Paycheck Calculator: Estimate Your Take-Home Pay
Estimate net take-home pay from gross pay with tax rate, retirement contribution, and fixed deductions. Shows annual, monthly, bi-weekly, and weekly breakdowns.
Applied after pre-tax deductions. Use your effective or marginal rate.
Pre-tax deduction, reduces taxable income.
Health insurance premiums, FSA, etc.
Roth 401(k), union dues, garnishments, etc.
Enter your gross pay and pay frequency, then set an income-tax rate, a retirement contribution percentage, and any fixed pre-tax or post-tax deductions. The calculator instantly shows your estimated net take-home pay broken down across every common pay period: annual, monthly, bi-weekly, and weekly. It also lists each deduction individually so you can see exactly where your money goes. All calculations run in your browser with no data sent anywhere.
Knowing your gross salary is only the starting point. What actually hits your bank account depends on your income-tax rate, retirement contributions, health insurance premiums, and any other deductions your employer withholds. This calculator lets you model all of those inputs against any pay frequency, whether you are paid weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, or annually.
The tool supports two tax modes. Flat rate applies a single percentage to your taxable income, useful when you already know your effective or marginal rate. Tax brackets (progressive) lets you enter an editable list of income bands, each with its own rate, applied marginally to your annual taxable income. The default bracket rows are illustrative examples, not any real country's rates. The effective rate readout shows you what fraction of taxable income goes to tax once all bands are applied. The retirement contribution is treated as a pre-tax deduction in both modes, reducing the taxable base before any rate is applied.
All four pay-period columns update in real time as you adjust any input. The deduction summary at the bottom shows the annualized cost of each line item so you can compare them on a common scale regardless of your pay frequency. These results are estimates only. Real payroll tax involves Social Security, Medicare, state rules, filing status, and other factors not modeled here.
- 1
Enter gross pay and frequency
Type your gross pay per period and choose how often you are paid: annually, monthly, bi-weekly, or weekly.
- 2
Choose flat rate or tax brackets
In flat mode, enter a single tax percentage. In brackets mode, edit the annual income bands and their rates. The tool annualizes your income, applies the brackets marginally, then converts back to a per-period figure.
- 3
Read the take-home breakdown
See estimated net pay for every pay period, plus a detailed deduction summary showing the annual cost of each item and the effective tax rate.
Budget around a new job offer
Plug in the offered salary and your expected tax rate to find out what your actual monthly take-home will be before accepting.
Model a 401(k) contribution change
Increase or decrease the retirement percentage to see how much each extra point of contribution reduces your bi-weekly paycheck.
Compare pay frequencies
Switch between monthly and bi-weekly to understand why bi-weekly pay periods sometimes feel tighter even at the same annual salary.
Estimate impact of new deductions
Add health insurance premiums or an FSA contribution to the pre-tax field and instantly see how much net pay changes.
Is this a real tax calculation?
No. This is an estimate. Even in brackets mode, the default rows are made-up examples. Real payroll tax involves Social Security, Medicare, state and local taxes, filing status, credits, and other factors that vary by jurisdiction. Use official payroll software or a tax professional for precise figures.
What is the difference between pre-tax and post-tax deductions?
Pre-tax deductions like traditional 401(k) contributions and health insurance premiums come out before income tax is calculated, reducing your taxable income. Post-tax deductions like Roth 401(k) contributions come out after income tax, so they do not reduce your taxable income.
How do progressive tax brackets work in this calculator?
Switch to Tax brackets mode and enter bands with upper limits and rates. The calculator annualizes your gross pay, subtracts pre-tax deductions to get taxable income, then taxes each slice of that income at the rate for its band. Only the income above a threshold is taxed at the higher rate, not the full amount. The effective rate readout shows the blended result across all bands.
Why does bi-weekly pay sometimes feel tighter than monthly?
At the same annual salary, a bi-weekly paycheck is smaller than a monthly one (annual divided by 26 vs. annual divided by 12). Two months per year also have three pay periods instead of two, which can feel like a windfall but reflects how 52 weeks divides into 26 pay periods.
Is my salary or deduction data stored or sent anywhere?
No. Every calculation runs entirely in your browser. Nothing is transmitted to any server. Your settings (pay frequency, tax rate, retirement rate, tax model, and brackets) are saved locally in your browser to restore your last session.