US Paycheck Take-Home Calculator (Federal + FICA + State)

How paycheck friction actually stacks

Gross salary is a headline, not a deposit. Federal income tax withholding, Social Security, Medicare, and (in many states) state or local tax stack before cash arrives.

Pre-tax 401(k) and HSA contributions lower taxable wages and current take-home at the same time they fund future accounts — enter them explicitly or the net will look wrong.

How to use this calculator

Start with gross pay and frequency, set a flat state rate scenario, and add known pre-tax deferrals. Compare two job offers or raise scenarios with the same method so relative differences are honest even when absolute stubs differ.

Pair outputs with FeeFriction state pages (CA, TX, FL, NY, IL) for narrative tax context, then replace the flat rate with figures from your payroll documents.

Worked example

Compare a $95,000 salary in Texas (0% state wage tax scenario) with the same gross in California using a mid-single-digit flat state rate as a rough knob. Federal and FICA still apply in both; the state field is what creates most of the educational gap.

Next, add a 6% pre-tax 401(k) deferral on the California scenario. Taxable wages fall and take-home falls versus contributing 0% — which is expected. The paycheck tool shows current cash; the 401(k) fee-drag tool covers long-run balance friction separately.

A third pass: keep California assumptions but model a raise that only matches your assumed inflation path in the inflation-vs-raise calculator. Nominal growth can still leave real purchasing power flat after tax.

Limitations (read before sharing numbers)

This is not IRS Publication 15-T withholding, not a W-4 optimizer, and not tax advice. Credits, NIIT, additional Medicare thresholds, city taxes, multi-job stacking, and reciprocity are out of scope.

Employers use tables, benefits, and garnishments this model skips. Treat results as directional education for offer comparison and cash-flow planning.

Assumptions

• Simplified federal bracket sketch — not Publication 15-T withholding tables.
• FICA-style rates applied educationally; wage-base and additional Medicare nuances may be simplified.
• One flat state tax rate you choose — not graduated brackets or local add-ons unless you approximate them in that field.
• Pre-tax deferrals reduce taxable wages only as you enter them.
• Not a tax return, W-4 tool, or employer payroll system.

Related guides

Deeper explainers that sit behind this calculator’s math:

• Paycheck Withholding Basics: Why Gross Is Not Take-Home — A clear US walkthrough of federal, FICA, and state withholding — and how to use a take-home estimator without treating it as a W-4 replacement.
• FICA Explained: Social Security and Medicare on Your Stub — What FICA lines mean, why they differ from income tax, and how wage bases shape paycheck friction.