Phase 4 · General Utility
Paycheck Take-Home Calculator
The gap between your salary and your bank deposit has four names: federal tax, Social Security, Medicare and state. See exactly what lands in your account — per check and per year.
Under the hood
The math, fully exposed
We take each bite out of your salary in turn, then divide by your pay periods:
Social Security = 6.2% × salary, up to the $176,100 wage cap
Medicare = 1.45% × salary (+0.9% above $200k)
Federal tax = brackets applied to (salary − pre-tax − standard deduction)
State tax = flat rate × (salary − pre-tax)
Take-home = salary − pre-tax − FICA − federal − state
- FICA ignores deductions: Social Security and Medicare are charged on your wages whether or not you contribute to a 401(k) — only income tax shrinks.
- Pre-tax isn't lost: your 401(k) leaves the paycheck but stays your money, so take-home drops by less than you contribute.
- Estimate, not a pay stub: health premiums, credits and exact withholding tables aren't modeled — confirm against a real check.
Your directives
What to do next, based on your numbers
Adjust the sliders to generate tailored recommendations.
Answers
Frequently asked questions
Why is my take-home pay so much less than my salary?
Four bites come out before you see a dollar: federal income tax (progressive, on your income after the standard deduction), Social Security (6.2% up to the annual wage cap), Medicare (1.45% on everything, plus 0.9% more on high earners), and state income tax. Together these commonly take 25–35% of a salary. Your "gross" is the headline; your take-home is what is left after all four.
What is FICA and why is it separate from income tax?
FICA is the payroll tax that funds Social Security and Medicare — 7.65% of your wages total (6.2% + 1.45%). Unlike income tax, it is not reduced by the standard deduction or most pre-tax contributions to a 401(k), and Social Security stops at a wage cap (about $176,100 in 2025) while Medicare never does. It is a flat tax on work that many people forget when estimating take-home.
How does a 401(k) contribution change my paycheck?
A traditional 401(k) contribution comes out before federal and state income tax, so it lowers those taxes — but it is still subject to FICA. The money leaves your paycheck, yet it is not gone: it is yours, invested for retirement. So your take-home cash drops by less than the contribution amount, because part of the contribution is offset by the tax you no longer pay. This model treats pre-tax deductions that way.
How accurate is this estimate?
It is a solid approximation, not an exact pay stub. It uses 2025 federal brackets and the standard deduction, the Social Security wage cap, Medicare plus the additional Medicare surtax, and a flat state rate you set. It excludes pre-tax health premiums, credits, local taxes, and the exact withholding tables your employer uses. Treat it as a close estimate and confirm against an actual pay stub.