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Income After Tax Calculator

Calculate your take-home pay after federal, state, and FICA taxes. See your net income and monthly take-home.

Reviewed by the Calcura editorial team · Last reviewed

Question
How do I estimate take-home pay after US taxes?
Answer
Subtract federal income tax, state income tax, local tax (if any), and FICA (7.65% — 6.2% Social Security + 1.45% Medicare) from your gross pay: net = gross − federal − state − local − FICA. For a ballpark, most US workers take home 70–80% of gross. The actual federal tax uses progressive brackets, not a single flat rate, so your effective rate depends on total income and filing status.
▸Show formula & caveats
Formula
net = gross − federal − state − local − FICA
Caveats
  • Federal tax uses progressive brackets; flat-rate models are approximations.
  • Pre-tax 401(k), HSA, and health insurance reduce taxable income and raise take-home.
  • Social Security tax stops at the wage base ($184,500 in 2026); Medicare has no cap.
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What This Calculator Does

This calculator estimates take-home pay by applying flat federal, state, and FICA tax rates to a gross income figure. It is a simplified model: real federal tax uses progressive brackets, not a single flat rate, and real paychecks also carry pre-tax deductions (401(k), HSA, health insurance) that change taxable income. For a precise withholding estimate, use the IRS Tax Withholding Estimator. For back-of-the-envelope budgeting, comparing offers, or sanity-checking a pay stub, the flat-rate approach here is usually within a few percentage points of actual withholding.

When To Use This Calculator

Comparing job offers across states

A $110,000 offer in Austin (no state tax) and a $120,000 offer in San Jose (9.3% state) look different once state tax is applied. Plug each into this calculator with your estimated federal marginal rate to see net-pay comparisons.

Estimating monthly take-home for budgeting

Before locking in rent, estimate your monthly net from gross salary. If you gross $95,000 at a 22% federal/5% state bracket with FICA, net is about $62,080/year or ~$5,170/month — cap rent at 25–30% of that, not the $7,900 gross monthly figure.

Checking a pay stub

Annualize one pay stub's gross, plug in your top federal bracket, state rate, and FICA. If withholding on the stub is dramatically lower or higher than the calculator, investigate your W-4 or pre-tax deduction setup.

Sanity-checking the real cost of a raise

A $10,000 raise at a 24% federal / 5% state / 7.65% FICA marginal rate only nets ~$6,335. Running before and after scenarios makes the true net impact visible before lifestyle decisions.

How It Works

The calculator multiplies gross income by each tax rate you enter and subtracts the total from gross. Federal tax here is applied as a flat rate for simplicity — the real IRS system is progressive, so for most filers your *effective* federal rate is meaningfully below your *marginal* rate. To approximate effective rate, look up your bracket in the IRS tax tables, compute tax at each step, and divide by gross income. FICA is fixed at 7.65% (6.2% Social Security up to the wage base, plus 1.45% Medicare on all wages). State rates vary from 0% (Texas, Florida, etc.) to over 10% (California, New York, Hawaii at top brackets).

Formula

Net = Gross − (Gross × Federal%) − (Gross × State%) − (Gross × FICA%)

Real-World Example

Scenario

Elena earns a $92,000 salary and lives in Pennsylvania (3.07% flat state income tax). Her federal marginal bracket is 22%, and she wants a rough take-home estimate.

Calculation

Federal: $92,000 × 22% = $20,240 State (PA): $92,000 × 3.07% = $2,824 FICA: $92,000 × 7.65% = $7,038 Total tax: $30,102 Net: $92,000 − $30,102 = $61,898 Monthly: ~$5,158

Result

Elena's estimated gross-to-net ratio is about 67%. Her real withholding will likely be lower (effective federal tax is closer to ~12% for a single filer after the 2026 standard deduction), so actual take-home may be several thousand dollars higher. For more precise numbers, use the IRS withholding calculator with W-4 details.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Mistake: Using the marginal rate as if it were the effective rate

Solution: The 22% or 24% bracket is the rate on the *last* dollar of income, not all income. The IRS progressive structure means a taxpayer in the 22% bracket often has an effective rate of 13–17%. For precision, compute bracket-by-bracket or use the IRS withholding estimator.

Mistake: Ignoring pre-tax deductions

Solution: 401(k), HSA, FSA, and pre-tax health premiums reduce *taxable* income before federal and state tax apply (FICA is still paid on most pre-tax items except HSA). A $5,000 pre-tax contribution saves 22% federal + 5% state = ~$1,350 in tax. Run the calculator on (gross − pre-tax deductions) for a tighter estimate.

Mistake: Applying FICA to income above the Social Security wage base

Solution: Social Security's 6.2% stops at the annual wage base ($184,500 in 2026). Above that, only the 1.45% Medicare portion applies. This calculator assumes the full 7.65% across all income, so it overstates tax modestly for high earners.

Mistake: Forgetting local taxes

Solution: Some cities (NYC, Philadelphia, Detroit, Portland) levy local income tax on top of state. Add that percentage to your state rate here, or the net-pay estimate will be optimistic.

Income After Tax: Related Calculators

Hourly to Salary Calculator

Annualize hourly pay first, then run through this calculator to estimate net take-home from an hourly job.

Budget Percentage Calculator

Once you know monthly take-home, this tool compares your actual spending categories to common budgeting guidelines.

Retirement Calculator

Your pre-tax 401(k) contribution reduces current taxable income; the retirement calculator projects how those dollars compound.

When This Isn't the Right Tool

Exact tax-return calculation

Use instead: This is a gross-to-net estimator, not a tax prep tool. For actual returns, use the IRS Free File, a licensed tax professional, or tax software that models all credits, deductions, and bracket math.

Self-employed income

Use instead: Self-employed individuals pay both halves of FICA (15.3% self-employment tax), may owe quarterly estimated taxes, and can deduct the employer portion. Use the IRS's self-employment tax guidance and a calculator built for 1099 income.

International taxpayers

Use instead: U.S. tax brackets and FICA don't apply outside the U.S. For UK (PAYE + NI), Canada (federal + provincial), or other systems, use a jurisdiction-specific net-pay calculator.

Income with large capital gains or investment income

Use instead: Long-term capital gains, qualified dividends, and tax-advantaged account distributions are taxed under different rules than ordinary wages. Model those separately using Schedule D guidance or a dedicated capital-gains calculator.

How to Verify This Calculation

Cross-check against a recent pay stub: annualize year-to-date gross and year-to-date federal + state + FICA withholding, then divide total tax by gross. If the effective rate on the stub is within 2–3 points of the federal + state + 7.65% FICA rate you entered here, the estimate is reasonable. For authoritative numbers, run the same gross through the IRS Tax Withholding Estimator.

Sources

Reviewed by the Calcura editorial team · Last reviewed

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