Reverse paycheck calculator
Start with the take-home pay you need and this works out the gross salary that gets you there, after federal tax, Social Security, Medicare and state tax.
No state income tax in Texas, so the only moving parts are federal tax and FICA. Those are modeled from the full bracket tables, so the state line can't throw this off.
What the extra gross pays for
Every line comes out of the gross before the money reaches you.
The same take-home costs a different salary in each state
Solved for $60,000 a year, filing single. The last column is what people in that state actually earn.
| State | Gross needed | Effective rate | State average pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | $79,336 | 24.4% | $99,949 |
| California | $79,951 | 25.0% | $96,946 |
| Texas | $73,132 | 18.0% | $77,995 |
| Florida | $73,132 | 18.0% | $72,770 |
The national average is $78,722. Keeping $60,000 in Texas takes $73,132, which lands just under the Texas average of $77,995.
Wage figures come from BLS QCEW, 2025 release. Each one is checked against two separate BLS services before it goes on the page. A reading that can't be verified is left off rather than estimated.
Why this solves instead of dividing
Take-home doesn't move in a straight line with gross. It bends at every federal bracket edge, again once you pass the Social Security wage base of $176,100, and again at the additional Medicare threshold. Divide by one flat rate and the answer drifts, worst of all right around those bends where plenty of salaries actually sit.
So the page runs the forward paycheck maths over and over, narrowing in on the gross that hits your number. It stops once it's within fifty cents.
Federal brackets and the 2025 standard deduction come from the vetted table this whole site runs on, checked against IRS Publication 15-T and the SSA contribution and benefit base. The wage comparison comes from BLS QCEW.
Nothing here is typed in by hand. Every figure on the page is recomputed in code when the site builds, and the calculator recomputes in your browser as you type, from the same table. Tax data was last reviewed in June 2026.
Common questions
How do you work out gross pay from take-home pay
You can't just add the tax back, because the tax depends on the gross you're solving for. So this tool searches instead. It narrows in on the gross that lands on your target, stopping within fifty cents. That matters most near a bracket edge or the Social Security wage base of $176,100.
Why is the gross so much higher than the take-home
The gap covers federal income tax, Social Security at 6.2%, Medicare at 1.45%, and state tax where the state levies one. To keep $60,000 in Texas you need $73,132, so $13,132 goes to tax at an effective rate of 18.0%.
Is this the same as a gross-up calculator
For salary purposes, yes. A gross-up asks the same question in reverse, which is what to pay someone so a set amount reaches them after withholding. Payroll teams usually gross up a one-off item like a bonus or relocation, and this page solves it for regular annual salary.
What this estimate leaves out
Pre-tax deductions such as a 401k or HSA, local and city taxes, tax credits, and anything specific to your employer. Progressive-tax states are carried as a single effective rate rather than full graduated brackets, so treat those as an estimate and not a payroll-grade figure.