United States · Federal withholding · FICA · W-4 dependents
Paycheck calculator
Estimate take-home pay and see what federal tax, Social Security, Medicare, and dependents do to your check. This is an educational estimate, not a stub match.
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Estimate take-home pay
After this estimate
This is not a stub match and not official IRS software. Next steps that stay on this site:
- Compare federal and FICA lines to a real stub, not net pay.
- See how Form W-4 maps to these fields
- Why a live stub will not match
- Official W-4 help: IRS Tax Withholding Estimator
When a partner link is labeled affiliate, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Partner tax-prep links are not shown on this page until a live program is configured. Disclosure.
What these withholdings mean
A paycheck starts with gross pay. Your employer then withholds amounts it must send to the IRS and other agencies during the year. This page estimates three federal pieces: income tax, Social Security, and Medicare. It does not include state tax, local tax, 401(k), HSA, health premiums, or other pre-tax benefits.
- Federal income tax is an estimate of income tax sent to the IRS. W-4 filing status, multiple jobs, and dependents change this amount.
- Social Security (6.2%) funds retirement, disability, and survivor benefits. In 2026 it applies only to wages up to $184,500. After that wage base, the 6.2% employee share stops for the rest of the year.
- Medicare (1.45%) funds hospital insurance and applies to all wages. An extra 0.9% Additional Medicare Tax can apply above $200,000 of wages (the employer does not match that extra 0.9%).
- Dependents do not change FICA. They reduce estimated income tax through credits that payroll reads from W-4 Step 3.
How this estimate is built
The tool annualizes your pay from the period you chose, subtracts the 2026 standard deduction for your filing status, applies the federal income tax brackets, subtracts an annualized dependent credit, then adds Social Security and Medicare. The result is divided back into a per-check amount. That is simpler than IRS Publication 15-T, which uses percentage method tables and treats extra withholding and multiple jobs differently.
How dependents affect this estimate
On Form W-4 Step 3 you generally enter: children under 17 × $2,200 + other dependents × $500, subject to income limits. This calculator does not model those phaseouts. That tells payroll to withhold less federal income tax so more of each check stays in take-home pay. It is not extra cash from Social Security or Medicare.
Why your stub will not match
Employers follow Publication 15-T, your actual W-4, pre-tax deductions, state withholding, and sometimes extra withholding you requested. Two jobs, a bonus, or a mid-year W-4 change will also move the numbers. Use this page to see the direction of a change (more dependents, a different filing status, weekly vs monthly pay). For official W-4 help, use the IRS Tax Withholding Estimator.
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Longer guides
Frequently asked questions
How is take-home pay estimated?
Annualize pay, subtract the 2026 standard deduction, apply federal brackets, subtract dependent credits, add Social Security and Medicare, then divide by pay periods.
Will this match my actual paycheck?
No. Use it to understand the pieces of a stub, not as a payroll match. Employers use Publication 15-T tables, multiple jobs, pre-tax benefits, and state withholding this tool does not model.
Do dependents change Social Security or Medicare?
No. Credits reduce estimated federal income tax only. FICA rates stay the same.
Does this include state income tax?
No. State and local withholding are omitted on purpose so the federal pieces stay readable. Add your state’s withholding from a recent stub if you want a closer take-home number.
Is WageCalculator official IRS software?
No. It is a free educational estimator. Calculations run in your browser. For official W-4 help use the IRS Tax Withholding Estimator.
Which W-4 steps does this use?
Filing status and Step 3 dependent counts. It does not model multiple jobs, extra withholding, or other income. See how W-4 maps to this calculator.
Why is my stub lower than this take-home number?
State tax, 401(k), health premiums, and extra withholding are the usual reasons. Compare federal and FICA lines, not net. See why a stub will not match.