US Salary Calculator

Because there's no single number that would be honest. US states range from zero income tax (Texas, Florida, Washington, Nevada, Tennessee, South Dakota, Wyoming, and Alaska) to top marginal rates above 13% (California), with everything in between (New York, Massachusetts, and others sit in the middle). Blending those into one nationwide figure would misrepresent every state. This calculator models the federal baseline that every W-2 employee pays no matter where they live, so you can add your own state's rate on top.

Your federal bracket (10% to 37% for 2026) is your marginal rate, the rate on your next dollar of taxable income, not the rate on your whole salary. Because the US system is progressive, only the income inside each bracket is taxed at that bracket's rate, and the standard deduction ($16,100 for a single filer in 2026) is subtracted before any bracket applies. Your effective rate, what this calculator shows as your overall federal tax rate, is always lower than your top marginal bracket.

FICA (Federal Insurance Contributions Act) funds Social Security and Medicare, and it's calculated completely separately from federal income tax, on your gross wages rather than your taxable income after deductions. For 2026, Social Security is 6.2% on wages up to a $184,500 wage base (capping at $11,439/year), and Medicare is 1.45% on all wages with no cap at all.

It's an extra 0.9% Medicare tax that kicks in once your wages pass $200,000 for a single filer, on top of the standard 1.45% Medicare rate everyone pays. Unlike most FICA thresholds, this $200,000 line is fixed by statute and isn't adjusted for inflation each year, and it applies only to the employee side, your employer doesn't match the extra 0.9%.

Yes. The 6.2% employee Social Security tax only applies up to the annual wage base, $184,500 for 2026. Once your year-to-date wages cross that line, Social Security withholding stops for the rest of the year, capping your maximum contribution at $11,439. Medicare has no equivalent cap, it applies to every dollar of wages.

No, not as-is. This calculator models W-2 employee FICA, where Social Security and Medicare are split between you and your employer. A 1099 independent contractor instead pays self-employment tax, effectively both halves of FICA (15.3% combined, before the deduction for the employer-equivalent portion), on top of the same federal income tax brackets. See our dedicated 1099 vs W-2 breakdown for the contractor math.

It uses 2026 IRS federal tax brackets and standard deduction figures (per Rev. Proc. 2025-32) and 2026 Social Security/Medicare rates, for a single filer claiming the standard deduction. It doesn't account for pre-tax 401(k) or HSA contributions, itemized deductions, dependents, or other filing statuses (married filing jointly, head of household), all of which would change your actual take-home. Always verify with the IRS or a tax professional for precise figures.