Tax Withholding Estimator (2026)

Estimate your U.S. federal tax, FICA, and net paycheck from a W-2 salary.

Gross pay per period ($)

Pay period

Current federal withholding per period ($)

Filing status

Last year's refund / owed ($, negative if owed)

Annual gross

$169,000

Annual federal tax (2024)

$30,099

Per-period tax owed

$1,158

Annual currently withheld

$23,400

Projected refund / owed

-$6,699

Adjust per-period by

+$258

About this tool

Type salary, filing status, state tax rate, and pre-tax deductions (401k, HSA, FSA). Get the federal tax (using 2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare, state tax, and net take-home per paycheck and per year. Local-only math with offline brackets — answers the r/tax and r/personalfinance 'is my withholding right' question without uploading anything.

Frequently asked questions

Are these the official 2026 brackets?+

Yes — the 2026 IRS inflation-adjusted brackets and Social Security wage base are used. State tax is an editable flat rate so you can model your own state.

Does it handle pre-tax 401(k) contributions?+

Yes. Type the annual 401k contribution and HSA contribution to lower your taxable wages before computing federal tax and FICA.

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