EVERY TWO WEEKS

Biweekly paycheck calculator

Estimate net pay for one check issued every two weeks. This page fixes the annualization at 26 pay periods—not the 24 used for twice-monthly pay.

Your pay details

Change any field to update the gross estimate.

01 / INPUT

Calculation method

Regular resident wages, 2020+ federal W-4, latest supported 2026 state tables. Not for historical paychecks, bonuses, nonresident allocation, or multistate payroll.

Pay amount

Gross pay

Pay frequency26 regular pay periods per year

Tax context

U.S. state

Filing status

Tax year

Deductions

401(k) contributiontraditional pre-tax; still subject to FICA

Health insuranceassumed pre-tax cafeteria plan

Other pre-tax

Post-tax deductions

Enter deductions for one pay period. Other pre-tax reduces income-tax wages but not FICA; use only qualifying deductions. Dollar elections below specify annual or per-paycheck amounts separately.

Federal W-4 elections

Planning inputs only. This does not submit an electronic W-4; your employer uses the form you file with them. Leave blank anything you did not enter on your W-4.

Step 2(c): multiple jobs or working spouseCheck if you checked this box on your W-4.

Step 3: credits

Annual dollars

Step 4(a): other income

Annual dollars

Step 4(b): deductions

Annual dollars

Step 4(c): extra withholding

Dollars per paycheck

Claim exemption from federal income tax withholdingGenerally for those with no federal tax liability last year and none expected this year. Exemption stops income tax withholding only, never Social Security or Medicare. See the official IRS Form W-4 page.

Year-to-date taxable wages

Taxable wages earned before this paycheck from the same employer—not tax already withheld. Blank means 0.

Social Security taxable wages YTD

Wages before this paycheck

Medicare taxable wages YTD

Wages before this paycheck

State withholding

Select a state to see its withholding choices.

Local and other payroll

Known actual dollar amounts per paycheck, not rates. Blank means 0.

Local tax

Dollars per paycheck

Other payroll deductions

Dollars per paycheck

ESTIMATED TAKE-HOME PAY

Complete the inputs

Enter pay, state, and filing status to calculate.

Paycheck breakdownBIWEEKLY

Gross pay · every 2 weeks gross$0.00

Federal income tax · estimate—

State income tax · estimate—

Social Security · estimate—

Medicare, including any additional tax—

Pre-tax deductions—

Post-tax deductions—

Local tax · entered amount—

Other payroll · entered amount—

Estimated net pay—

Choose your tax contextSelect a U.S. state and filing status. Tax lines stay blank until these are selected.

Withholding estimates use current employer tables and the elections entered. Annual totals repeat this paycheck—not future wage-cap changes. Local taxes, disability, and paid leave require actual entered amounts. Historical or special payroll methods are not supported.

Paycheck & Tax Guides

Understand the numbers behind your paycheck.

Practical 2026 explanations with IRS and state sources. Learn what an estimate can—and cannot—tell you.

Federal tax withholding explained: your 2026 W-4Your employer is collecting a payment toward your annual income tax. The W-4 tells payroll how to estimate that payment; it does not determine your final return by itself.How to calculate take-home payA good estimate starts with the right earnings period and separates taxes from benefits. Use your pay stub to make each input meaningful.State paycheck guides: choose the right rules, not just a rateThe right state selection is only the beginning. Withholding certificates, wage definitions, local charges, and where you work can all change your deposit.

Browse all paycheck & tax guides

GUIDE

Budget for an every-two-weeks pay schedule

Biweekly pay means a check every two weeks. This calculator uses 26 pay periods per year to annualize wages and deductions, then returns the estimated tax and net pay for one biweekly check.

Biweekly and semimonthly are different

Semimonthly pay arrives twice a month and uses 24 annual periods. Biweekly pay is tied to a two-week interval rather than fixed monthly dates. The two schedules produce different gross amounts per check for the same annual salary. Choose the salary calculator if you are starting with annual compensation instead of gross pay for one check.

Enter the entire two-week paycheck

Use gross earnings from one full biweekly pay period. Include deductions withheld on that same check. If you are paid hourly, the hourly calculator lets you enter your rate and the total paid hours across both weeks. If overtime is present, use the overtime calculator rather than treating every hour at the base rate.

Account for payroll-calendar differences

This page uses the standard 26-period annualization. A particular calendar and payday sequence can create 27 paydays; your employer may handle salary and benefit deductions differently in that situation. Check the actual payroll calendar before using the standard estimate for a yearly budget. No payday calendar is inferred from the values you enter.

Withholding versus annual tax estimates

Default mode uses the 2026 IRS employer method and current state withholding tables with W-4 and state certificate inputs. Weekly, biweekly, semimonthly, monthly, and annual schedules use 52, 26, 24, 12, and 1 pay periods.

The annual tax estimate toggle retains the older simplified liability model. It is not a substitute for payroll tables or a complete tax return. In withholding mode, any overtime-related withholding deduction must be entered through federal W-4 Step 4(b), rather than automatically applied to overtime wages.

Frequently asked questions

How many biweekly paychecks does this calculator use?

It uses 26. That is the standard count for every-two-weeks annualization, not a prediction of your employer’s exact payroll calendar.

Can I change the frequency on this page?

This dedicated page keeps biweekly frequency fixed so the calculation matches its purpose. Use the general or salary calculator to compare other schedules.

HOW WE ESTIMATE

Understand the calculation.

Default mode follows IRS Publication 15-T Worksheet 1A for a 2020-or-later W-4 and each supported state’s current employer formula. W-4 credits and annual adjustments affect federal withholding; state elections follow the state certificate independently.

Social Security withholds 6.2% on this check’s remaining wages under the $184,500 employer wage cap. Medicare withholds 1.45%, plus 0.9% on wages crossing the employer’s $200,000 threshold, regardless of filing status. Enter taxable wages before this paycheck in the YTD controls. Traditional retirement deferrals remain subject to FICA; qualifying cafeteria-plan health premiums are assumed FICA-exempt.

Annual projections repeat this check. The separate annual tax estimate mode retains a limited legacy liability model and uses filing-status Medicare liability thresholds; it does not represent paycheck withholding. Overtime is not automatically exempt from withholding or FICA. Use W-4 Step 4(b) for an elected overtime-related withholding deduction.

TAX YEAR 2026

Sources & assumptions

Federal filing statusNot selected
State selectedNot selected
Rule set and update2026 · select a state for its table period
Federal brackets & standard deductionIRS Revenue Procedure 2025-32 (2026 tax brackets and standard deductions)
Federal employer withholdingIRS Publication 15-T (2026)
State employer sourceSelect a state for its source
Payroll taxes & Social Security wage baseIRS Publication 15 (2026)
2026 Social Security limitSSA contribution and benefit base

Regular resident wage withholding only. Not for 2019-or-earlier W-4 forms, historical pay dates, supplemental/bonus methods, multistate allocation, reciprocity, pensions, or special employer methods. State wage overrides and entered local/other payroll dollars are used as supplied, not independently verified. Each state section identifies its table and effective period. DC withholding is not verified and is unavailable rather than silently using annual brackets. Legacy annual mode omits many state adjustments and later amendments. This is a planning estimate, not tax advice or a guarantee of your employer’s exact result.