Calculate take-home pay
calculate_paycheckRead-onlyIdempotent
Use this when the user asks 'how much is my paycheck after taxes', wants a paycheck calculator or take home pay calculator for a US job in 2026, or asks what a salary or hourly wage is after tax (e.g. '85k salary after taxes in California', 'what is 75000 a year biweekly after taxes', '$22 an hour 40 hours', 'how much tax comes out of my paycheck'). Computes federal income tax withholding with the IRS Pub. 15-T 2026 percentage method and Form W-4 inputs, Social Security, Medicare, Additional Medicare, state income tax and state payroll taxes (e.g. CA SDI, NJ FLI, WA Cares), pre-tax 401(k)/HSA/health premiums, net pay per check and per year, and effective rates. Returns a PDF estimate and a CSV with one row per 2026 paycheck. Does not run payroll, file tax returns, or produce pay stubs. Do not use to make a pay stub or proof of income.
Input Schema
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| label | No | Short name for this scenario, e.g. 'Austin offer' or '401k at 10%'. | |
| state | No | US state where you work and live, as a code or name, e.g. CA, Texas, New Jersey, NYC. Omit for federal only. | |
| locality | No | Optional local tax area where the state supports it, e.g. nyc, yonkers, philadelphia, or a Maryland or Indiana county such as montgomery or marion. | |
| hourly_rate | No | Hourly wage in USD, e.g. 22 for $22 an hour. Combine with hours_per_week. | |
| k401_percent | No | Traditional (pre-tax) 401(k) or 403(b) contribution as a percent of gross pay, e.g. 6 for 6%. | |
| annual_salary | No | Yearly salary before taxes in USD, e.g. 85000. Give this, or hourly_rate, or gross_per_paycheck. | |
| filing_status | No | Form W-4 Step 1(c) filing status: single (or married filing separately, default), married (filing jointly), head_of_household. | |
| pay_frequency | No | How often you are paid: weekly (52), biweekly (26, every two weeks, default), semimonthly (24, twice a month), monthly (12). | |
| hours_per_week | No | Regular hours worked per week for hourly pay, e.g. 40. Defaults to 40. | |
| w4_step3_amount | No | Total dollar amount on W-4 Step 3 (dependents and other credits), e.g. 4400. | |
| hsa_per_paycheck | No | HSA contribution through payroll per paycheck in USD, e.g. 75. | |
| other_dependents | No | Other dependents for W-4 Step 3 ($500 each), e.g. 1. | |
| state_allowances | No | Allowances or exemptions claimed on the state withholding form (state W-4), e.g. 1. Defaults depend on the state. | |
| w4_step2_checked | No | True if the Form W-4 Step 2 box is checked (two jobs, or married and the spouse also works). Default false. | |
| children_under_17 | No | Qualifying children under 17 for W-4 Step 3 ($2,200 each in 2026), e.g. 2. Ignored if w4_step3_amount is given. | |
| k401_per_paycheck | No | Traditional 401(k) contribution in dollars per paycheck, e.g. 200. Use instead of k401_percent. | |
| roth_401k_percent | No | Roth 401(k) (after-tax) contribution as a percent of gross pay, e.g. 4. | |
| gross_per_paycheck | No | Gross pay per paycheck in USD before any deductions, e.g. 3200. Use instead of a salary or hourly rate. | |
| overtime_multiplier | No | Overtime pay multiplier, e.g. 1.5 for time-and-a-half (default) or 2 for double time. | |
| state_filing_status | No | State withholding form status when it differs from the federal one, e.g. NJ 'B', CT 'A', AZ '2.0' (percent). Usually omit. | |
| w4_step4b_deductions | No | W-4 Step 4(b) deductions per year, e.g. 5000. | |
| w4_step4a_other_income | No | W-4 Step 4(a) other income per year (not from jobs), e.g. 2000. | |
| overtime_hours_per_week | No | Overtime hours per week paid at overtime_multiplier, e.g. 5. Defaults to 0. | |
| claim_overtime_deduction | No | True to add the 2026 qualified overtime deduction (the 'half' of time-and-a-half, up to $12,500 or $25,000 married) to W-4 Step 4(b), as the 2026 W-4 worksheet allows. Needs hourly_rate and overtime hours. | |
| w4_step4c_extra_withholding | No | W-4 Step 4(c) extra federal withholding per paycheck, e.g. 50. | |
| ytd_gross_before_this_check | No | Gross pay already received from this job earlier in 2026, e.g. 150000. Only matters near the Social Security wage base or the $200,000 Additional Medicare threshold. | |
| state_additional_withholding | No | Extra state withholding per paycheck in USD, e.g. 20. | |
| health_insurance_per_paycheck | No | Pre-tax (section 125) health, dental and vision premiums and FSA per paycheck in USD, e.g. 120. |
Output Schema
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| label | Yes | ||
| lines | Yes | ||
| notes | Yes | ||
| state | Yes | ||
| downloads | Yes | ||
| net_per_year | Yes | ||
| state_method | Yes | ||
| net_per_check | Yes | ||
| pay_frequency | Yes | ||
| gross_per_year | Yes | ||
| taxes_per_year | Yes | ||
| checks_per_year | Yes | ||
| federal_bracket | Yes | ||
| gross_per_check | Yes | ||
| state_supported | Yes | ||
| taxes_per_check | Yes | ||
| effective_tax_rate | Yes | ||
| effective_state_rate | Yes | ||
| effective_federal_rate | Yes |