Paycheck calculator · 2026
Paycheck calculator: take-home pay by state
Federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare and state withholding for 2026, from the IRS tables and each state's own instructions.
Calculator
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Quick answer
Every paycheck loses federal income tax (from the IRS 2026 tables and your W-4), Social Security at 6.2% up to $184,500 and Medicare at 1.45%, plus state withholding where the state has an income tax. On $2,000.00 every two weeks, single, in Texas, about $309.15 is withheld and $1,690.85 is take-home pay.
Worked example
Data$2,000.00 every two weeks in Texas
| Item | Per paycheck |
|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $156.15 |
| Social Security (6.2%) | $124.00 |
| Medicare (1.45%) | $29.00 |
| Texas income tax | $0.00 |
| Total withheld | $309.15 |
| Take-home pay | $1,690.85 |
By state
DataPaycheck calculators by state
We publish a state only after reading its official 2026 withholding instructions; 15 states are verified so far.
| State | State withholding |
|---|---|
| California | California withholds income tax at rates from 1.1% to 14.63% after a standard deduction and a $168.30 credit per allowance. |
| Colorado | Colorado withholds income tax at a flat 4.4% after a standard deduction. |
| Florida | Florida's constitution bars a state tax on the income of residents who are natural persons, so no state income tax is withheld from wages. |
| Georgia | Georgia withholds income tax at a flat 4.99% after a standard deduction and $5,000 for each dependent allowance. |
| Illinois | Illinois withholds income tax at a flat 4.95% after $2,925 for each basic allowance and $1,000 for each additional allowance. |
| Indiana | Indiana withholds income tax at a flat 2.95% after $1,000 for each personal exemption, $1,500 for each dependent exemption and $3,000 for each adopted-child exemption. Each county adds its own income tax rate on the same taxable pay. |
| Kentucky | Kentucky withholds income tax at a flat 3.5% after a standard deduction. |
| Missouri | Missouri withholds income tax at rates from 2% to 4.7% after a standard deduction. |
| North Carolina | North Carolina withholds income tax at a flat 4.09% after a standard deduction and $2,500 for each withholding allowance. |
| Ohio | Ohio withholds income tax from 1.6% to 3.4% of pay after exemptions, using its published per-paycheck tables. |
| Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania withholds income tax at a flat 3.07% after no deductions. |
| South Dakota | South Dakota does not impose a state income tax, so no state income tax is withheld from wages. |
| Tennessee | Tennessee's only individual income tax, the Hall tax, applied to interest and dividends, not wages, and was repealed for tax periods beginning on or after January 1, 2021, so no state income tax is withheld from wages. |
| Texas | The Texas Constitution bars a state tax on individuals' net incomes, so no state income tax is withheld from wages. |
| Washington | Washington does not currently have an individual income tax, so no state income tax is withheld from wages. The Department of Revenue says a new 9.9% income tax begins January 1, 2028, for individuals and married couples filing jointly above an income threshold. |
Federal taxes
DataWhat comes out of every paycheck
- Federal income tax: withheld with the IRS 2026 percentage method for Forms W-4 from 2020 or later (Publication 15-T).
- Social Security: 6.2% of wages up to $184,500 in 2026.
- Medicare: 1.45% of all wages, plus 0.9% on wages above $200,000 in a calendar year.
Not included
What these estimates leave out
- Pre-tax deductions such as 401(k) contributions and health premiums: they lower taxable pay, and states treat them differently.
- Bonuses and other supplemental pay, which can be withheld at flat rates.
- Year-to-date wages: the result is your first paycheck of 2026 from this employer, with no earlier wages counted. Social Security stops once your 2026 wages from the employer reach $184,500, and the employer withholds the extra 0.9% Medicare tax only on wages it pays you above $200,000 in 2026; the calculator names the paycheck in which each change starts.
- Local income taxes, except where a state page includes them.
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FAQ
Questions people ask
How much tax is taken out of a paycheck?
Every paycheck loses federal income tax (from the IRS 2026 tables and your W-4), Social Security at 6.2% up to $184,500 and Medicare at 1.45%, plus state withholding where the state has an income tax. On $2,000.00 every two weeks, single, in Texas, about $309.15 is withheld and $1,690.85 is take-home pay.
What is the Social Security wage limit for 2026?
$184,500 (IRS Publication 15, 2026).
When does the extra 0.9% Medicare tax start?
Your employer starts it in the paycheck in which your wages for the year pass $200,000, whatever your filing status.
Is this tax advice?
No. It estimates withholding from the official tables; your employer's payroll system and your W-4 settle the real amount.
Method
How this page is built
Federal income tax follows IRS Publication 15-T (2026), Worksheet 1A and the Annual Percentage Method tables; Social Security and Medicare follow Publication 15 (2026). Each state page names the official state document it follows. The calculator in this page and the worked example run the same engine on the same tables. We re-read every table each January and whenever a state changes its withholding mid-year.
What this page can't tell you
Sources- An estimate of withholding, not your tax bill and not tax advice: your employer's payroll system and your own W-4 settle the real amount.
- Pre-tax deductions such as 401(k) contributions and health premiums: they lower taxable pay, and states treat them differently.
- Bonuses and other supplemental pay, which can be withheld at flat rates.
- Year-to-date wages: the result is your first paycheck of 2026 from this employer, with no earlier wages counted. Social Security stops once your 2026 wages from the employer reach $184,500, and the employer withholds the extra 0.9% Medicare tax only on wages it pays you above $200,000 in 2026; the calculator names the paycheck in which each change starts.