HOURLY PAY ESTIMATE

Hourly paycheck calculator

Turn an hourly wage and paid hours into a gross-pay total, then estimate federal taxes, state taxes, payroll taxes, and take-home 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.

Earnings

Hourly rate

Hours in this pay period

Pay frequency

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.

How overtime pay is taxed in 2026Overtime can increase your withholding without having its own permanent tax rate. The 2026 deduction has specific limits—and does not make your entire overtime check tax-free.W-2 vs. 1099: why the same pay is not the same take-homeAn employee paycheck and a contractor payment have different tax mechanics. Compare the work arrangement and costs—not just the hourly number.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.

Browse all paycheck & tax guides

GUIDE

Calculate take-home pay from your hourly wage

An hourly wage is not the same as the amount you take home. Multiply your wage by the paid hours in the entire pay period to find gross pay, then account for taxes and deductions.

Count paid hours for the full pay period

For a biweekly paycheck, enter both weeks of paid hours together. Do not enter just one week unless you are paid weekly. Include paid leave only when it is compensated at the hourly rate you entered. Unpaid breaks should not be counted as paid time.

Keep overtime separate

This page multiplies all entered hours by one hourly rate. It does not automatically turn hours above 40 into overtime. For regular and overtime hours paid at different rates, use the overtime calculator. Overtime eligibility depends on wage-and-hour rules and cannot be determined from hours alone.

Understand variable-hour estimates

Taxes are estimated as if the entered pay period repeats throughout the year. If your hours change substantially, this annualization may not represent your annual income. Recalculate using a representative pay period and compare the tax lines with your actual pay stub. Enter benefit deductions for one pay period, not one hour.

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

Does the hourly calculator automatically add overtime?

No. All hours on this page use the same rate. Use the overtime calculator to enter regular hours, overtime hours, and an overtime multiplier separately.

Can I use it for part-time work?

Yes. Enter the paid hours and gross hourly rate for your pay period. The result uses the same published tax schedules and stated annualization assumptions.

Does it calculate taxes for independent contractors?

No. It models employee payroll taxes, not self-employment tax, business expenses, or quarterly estimated payments.

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.