upfront tax break. Health premiums, typically pre-tax, are not modeled here.