Paycheck Calculator | 2026 Tax Breakdown (Google Sheets, Excel)

Description

Paycheck Calculator — What actually lands in your bank account? This calculator turns your gross salary into your real take-home pay – after federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare, state tax and your deductions – for any pay frequency. Built on the official 2026 figures.

What’s inside your Paycheck Calculator

Editable in Google Sheets and Microsoft Excel. Change your salary, filing status, 401(k) or state rate and everything updates.

What It Does

• Dashboard: your take-home per paycheck, your annual take-home, your effective tax rate, and a chart of where every dollar of gross goes
• Paycheck: your salary, pay frequency, filing status, pre-tax deductions (401k, health, HSA) and your state tax rate
• Tax Detail: federal income tax on the 2026 brackets, Social Security and Medicare, and state tax – itemized line by line, with the full bracket table
• How to Use: gross versus net, how pre-tax deductions work, and where the figures come from

Calculates

• Take-home pay per paycheck – weekly, bi-weekly, semi-monthly or monthly
• Federal income tax – 2026 brackets, Single or Married Filing Jointly
• Social Security (6.2% to the wage base) and Medicare (1.45%)
• State income tax – your state’s rate, editable
• Take-home cross-checked two independent ways

What makes it accurate: your 401(k) lowers your federal income tax but NOT your Social Security and Medicare – and your health premium and HSA are pre-tax for both. This calculator handles that difference the way real payroll does, which is what separates it from a rough estimate.

2026 figures, from the source: the federal brackets and standard deduction are the official 2026 figures (IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32) and the Social Security wage base is the 2026 SSA figure ($184,500). All are editable if your situation differs.

Who it’s for

Starting a new job, got a raise, comparing two offers (or two states), or anyone on a W-2 who wants to know where their money goes.

Explore more in our Personal Finance Trackers collection, or open it in Google Sheets.

Frequently asked questions

How is it delivered?
Instant download in Google Sheets, Excel & PDF — available right after checkout, with lifetime access.

Is it ready to use?
Yes — the formulas are built in. Enter your own numbers and it calculates automatically.