About this site
Last reviewed 2026-10-28 · Ruleset 2026.1
Paycheck Numbers is an independent calculator site. It exists to answer one question well: what will this salary actually pay me, after tax, where I live. There is no account, no email wall and no upsell — you enter a number and read the answer.
Who runs it
The site is built and maintained by a small independent team. It is not affiliated with the IRS, any state tax agency, any payroll provider or any employer. Nothing here is tax advice, and no one here is your accountant.
How the calculator works
Each paycheck is annualised, pre-tax deductions are subtracted, the standard deduction for your filing status is applied, the bracket table is walked band by band, and the result is divided back by the number of pay periods. That is the percentage method described in IRS Publication 15-T. The same code that runs in your browser produced the numbers you see before you touched anything, so the default result and the live result cannot disagree.
State tax uses each state's own schedule. For California that means the EDD 2026 withholding tables, a $5,706 standard deduction for a single filer and a $168.30 exemption allowance. SDI is applied at 1.3% with no wage ceiling.
Where the numbers come from
- Federal brackets and standard deduction — IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32, §4.01 and §4.14
- Social Security and Medicare rates, $184,500 wage base, additional Medicare thresholds — IRS Publication 15 (2026), Circular E
- Child Tax Credit and Credit for Other Dependents — 2026 figures published by the IRS and reproduced in the CFPB 2026 filing guide
- California brackets, standard deduction, exemption allowance — California EDD 2026 withholding schedules, Method B
- California SDI — EDD contribution rates page
- Texas — Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, confirming no state income tax on wages
Review cycle
Every rate is re-checked when a tax agency publishes its annual update, and the "verified" date on each page records the last check. If a figure cannot be confirmed against an official source, it is not published — the page says so instead. The ruleset number on each page changes whenever a rate changes.
What is not modelled
Local income taxes, wage garnishments, union dues, post-tax deductions, itemised deductions, the Earned Income Tax Credit, bonuses withheld at supplemental rates, and mid-year pay changes. Results are estimates for planning, not a filing.