How the estimate is built
- Pre-tax deductions come off first: 401(k) contributions reduce federal and state taxable income; health premiums and HSA contributions reduce FICA wages too.
- Federal income tax uses the 2026 brackets and standard deduction for your filing status. Nothing else: no child tax credit, no itemizing, no student loan interest. Those lower the real number.
- FICA: Social Security at 6.2% up to the wage base, Medicare at 1.45% on everything, plus 0.9% additional Medicare above $200,000 ($250,000 married).
- State income tax: nine states have none. Thirteen use a flat rate. The rest are progressive; the largest ones use their published brackets here, and smaller ones use a single effective rate marked "estimate."
What moves the number most
State choice: the same $120,000 single filer keeps roughly $9,000 more a year in Texas or Florida than in California or New York, before cost of living. Pre-tax 401(k): every dollar you defer saves your marginal federal rate plus the state rate now. Filing status: married filing jointly roughly doubles the bracket widths and the standard deduction.
Contractors
This page assumes W2 withholding. A C2C or 1099 contractor pays both halves of FICA (15.3% self-employment tax on 92.35% of net) and makes quarterly estimated payments instead. Convert the contract to a W2 equivalent with the contract to W2 calculator first, then run that salary here for a comparable take-home.
Why your stub is different
Your W-4 settings, extra withholding, local taxes, state disability insurance (CA, NJ, NY, RI, HI), employer-specific deductions and mid-year raises all change the per-check number. This is a planning estimate, accurate to within a few percent for most salaried people, not a payroll system.