Federal withholding calculator
How much federal income tax comes out of each paycheck. Gross per period, pay frequency, and filing status in; withholding out.
Common questions
How does the IRS percentage method work?
Employers annualize each check (gross × pay periods), subtract the standard deduction implied by your W-4, apply the annual bracket table, then divide the tax back across the year. This page runs the same math so you can predict the line on your stub.
Why is my withholding different from my effective rate?
Withholding is a pre-payment estimate, not the final bill. It ignores credits, itemized deductions and other income, and it rounds per check. Your actual tax is settled on the return, and over- or under-withholding shows up as a refund or a balance due.
What changed my check after filing a new W-4?
The post-2020 W-4 removed allowances. The biggest levers now are the step-2 checkbox (additional withholding spread across the year), dependents in step 3, and any extra amount in step 4(c). This calculator models 2026 brackets with the standard W-4 defaults.
Withholding is only the federal slice
A real stub also carries 6.2% Social Security up to the wage base, 1.45% Medicare, and your state's tax. The pay raise calculator and the reverse paycheck calculator run the full stack (federal, FICA and state) across every pay period. The tax bracket calculator shows where your annual income lands in the 2026 brackets.