Free hourly paycheck calculator 2026. Calculate your net take-home pay after federal tax, state tax, FICA, and deductions. See annual, monthly, and bi-weekly take-home in seconds.
Enter your hourly rate, your regular hours per week (40 for full time), and any overtime hours. Overtime is paid at 1.5× your rate.
Choose how often you are paid: weekly, every two weeks, twice a month, or monthly. This sets the size of each paycheck but not your yearly taxes.
Pick your federal filing status from Step 1 of your W-4: single, married filing jointly, or head of household. The calculator applies the matching 2026 standard deduction and tax brackets.
Select your state. California, Florida, Illinois, New York, Texas use their exact 2026 withholding tables, including California SDI and New York PFL. Pick "No state income tax" for Alaska, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Washington, or Wyoming. For any other state, enter a flat rate as an estimate.
Optionally add your deductions: a 401(k) percentage (pre-tax, lowers income tax only), health or other Section 125 premiums per paycheck (pre-tax, lowers income tax and FICA), and after-tax deductions such as union dues. Click "Calculate Paycheck" to see gross pay, each tax line, take-home pay per paycheck and per year, and your take-home pay per hour worked.
Gross pay is your hourly rate × regular hours, plus overtime hours × rate × 1.5, converted to your pay period (weekly pay × 52 ÷ paychecks per year). Federal income tax uses the IRS 2026 percentage method for a W-4 with no Step 2 to 4 adjustments: annual wages minus the standard deduction ($16,100.00 single, $32,200.00 married filing jointly, $24,150.00 head of household), taxed at the 2026 brackets from 10% to 37%, then divided by the number of paychecks. Social Security is 6.2% of wages up to $184,500.00, and Medicare is 1.45% of all wages plus 0.9% above $200,000. State tax is calculated from the selected state's own tables where available, or from the flat rate you enter. Take-home pay per hour is annual take-home pay divided by total hours worked in a year, which is the number to use when comparing job offers or deciding whether overtime is worth it.
$15.00 an hour for 40 hours a week, paid every two weeks, filing single, in Texas (no state income tax). Gross pay is $1,200.00 per paycheck ($31,200.00 a year). Withheld per paycheck: Federal income tax $60.15, Social Security (6.2%) $74.40, Medicare (1.45%) $17.40. Take-home pay: $1,048.05 per paycheck, or $27,249.20 a year, which works out to $13.10 per hour worked. Deductions take 12.7% of gross pay.
$20.00 an hour for 40 regular hours plus 5 overtime hours a week, paid weekly, filing single, in California with 1 DE 4 allowance. Gross pay is $950.00 per paycheck ($49,400.00 a year). Withheld per paycheck: Federal income tax $72.08, Social Security (6.2%) $58.90, Medicare (1.45%) $13.78, California income tax $21.23, CA SDI (1.3%) $12.35. Take-home pay: $771.67 per paycheck, or $40,126.82 a year, which works out to $17.15 per hour worked. Deductions take 18.8% of gross pay.
$25.00 an hour for 40 hours a week, paid every two weeks, filing single, living in New York City. Gross pay is $2,000.00 per paycheck ($52,000.00 a year). Withheld per paycheck: Federal income tax $156.15, Social Security (6.2%) $124.00, Medicare (1.45%) $29.00, New York State income tax $86.30, New York City income tax $65.23, NY Paid Family Leave (0.432%) $8.64, NY Disability (SDI) $1.20. Take-home pay: $1,529.48 per paycheck, or $39,766.36 a year, which works out to $19.12 per hour worked. Deductions take 23.5% of gross pay.
$30.00 an hour for 40 hours a week, paid twice a month, filing married filing jointly, in Illinois with 2 IL-W-4 allowances. Gross pay is $2,600.00 per paycheck ($62,400.00 a year). Withheld per paycheck: Federal income tax $130.33, Social Security (6.2%) $161.20, Medicare (1.45%) $37.70, Illinois income tax (4.95%) $116.63. Take-home pay: $2,154.13 per paycheck, or $51,699.17 a year, which works out to $24.86 per hour worked. Deductions take 17.1% of gross pay.
$18.00 an hour for 35 hours a week, paid every two weeks, filing single, in a state estimated at a flat 5% income tax, with $25 of after-tax insurance taken from each paycheck. Gross pay is $1,260.00 per paycheck ($32,760.00 a year). Withheld per paycheck: Federal income tax $67.35, Social Security (6.2%) $78.12, Medicare (1.45%) $18.27, State income tax (5%) $63.00, Other deductions $25.00. Take-home pay: $1,008.26 per paycheck, or $26,214.66 a year, which works out to $14.40 per hour worked. Deductions take 20.0% of gross pay.
Find answers to the most common questions about hourly paycheck calculator.
Your employer uses the IRS percentage method from Publication 15-T. Your pay for the period is annualized, the 2026 standard deduction for your filing status is subtracted, the result is run through the federal brackets (10%, 12%, 22%, 24%, 32%, 35%, 37%), and the annual tax is divided back down to one paycheck. That is exactly what this calculator does. If you entered dependents, other income, or extra withholding on Steps 2 to 4 of your W-4, your real withholding will differ.
FICA (Federal Insurance Contributions Act) funds Social Security and Medicare. You pay 6.2% of wages for Social Security up to the 2026 wage base of $184,500.00, and 1.45% of all wages for Medicare, plus an extra 0.9% Medicare tax on wages over $200,000. Your employer matches the 6.2% and 1.45%. FICA is not reduced by your filing status or standard deduction, which is why even low-wage paychecks have 7.65% taken out.
No. Overtime pay is added to your regular wages and taxed exactly the same way. A paycheck with overtime can have a higher percentage withheld because the extra pay is annualized as if you earned that much every period, pushing some of it into a higher bracket for that check. Your actual tax for the year is based on your total income, so any over-withholding comes back as a refund when you file.
Not over a full year. Weekly, bi-weekly, semi-monthly, and monthly schedules divide the same annual wages and the same annual tax into more or fewer paychecks. What changes is the size of each check and when you get the money. Semi-monthly pay (24 checks) is slightly larger per check than bi-weekly pay (26 checks) for the same hourly rate.
The most common reasons are pre-tax deductions such as 401(k) contributions and health insurance premiums, which lower your taxable wages; W-4 Step 2 to 4 entries for a second job, dependents, or extra withholding; local income taxes in cities such as Philadelphia, Detroit, or Columbus; and state programs like paid leave or disability insurance in states this calculator does not model exactly. Compare the federal and FICA lines first. Those should match your pay stub closely, then look at what else your employer is withholding.
Nine states do not tax wages: Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, and Wyoming. Choose "No state income tax" for those. Flat-tax states such as Colorado (4.4%), Michigan (4.25%), Pennsylvania (3.07%), and Indiana (3.0%) can enter their rate directly. For states with brackets, use the effective state rate from last year's return (state tax divided by state wages). Most hourly workers land between 2% and 6%. Exact 2026 tables are built in for California, Florida, Illinois, New York, Texas.
Multiply your hourly rate by regular hours, add overtime hours × rate × 1.5, and multiply by 52 for annual gross pay. Subtract the standard deduction for your filing status and apply the federal brackets to get annual federal tax. Take 6.2% and 1.45% of gross pay for Social Security and Medicare. Estimate state tax from your state's tables or rate. Subtract everything from gross pay for annual take-home, then divide by your number of paychecks. The worked examples above show each step with real numbers.
For a single full-time worker earning $15 to $30 an hour with a standard W-4, federal income tax and FICA together usually take 14% to 22% of gross pay, and state tax adds 0% to 6% more depending on where you work. Higher earners, overtime-heavy paychecks, and states such as California and New York sit at the top of that range. Run your own numbers above to see the exact split.
Calculations and computational models on QuickBizCalc are verified against published regulatory standards and statutory tax tables:
Publication 15-T (Federal Income Tax Withholding Methods) & Publication 15 (Employer's Tax Guide).
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA 29 U.S.C. § 207) regulations on overtime hours, recordkeeping, and minimum wage.
OASDI taxable maximum wage base limits and statutory FICA tax rates (6.2% Social Security + 1.45% Medicare).
Formulas and worked examples are checked against the sources above before publishing. For advice on your own situation, consult a licensed tax professional or accountant.
An estimate. Use your state's flat rate, or the effective state rate from last year's return (most workers fall between 2% and 6%). Exact 2026 tables are available for California, Florida, Illinois, New York, Texas.
Deductions optional
Pre-tax: lowers income tax, not Social Security or Medicare.
Pre-tax: lowers income tax and FICA.
Union dues, garnishments, Roth 401(k), post-tax insurance.
