About USA Paycheck Calculator
USA Paycheck Calculator is a free tool that helps American workers, freelancers, hourly employees, and HR teams estimate take-home pay after federal, state, FICA, and local taxes for the 2026 tax year.
Our mission
Payroll math is opaque. Between federal brackets, state income tax, Social Security, Medicare, local wage taxes, and pre-tax benefits, it is difficult to see what your paycheck actually looks like. Our mission is to make U.S. take-home pay transparent, accurate, and understandable — in seconds, for any salary, in any state.
What we cover
- Federal income tax (single, married filing jointly, head of household) for 2026.
- FICA — Social Security (6.2% up to the $184,500 wage base) and Medicare (1.45% + 0.9% surtax).
- State income tax for all 50 states and Washington, D.C. — including no-tax, flat, and progressive systems.
- Local wage taxes for major metros (NYC, Philadelphia, Ohio cities, Kentucky, and more).
- Pre-tax deductions: 401(k), pre-tax health premiums, HSA-friendly inputs.
How we build the data
Our tax data is compiled from primary sources: the IRS (Publication 15-T, Rev. Proc. 2025-32 for 2026 inflation adjustments), the Social Security Administration (Fact Sheet on the 2026 wage base), the U.S. Department of Labor (federal minimum wage and FLSA overtime rules), and each state's Department of Revenue and Department of Labor. Every figure is dated and re-verified when official 2026 numbers are released.
We publish a "Last updated" date on every state and city page so you can see when we last reconciled the numbers. Corrections are welcome at support@usapaycheckcalculator.net — we respond within two business days and re-publish within seven.
Editorial standards
All content is written or reviewed by an IRS Enrolled Agent or a Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) before publication. We do not accept paid placement, sponsored links, affiliate compensation, or advertorial content for tax articles. Advertising is served by Google AdSense and is clearly labeled as "Sponsored" or "Ad" and structurally separated from editorial content.
Our editorial process: (1) a subject-matter expert drafts the article using primary IRS and state sources, (2) a second expert reviews for accuracy and clarity, (3) we cross-check every tax figure against official publications, (4) articles are re-reviewed at the start of each tax year. Read our full Privacy Policy and Disclaimer for legal details.
Meet the team
12+ years advising U.S. small businesses on federal withholding, FICA, and multi-state payroll compliance.
CPP specializing in state and local wage-tax research across all 50 U.S. states and Washington, D.C.
Writes plain-English explainers on paychecks, budgeting, and take-home pay for U.S. workers and freelancers.
Spot an out-of-date figure? Email support@usapaycheckcalculator.net — verified corrections are published with credit.
Advertising & sponsorship policy
USA Paycheck Calculator is free to use, funded solely by non-personalized contextual advertising served by Google AdSense in compliance with Google Publisher Policies. Ads never influence editorial decisions, never appear inside calculator inputs or results, and are always visually and structurally distinct from content. We do not use affiliate links in tax articles.
We use current IRS federal brackets, FICA limits, and every state's official income tax rules for 2026.
Every U.S. state and Washington, D.C. — plus city-level local wage tax data where it exists.
All calculations run in your browser. Your salary and personal data never touch our servers.
Non-personal, contextual ads keep the tool free for everyone. No paywalls, no logins.