Paycheck Calculator
Estimate your take-home pay per paycheck based on gross pay, pre-tax deductions, and your own estimated effective tax rate.
Why this uses your own tax rate estimate
Rather than applying a fixed set of tax brackets (which change periodically and vary by filing status, state, and personal circumstances), this calculator asks you to enter your own estimated effective tax rate — the combined percentage of income that goes to federal, state, and payroll taxes overall. You can find a reasonable estimate from a recent pay stub, a tax estimator tool, or last year's actual effective rate.
This approach trades some convenience for accuracy — a hardcoded bracket table would need constant updates to stay correct and still wouldn't account for your state, filing status, or credits, whereas your own effective rate, if reasonably accurate, gives a more personally relevant estimate.
What counts as a pre-tax deduction
Pre-tax deductions reduce your taxable income before tax is calculated — common examples include traditional 401(k) contributions, health insurance premiums, and health savings account (HSA) contributions. Post-tax deductions, like Roth 401(k) contributions or wage garnishments, don't reduce taxable income and aren't part of this field.
Getting this distinction right matters for accuracy — including a post-tax deduction here would understate your taxable income and therefore your estimated tax, throwing off the final take-home figure. If you need a more precise federal estimate to plug in here, start with the Tax Calculator.
Frequently asked questions
Why doesn't this calculator use actual tax brackets?
Tax brackets change periodically and vary by filing status, state, and personal circumstances — asking for your own effective tax rate (from a recent pay stub or tax tool) avoids embedding numbers that could go stale or not apply to your specific situation.
Where can I find my actual effective tax rate?
Divide the total tax withheld on a recent pay stub or tax return by your gross income for that period — that gives a reasonably accurate personal effective rate to use here.