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Take-Home Pay Calculator

Gross salary to net paycheck: federal brackets, FICA, and 401(k)/HSA pre-tax effects, visualized as a flow.

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Your paycheck gets smaller than your salary for three separate reasons: federal tax, (usually) state tax, and FICA (Social Security + Medicare). Flip each one off below to see exactly how much of the gap each one causes — most people are surprised which one takes the biggest bite.
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Annual net pay
$64,461
Monthly net pay
$5,372
Effective total tax rate
22.4%
enabled taxes only / gross
Marginal federal rate
22%
applied

On $90,000 in California, $22 of every $100 you earn never reaches your account — $10,226 federal, $3,028 CA, $6,885 FICA.

Net pay: $64,461Federal tax: $10,226FICA: $6,885State tax (approx.): $3,028Pre-tax savings: $5,400
View as table
Line itemAmount
Gross annual salary$90,000
401(k) contribution (pre-tax)$5,400
HSA contribution$0
Federal taxable wages$84,600
Standard deduction (2025)$15,000
Federal taxable income$69,600
Federal income tax $10,226
Social Security (6.2%) $5,580
Medicare (1.45% + additional) $1,305
California state income tax (approx.) $3,028
Annual net pay$64,461
Monthly net pay$5,372

Methodology & assumptions

  • Uses 2025 federal tax brackets and the 2025 standard deduction — the standard deduction only, no itemizing, credits, or dependents.
  • State income tax uses each state's real 2025 rate schedule (flat or bracketed) as a best-effort approximation, applied to federal taxable income — real state tax codes have their own deductions, exemptions, and credits, and some states add local/city income tax on top (not modeled).
  • 401(k) contributions reduce federal (and state-approximated) taxable wages but not FICA wages; HSA contributions reduce both, matching how payroll actually applies them.
  • FICA uses 2025 figures: 6.2% Social Security up to the $176,100 wage base, 1.45% Medicare, plus the 0.9% additional Medicare surtax above $200,000 (single) / $250,000 (MFJ).
  • The four toggles let you isolate each component's effect on take-home pay — switching one off removes it from the math entirely so you can see the marginal cost of federal tax, state tax, FICA, and pre-tax savings independently.
  • Assumes a single employer for the full year — no mid-year job changes, bonuses, or Social Security wage-base overlap from multiple employers, and no local/city taxes or tax credits.

Educational only

This simulator is for education. It uses simplified assumptions, is not financial, tax, or investment advice, and no result here is a prediction or a recommendation. Talk to a licensed professional before acting.

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