Salary Calculator USA

FICA (Federal Insurance Contributions Act) is the combined Social Security and Medicare payroll tax. It's 7.65% of your wages — 6.2% Social Security (capped at the wage base, $176,100 in 2026) and 1.45% Medicare (no cap). Your employer matches this amount, so the total going to FICA per dollar of your wage is 15.3%. Above $200,000 (single) or $250,000 (MFJ), an additional 0.9% Medicare tax applies — paid only by you, not matched by the employer.

No — only federal tax is calculated. State tax varies enormously: California is 1–13.3%, New York is 4–10.9%, Texas/Florida/Washington/Nevada have zero state income tax. To get a true picture of your take-home, look up your state's brackets separately. The federal calculation here is accurate, but expect another 3–9% deduction in most states with income tax.

Pick the filing status you'll actually use on your tax return. MFJ generally gives larger brackets (basically double the single thresholds at lower income), benefiting couples where one spouse earns much more than the other. Two equal earners filing MFJ vs filing separately as singles usually get nearly the same total tax. The standard deduction in 2026 is roughly $15,000 single / $30,000 MFJ.

The standard deduction is a flat amount subtracted from your gross before income tax is calculated. In 2026 (estimated), it's about $15,000 for single filers and $30,000 for married filing jointly. You can either take the standard deduction or itemize (mortgage interest, state taxes capped at $10k, charitable giving, etc.) — most filers take the standard since itemizing rarely exceeds it after the 2017 tax overhaul.

Pre-tax 401(k) contributions reduce your taxable income for federal income tax — but NOT for FICA (you still pay 7.65% on your full gross). For 2026, the limit is $23,500 (plus $7,500 catch-up if 50+). On a $85,000 salary contributing $10,000 pre-tax, you'd save roughly $2,400 in federal tax (24% marginal × $10k), with the $10k going into your 401(k) instead. Not modeled in this calculator yet — coming soon.

Employer-sponsored health insurance premiums are typically deducted pre-tax (Section 125 cafeteria plan), reducing both your income tax AND FICA. HSA contributions are also pre-tax through payroll. These aren't modeled in v1 of this calculator — if your gross is $85k but your W-2 box 1 says $75k, the $10k difference is mostly pre-tax health and 401(k).

Most US employers pay bi-weekly (every 2 weeks = 26 paychecks/year) or semi-monthly (15th and 30th = 24 paychecks/year). The annual total is the same, but bi-weekly means two months a year you get 3 paychecks instead of 2 — useful for budgeting. The calculator shows weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, and annual figures so you can match whichever your employer uses.