Take-Home Pay Calculator

What you actually take home

Gross salary is a headline; take-home is reality. This take-home pay calculator turns W-2 salary, freelance income, or both into the money that actually lands in your account — after federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security and Medicare (FICA), self-employment tax, and pretax 401(k) contributions.

W-2, 1099, or both

Mixing a salary with freelance work changes the math: self-employment income owes the full 15.3% SE tax, and part of that is deductible. The calculator handles either or both and breaks out the pieces instead of giving you only a total.

Quarterly taxes, estimated

If you have self-employment income, you likely owe estimated taxes four times a year. When freelance income is present, the calculator estimates your quarterly payment so the bill does not catch you off guard.

It feeds your wider picture

Take-home becomes the basis of your Budget, your tax detail flows to the Taxes calculator, and your 401(k) to Investing — earn it once, use it everywhere.

Pretax now, or Roth later

A traditional 401(k) lowers today’s taxable income, while a Roth is funded with after-tax money and grows tax-free. This calculator models pretax contributions, since those change your take-home directly; the right mix between the two depends on whether you expect a higher or lower tax rate in retirement. A percentage-based contribution also rises automatically with a raise, which is one reason a raise changes your paycheck less than expected. If you support a dependent, Head of Household versus Single is usually worth more than any contribution tweak, and self-employed income has its own set-aside maths.

Frequently asked questions