Take-Home Pay After Federal Tax and FICA
How a paycheck is split into Social Security, Medicare, federal income tax, and optional 401(k) deferrals — and what this model leaves out.
By Greg, Editor at Finance Maxx. Published · Updated
Salary is not cash in the bank. Employee FICA comes out of gross wages first; federal income tax is estimated from the same brackets as the tax calculator. What is left is take-home in this model.
The pieces
The take-home pay calculator annualizes wages, then subtracts:
- Social Security — 6.2% of wages up to this year’s wage base (This year — FICA): $176,100 in 2025, $184,500 in 2026
- Medicare — 1.45% of all wages, plus 0.9% Additional Medicare above the filing-status threshold ($200,000 single, $250,000 joint)
- Federal income tax — same engine as the federal tax calculator, using the standard deduction
- Traditional 401(k) (optional) — lowers federal income tax here; it does not lower Social Security or Medicare
The annual net is then split by pay frequency (weekly, biweekly, semimonthly, monthly, or annual).
Worked example (2026, single, $75,000, no 401(k))
- Social Security: $4,650
- Medicare: $1,087.50
- Federal income tax (standard deduction then brackets): about $7,670
- Annual net in this model: about $61,593 (~$5,133/month)
Add a traditional deferral and federal tax falls while FICA stays put. That split surprises people who thought “pretax” meant all payroll taxes.
What this does not include
State and local tax, pretax health premiums, garnishments, and employer withholding tables. A real paycheck will differ. Confirm withholding with your payroll provider.
Withholding is not the same engine
Employers use IRS Publication 15-T worksheets, W-4 step 2/3/4 entries, and often state tables. This page annualizes tax and divides by pay frequency. If you claimed extra withholding or a large W-4 credit amount, your stub can look nothing like this estimate even when the annual federal tax is in the right neighborhood. Use the federal tax calculator with “taxes already paid” to guess refund vs owed at year-end, not this paycheck split.
Additional Medicare and the wage base
Cross $200,000 single (or $250,000 joint) and the extra 0.9% Medicare starts even though Social Security has already stopped at the wage base. High earners therefore see Medicare keep going after OASDI caps. The take-home tool applies that; a back-of-envelope “7.65% forever” does not.
When not to use this number
- You have substantial state tax (this model is $0 state).
- You have pretax medical, HSA, or FSA that shrinks federal wages on the stub.
- You are self-employed (employer + employee FICA / SE tax is a different stack).
Pair it with the tax season playbook if you are setting withholding for the year, and with 50/30/20 once you have a net number you trust.