Take-Home Salary Calculator

Why your paycheck feels smaller than your salary

You signed for $80,000. Your first biweekly check was $2,300 — that's $59,800 a year. Where'd the other $20K go?

The gap between "my salary" and "what I actually see" is the entire point of this tool. Most people never trace the line from gross to net. They just feel the shortfall and assume something went wrong. Usually, nothing went wrong. The math is just brutal and nobody walked you through it.

Where your money actually goes

Your paycheck doesn't start from your gross salary and subtract one big number. It gets chipped away in stages:

• First, pre-tax deductions come out: your 401(k), health insurance, FSAs and HSAs. These reduce what the IRS sees as your income.
• Then the standard deduction comes off the top — $16,100 if you're single. The IRS says "the first $16,100 is free."
• Then federal income tax hits what's left — not your full salary, just your taxable income.
• Then FICA takes its cut in three pieces: Social Security (6.2%), Medicare (1.45%), and Additional Medicare (0.9% above $200K). FICA is calculated on your gross wages, not your taxable income.
• Then any post-tax deductions come out — Roth contributions, garnishments, union dues.
• What's left is your take-home. That's the number that actually hits your bank account.

Why your taxable income isn't your salary

This is where most people get it wrong. They think "I make $80K, so I'm in the 22% bracket." But the 22% bracket applies to your taxable income, not your gross salary.

Here's the difference: $80,000 salary minus $16,100 standard deduction (single) = $63,900 taxable income. If you contribute to a 401(k) or pay for health insurance pre-tax, your taxable income drops even further. The bracket rate never touches the full $80K — only what's left after deductions.

This is why two people making the same salary can owe very different amounts in federal tax.

Example: what an $80K salary actually turns into

$80,000 — that's your salary. What your offer letter says. But your paycheck doesn't start from $80,000.

You expected $80K to feel like $80K. It feels like $58K. That's not a mistake. That's the math.

Why two people making the same salary take home different amounts

Imagine two people both earning $80,000:

• Person A is single, no 401(k), cheap health plan. Take-home: ~$60K.
• Person B is single, maxing 401(k) contributions, expensive family health plan. Take-home: ~$48K.

Same salary. $12,000 difference in take-home. Filing status matters too — married filing jointly gets a $32,200 standard deduction, double the single deduction. Head of household gets $24,150. And if you earn above $200,000, Additional Medicare kicks in at 0.9% on the excess.

The salary on the offer letter is the starting point. The number that matters is what hits your account.

When this number can still be off

This calculator estimates federal tax using standard deductions only. It does not include:

• State or local income taxes (some states take another 5–13%)
• Tax credits (EITC, child tax credit, education credits)
• Itemized deductions (mortgage interest, charitable contributions, SALT)
• RSU vesting, stock options, or equity compensation
• Bonus withholding rates (supplemental wages are taxed differently)
• Employer 401(k) match (this doesn't reduce your paycheck but increases total compensation)
• HSA or FSA contributions

The number you get here is directionally correct for federal-only take-home. It is not a substitute for a real pay stub or W-4 calculation.

How to think about this before accepting a job

Don't compare gross offers. Compare take-home.

A $75,000 job with a 5% 401(k) match, cheap health insurance, and no state income tax might net you more than an $85,000 job with expensive benefits in a high-tax state. The offer letter doesn't tell you that — the take-home number does.

Before you sign, run both offers through this tool. Adjust the 401(k) percentage, health insurance cost, and filing status for each. The number that matters is what hits your account on payday — not what's printed on the offer.

This depends on your deductions, your pay frequency, and your specific situation. You need to check yours.

Data Sources

• Federal tax brackets and standard deductions: IRS Revenue Procedure 2025-32 (2026 tax year)
• Standard deduction: $16,100 single / $32,200 married filing jointly / $24,150 head of household
• Social Security wage base: $184,500 (SSA, 2026)
• FICA rates: Social Security 6.2%, Medicare 1.45%, Additional Medicare 0.9% above $200,000

Limitations

• Federal-only — no state or local taxes
• Standard deduction only — no itemized deductions
• No tax credits modeled
• Additional Medicare: 0.9% on wages exceeding $200,000, applied only to the excess, never exceeds total wages
• Does not account for RSUs, stock options, commission, or supplemental withholding
• Employer 401(k) match not included (does not reduce paycheck)
• 2026 tax year values only