Generated 10/9/2026 · Bi-Weekly · Single
Paycheck Explainer
Plain-English breakdown of every deduction on your paycheck. Enter your gross pay and filing info — see where your money goes and why. Federal tax follows the IRS Pub. 15-T (2026) percentage method; state tax is a rough flat-rate estimate.
Your Paycheck Details
Before any deductions are taken out
State tax is a rough estimate, not your state’s withholding: the flat rate for flat-tax states, about the state’s average rate on $75,000 of pay for graduated states. Local taxes are not included.
Optional Details
Sets where you are against the Social Security cap ($184,500) and the $200,000 Additional Medicare line. Find it on your most recent pay stub, in the YTD or Year-to-Date gross column.
Lowers income tax, but Social Security and Medicare still apply to it
Taken through your employer’s Section 125 (cafeteria) plan: exempt from income tax, Social Security and Medicare
Deduction Breakdown
Employers figure federal withholding with the IRS Pub. 15-T percentage method. Your check of $3,500.00 (after pre-tax deductions) is annualized to $91,000.00, the standard deduction for Single is taken off, and the regular tax brackets are applied. That puts you in the 22.00% marginal bracket. The yearly tax is split into 1/26th for each check. This estimate assumes a standard Form W-4 (2020 or later, Step 2 box unchecked, nothing in Steps 3 and 4); credits, extra withholding and a second job on your W-4 change the real figure.
Social Security tax is a flat 6.2% on wages up to the annual wage base of $184,500.00. Your employer pays a matching 6.2% on your behalf. Once your total wages hit that cap (you've earned $0.00 so far this year), this deduction stops for the rest of the year.
Medicare tax is a flat 1.45% on all wages with no annual cap — it applies to every dollar you earn. Your employer matches this 1.45%. Employers also withhold an extra 0.9% on wages above $200,000.00 in a calendar year (whatever your filing status), starting with the check that takes your year-to-date wages past that line.
This is your gross pay minus all the deductions above. To change your take-home pay you can update your W-4 (for example if the credits or adjustments on it no longer fit your situation) or check whether your withholding is accurate with the IRS Tax Withholding Estimator. Pre-tax contributions to a 401(k) or HSA lower the tax you owe, but they also move money out of your paycheck, so they reduce take-home pay rather than raise it.
Annual Projection
A full year of pay at this level from January 1, so the Social Security cap and Additional Medicare line fall where they would over the year. It does not use your YTD wages.
The NRA Tax Wizard handles treaty determinations and withholding for nonresident aliens — free, and the finished form is emailed to you.