What is taken out of a paycheck?
Four things, in most states: federal income tax, Social Security tax (6.2%), Medicare tax (1.45%) and state income tax. A fifth, local income tax, applies in Alabama, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Oregon and Pennsylvania and a few cities elsewhere. On a $60,000 salary in 2026 the federal lines come to about $9,610, and state tax adds between nothing and about $4,000 depending on the state.
Then come deductions that are not taxes: health, dental and vision premiums, 401(k) or 403(b) contributions, HSA and FSA contributions, commuter benefits, union dues, and in some states an employee premium for disability or paid leave insurance. These vary by employer and by choice, which is why two people on the same salary in the same state can have different net pay.
How is federal income tax withheld?
Federal withholding is an estimate of the year's income tax, taken in instalments. The employer annualises each paycheck, subtracts the standard deduction for the filing status on the employee's Form W-4 ($16,100 single, $32,200 married, $24,150 head of household in 2026), applies the seven brackets to what is left, and divides the result by the number of pay periods. The 2026 brackets for a single filer are 10% to $12,400 of taxable income, 12% to $50,400, 22% to $105,700, 24% to $201,775, 32% to $256,225, 35% to $640,600 and 37% above.
The brackets are marginal. A single filer with $43,900 of taxable income does not pay 12% on all of it; they pay 10% on the first $12,400 ($1,240) and 12% on the remaining $31,500 ($3,780), a total of $5,020. That is the figure on the $60,000 row of every state page on this site, because $60,000 less the $16,100 standard deduction is $43,900. The methodology page shows the full bracket table for all three filing statuses.
Withholding is not the final tax. Credits (the $2,200 child tax credit, the earned income credit, education credits) are claimed on the return, not through payroll, which is why a family with children often gets a refund: their withholding assumed no credits. Conversely a second job or a working spouse can leave withholding too low, which the W-4's multiple-jobs section exists to fix.
How does the W-4 change withholding?
The Form W-4 tells the employer four things: filing status, whether there is a second job or a working spouse, how many dependents to claim credits for, and any extra amount to withhold or other adjustments. Since the 2020 redesign there are no allowances; instead the dependent section reduces withholding by the value of the child tax credit, and step 4 lets an employee add other income, other deductions or a flat extra amount per paycheck.
An employee who leaves every optional step blank is withheld as a single person with no dependents and one job, which is the assumption this site's calculator makes. Checking the married box halves the bracket compression and doubles the standard deduction in the withholding formula. Entering $4,400 in the dependents box for two children reduces annual withholding by $4,400. Entering $50 in the extra withholding box adds $50 to every paycheck's federal line.
What are Social Security and Medicare withholding?
Together they are FICA, the Federal Insurance Contributions Act tax, and they do not depend on the W-4. Social Security is 6.2% of gross wages up to $184,500 in 2026 (up from $176,100), after which it stops; the maximum employee contribution is therefore $11,439. Medicare is 1.45% of all wages with no cap, plus an Additional Medicare Tax of 0.9% on wages above $200,000, which employers withhold once wages pass that threshold regardless of filing status. The employer pays a matching 6.2% and 1.45% that never appears on the employee's stub.
FICA applies before most pre-tax deductions. A 401(k) contribution reduces federal and state income tax but not Social Security or Medicare; a health premium under a section 125 cafeteria plan reduces all of them. That is why the FICA line on a stub is almost always exactly 7.65% of gross pay, while the income tax lines are not.
How is state income tax withheld?
Each of the 41 states with a wage tax, plus DC, publishes its own withholding tables that mirror its income tax: a flat rate in 15 states, graduated brackets in 26 and DC, and various deductions and exemptions. Most use their own version of the W-4 (Form IT-2104 in New York, DE 4 in California, W-4P in Pennsylvania) or accept the federal one. The nine states with no wage tax, Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington and Wyoming, withhold nothing.
The state line varies more than any other. On $60,000 it is $0 in Texas, $868 in Ohio (flat 2.75% above $26,050), $1,842 in Pennsylvania (flat 3.07% on everything), $2,825 in Illinois (flat 4.95% after a $2,925 exemption) and $3,981 in Oregon (8.75% from $11,400 of taxable income). The paycheck hub ranks all 51 jurisdictions on that salary, and each state page explains its structure.
In eleven states a local income tax is withheld alongside: Indiana's county rates (2.02% in Marion County), Maryland's county rates (2.25% to 3.2%), Ohio's municipal rates (2.5% in Columbus and Cleveland), Pennsylvania's earned income tax (about 1%, or 3.74% in Philadelphia), New York City's 3.078% to 3.876%, Kentucky's occupational taxes, and city taxes in Michigan, Missouri, Alabama, Oregon and Iowa's school districts. These are often larger than the state tax they sit beside.
Why does the first paycheck of the year look different?
Three things reset on 1 January. The Social Security wage base rises, so a high earner who stopped paying Social Security in November starts again. Federal and state brackets and standard deductions move with inflation, so withholding on the same salary drops slightly (the 2026 federal standard deduction rose from $15,750 to $16,100). And benefit premiums usually change with the new plan year. The guide to why take-home pay changed this year goes through each.
How can I check my own withholding?
Multiply the federal income tax on one paycheck by the number of pay periods and compare it with the tax on your expected annual income under the brackets above, less any credits you will claim. If the annualised withholding is more than a few hundred dollars above the expected tax, the W-4 is over-withholding and a refund is coming; if it is below, a balance is due in April. The IRS Tax Withholding Estimator on irs.gov does this calculation with your actual figures, and a state calculator on this site shows the state line for your salary.