2026 at a glance
| Item | 2026 |
|---|---|
| Federal brackets | 10%, 12%, 22%, 24%, 32%, 35%, 37% |
| Withholding adjustment, W-4 Step 1(g) | $8,600 ($12,900 married filing jointly) |
| Social Security (employee) | 6.2% up to $184,500 of wages |
| Medicare (employee) | 1.45%, plus 0.9% on wages over $200,000 |
| Withholding method | IRS Pub. 15-T, Worksheet 1A (percentage method) |
Employees who filed a Form W-4 in 2020 or later are withheld using the percentage method shown here. Older W-4s with allowances use a different worksheet and are not modelled.
Federal tax calculators
- Refund or balance due: the income tax calculator and refund estimator works through a 2026 Form 1040, including the child tax credit and the new overtime, tips and senior deductions.
- Freelance and 1099 work: the self-employment tax calculator adds Schedule SE and quarterly estimated payments.
- Rates: the 2026 tax brackets, capital gains tax and bonus tax calculators.
- Shopping: the sales tax calculator with every state’s 2026 rate, forward and reverse.
- Pay conversions: salary to hourly, raise, overtime and work hours.
Choose a paycheck calculator
- Any state, any pay frequency: the paycheck calculator shows federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare and state tax for each weekly, bi-weekly, semi-monthly or monthly paycheck.
- Paid by the hour: the hourly paycheck calculator turns an hourly rate and weekly hours into take-home pay.
- No state income tax: Texas, Florida, Tennessee, Nevada and Washington (Paid Leave and WA Cares premiums only).
- Flat or elected rates: Arizona, Colorado, Indiana (plus county tax), Kentucky and Massachusetts.
- Brackets and formulas: New Jersey, Minnesota, Wisconsin, South Carolina, Oregon, Missouri, Connecticut, Oklahoma and Alabama.
- More flat-rate states: Louisiana, Iowa and Mississippi.
- More bracket states: Arkansas, Nebraska, West Virginia, New Mexico, Hawaii, Maine, Montana and Vermont.
- Flat-rate states: Illinois (4.95%), Pennsylvania (3.07%), Michigan (4.25%), Georgia (4.99%) and North Carolina (3.99%).
- Graduated rates: California, New York (plus New York City tax) and Virginia (2% to 5.75%).
- Ohio: the new 2.75% flat tax, withheld with the Ohio tables effective August 2026.
How these calculators are built
Federal withholding follows IRS Publication 15-T: wages are annualized, the Step 1(g) adjustment is subtracted unless the Step 2 box is checked, the annual percentage-method table gives the tentative tax, and Step 3 credits and Step 4(c) extra withholding are applied per paycheck. Tests compare the engine with every 15th row of the IRS wage-bracket tables for all four pay frequencies and all six filing columns.
State withholding uses each state’s 2026 employer instructions, and every state module reproduces the worked example published by that state’s revenue department. States are added only once their official 2026 method has been checked; 39 states are covered so far.
Withholding is an estimate of your tax for the year, not the final bill. Your actual tax is settled when you file your return.