Transparent by design
Calculation methodology.
What the current estimate includes, how values are calculated and where the rules come from.
Current calculation mode
The live calculator provides a 2026 annual U.S. tax estimate for an employee using the standard deduction. It is not a payroll withholding calculator and does not reproduce an individual W-4.
Included
- 2026 federal ordinary-income brackets for Single, Married Filing Jointly, Married Filing Separately and Head of Household.
- 2026 standard deduction for the selected filing status.
- Employee Social Security tax at 6.2% up to the 2026 wage base.
- Employee Medicare tax and Additional Medicare Tax when applicable.
- Optional traditional 401(k) employee contribution up to the standard 2026 limit.
- Annual bonus income and hourly overtime estimated at 1.5× the hourly rate.
- California 2026 EDD Method B withholding with zero allowances and employee SDI.
- New York State 2026 exact withholding tables with zero exemptions.
- Annual, monthly, biweekly and weekly net-pay equivalents.
Not currently included
Tax credits, itemized deductions, dependents, multiple jobs, self-employment, investment income, local taxes, payroll benefits, age-based deductions and employer-specific deductions are excluded. Texas and Florida have no individual state income tax on wages. California and New York State estimates are included; New York City and Yonkers local taxes are excluded. “Federal only” excludes every state and local amount.
Primary sources
Rounding and pay periods
Annual values are calculated first and rounded to cents. Display values are rounded to whole dollars for readability. Monthly values divide annual net pay by 12, biweekly by 26 and weekly by 52. Hourly inputs assume 40 regular hours per week and 52 weeks per year; optional overtime hours are estimated separately at 1.5×.