US Paycheck calculator

How a paycheck is calculated

Your take-home is what's left after the tax authority and your employer's payroll system have made all required deductions:

Net pay = Gross pay − income tax withholding − social insurance contributions − pre-tax deductions

The calculator above estimates your annual tax bill using current brackets for your selected region, then divides by your number of pay periods. Your actual paycheck may differ by a few dollars because employers use pay-period withholding tables that smooth the year.

Worked example (US, single, $90,000/year, bi-weekly)

• Gross per pay period: $90,000 ÷ 26 = $3,461.54
• Annual federal income tax: $11,415 (from the income tax example)
• Per-period federal: $11,415 ÷ 26 = $439.04
• Social Security (6.2% to $168,600): $214.62
• Medicare (1.45%): $50.19
• Net per paycheck: ~$2,757 (excluding state tax, healthcare, retirement contributions)

Pay frequencies

• Weekly: 52 pay periods/year
• Bi-weekly: 26 pay periods/year
• Semi-monthly: 24 pay periods/year (1st and 15th typical)
• Monthly: 12 pay periods/year

Annual tax owed is the same regardless of frequency. The only differences are cash-flow timing and the tiny interest you earn on cash sitting in your account.

Pre-tax vs post-tax deductions

Pre-tax reduces your taxable income before tax is calculated — 401(k), traditional pension, HSA, FSA, some health insurance premiums, transit benefits. These give immediate tax relief at your marginal rate.

Post-tax comes out after tax is calculated — Roth 401(k), most disability insurance, union dues, charitable payroll deductions, garnishments. These don't lower your taxable income.

Maxing pre-tax retirement contributions can effectively shift you down a tax bracket. A $25,000/year 401(k) contribution at a 22% marginal rate saves $5,500/year in federal tax.

Common mistakes

• Comparing gross salaries between countries. Take-home rates vary hugely — a £75,000 UK salary nets much less than a CAD$100,000 Canadian salary at the same gross.
• Forgetting employer-side payroll tax. Your employer also pays Social Security and Medicare; that's part of total compensation cost.
• Tax-year alignment. UK and Australia use April–April / July–July fiscal years; US and Canada use January–December.
• Withholding mismatch. A new job, bonus, or W-4 change can mean too much or too little withholding. Year-end reconciliation settles up.

What this calculator doesn't cover

• Employer-sponsored health insurance premiums
• Retirement plan contributions (401(k), pension, super, RRSP)
• HSA/FSA contributions
• Garnishments, child support, alimony
• Union dues
• State or provincial income tax (US/Canada)

Subtract any of these from your gross before entering for a more accurate take-home estimate.