Hourly Paycheck Calculator — 2026 Take-Home Pay for All 50 States
Knowing your hourly rate is only half the picture. What you actually take home depends on your state, your hours, your filing status, and the taxes pulled from every check.
This free hourly paycheck calculator shows your exact net pay after federal income tax, state income tax, Social Security, and Medicare. Enter your wage and hours. Get your take-home in seconds.
Per bi-weekly paycheck
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Get Matched — Free, No ObligationThis calculator provides estimates for informational purposes only and does not constitute tax or financial advice. Results may vary based on your specific situation. Consult a qualified tax professional for advice specific to your circumstances.
Tip: switch the calculator to Hourly mode at the top to enter wage, hours, and overtime.
How Hourly Pay Gets Taxed
Hourly workers pay the same taxes as salaried workers. The IRS and your state do not care whether you earn a flat salary or an hourly wage. The calculation is the same either way.
Here is how the math works for an hourly worker.
First, gross pay is calculated. Multiply your hourly rate by the hours worked in the pay period. If you earn $22 per hour and work 80 hours per bi-weekly period, your gross pay is $1,760.
Second, pre-tax deductions come out. If you contribute to a 401(k), pay health insurance premiums through your employer, or contribute to an HSA, those amounts reduce your taxable income before any tax is calculated.
Third, federal income tax is withheld. The IRS uses your annualized income and W-4 settings to determine how much to withhold each period. For 2026, federal brackets run from 10% to 37%. Most hourly workers earning $15 to $30 per hour fall in the 12% or 22% bracket.
Fourth, state income tax is withheld. The rate depends on your state. Nine states have no state income tax. The rest range from 2.5% flat (Arizona) to 13.3% at the top bracket (California).
Fifth, FICA taxes are withheld. Social Security takes 6.2% on all wages up to $176,100 in 2026. Medicare takes 1.45% with no cap.
What remains is your net pay. That is the number on your check.
Hourly Take-Home Pay Examples (2026)
These estimates are for a single filer working 40 hours per week, paid bi-weekly, with no pre-tax deductions, in a state with a 5% flat income tax rate.
- $15/hour — $1,200 gross per bi-weekly check. Take-home ≈ $987. Effective rate ≈ 17.8%.
- $20/hour — $1,600 gross. Take-home ≈ $1,298. Effective rate ≈ 18.9%.
- $25/hour — $2,000 gross. Take-home ≈ $1,601. Effective rate ≈ 19.9%.
- $30/hour — $2,400 gross. Take-home ≈ $1,893. Effective rate ≈ 21.1%.
- $40/hour — $3,200 gross. Take-home ≈ $2,447. Effective rate ≈ 23.5%.
These are estimates for planning purposes. Your actual take-home depends on your state, filing status, W-4 settings, and any pre-tax deductions. Use the calculator above for your exact numbers.
How Overtime Affects Hourly Take-Home Pay
Overtime pay is taxed the same as regular wages. The IRS does not have a special overtime tax rate. However, overtime pushes your income higher for the pay period, which may temporarily increase your withholding.
Federal law requires most hourly workers to receive 1.5 times their regular rate for hours worked beyond 40 in a workweek. Some states have additional overtime rules. California, for example, requires overtime after 8 hours in a single workday, not just after 40 hours in the week.
For a worker earning $20 per hour who works 50 hours in a week, 40 hours are paid at $20 (regular rate) and 10 hours are paid at $30 (overtime rate). Gross pay for the week is $1,100.
When your employer calculates withholding on a larger-than-usual check, the annualized income projection may push you into a higher bracket for that period. You may see more withheld from an overtime week. That extra withholding is trued up at tax filing time.
Hourly vs. Salary — Which Pays More After Taxes?
The tax rules are identical. An hourly worker earning $25 per hour for 2,080 hours per year earns $52,000. A salaried worker earning $52,000 per year pays the exact same federal and state income tax on that income.
The practical difference is stability. Salaried workers receive the same paycheck each period regardless of hours. Hourly workers' paychecks vary with hours worked, overtime, and unpaid time off.
One important planning difference: hourly workers need to estimate their annual income carefully when filling out Form W-4. If your hours fluctuate significantly week to week, your total annual income may be hard to predict. Underestimating your annual income on the W-4 can lead to underwithholding. Use this calculator with your realistic average hours to set the right expectation.
Converting Hourly Rate to Annual Salary
A standard full-time hourly position is 40 hours per week for 52 weeks, which equals 2,080 hours per year. Multiply your hourly rate by 2,080 to get your estimated annual salary.
- $15/hour × 2,080 = $31,200/year
- $20/hour × 2,080 = $41,600/year
- $25/hour × 2,080 = $52,000/year
- $30/hour × 2,080 = $62,400/year
- $40/hour × 2,080 = $83,200/year
- $50/hour × 2,080 = $104,000/year
Part-time workers earning $20 per hour at 25 hours per week work 1,300 hours per year and earn $26,000 annually. Taxes on this income are lower because the annualized income falls in the 10% and 12% federal brackets.
Use the salary version of this calculator to compare scenarios at your annualized income.
Frequently Asked Questions — Hourly Paycheck Calculator
Q: How do I calculate my hourly take-home pay after taxes?
Start with your gross pay for the period (hourly rate × hours worked). Subtract any pre-tax deductions like 401(k) or health insurance. Then subtract federal income tax using 2026 brackets, Social Security at 6.2%, Medicare at 1.45%, and your state income tax. The remainder is your net pay. For a $22 per hour worker putting in 80 hours bi-weekly with no deductions, filing single in a 5% state, the take-home is approximately $1,404. The calculator above does this math automatically for any state.
Q: What is the federal income tax rate for hourly workers in 2026?
Hourly workers pay the same federal income tax rates as salaried workers. The 2026 federal brackets for single filers are 10% on taxable income up to $11,925, 12% on income from $11,926 to $48,475, 22% on income from $48,476 to $103,350, 24% on income from $103,351 to $197,300, and higher rates above that. Most full-time hourly workers earning between $15 and $30 per hour fall primarily in the 12% bracket. Workers earning $30 to $50 per hour typically cross into the 22% bracket.
Q: Do hourly workers pay Social Security and Medicare taxes?
Yes. All workers, whether hourly or salaried, pay Social Security at 6.2% on wages up to $176,100 in 2026, and Medicare at 1.45% on all wages with no cap. These are sometimes listed on your pay stub as FICA. For an hourly worker earning $20 per hour working 80 hours bi-weekly, Social Security withholding is $99.20 per check and Medicare is $23.20. These amounts are the same regardless of which state you work in.
Q: How many hours per year is a full-time hourly job?
A standard full-time hourly job is 40 hours per week multiplied by 52 weeks, which equals 2,080 hours per year. This is the most common baseline used by employers and the IRS for converting between hourly and annual pay. Some employers define full-time as 37.5 hours per week (1,950 annual hours) or 35 hours per week (1,820 annual hours). Always confirm your employer's definition. Use 2,080 as the default if you are unsure.
Q: Does working part-time lower my tax rate?
Yes. Working fewer hours reduces your total annual income, which may drop you into a lower federal tax bracket. A worker earning $20 per hour full-time (40 hours per week) earns $41,600 per year and pays a federal effective rate of roughly 11.5% as a single filer. The same worker at 20 hours per week earns $20,800 per year and pays a federal effective rate of roughly 7.8%. The marginal rate also drops from 12% to 10% for most of their income. Fewer hours also mean less Social Security and Medicare withheld, since both are a flat percentage of wages.
Q: Why does my paycheck vary even when I work the same hours?
Your gross pay stays the same when hours are constant, but withholding can vary for a few reasons. Year-to-date income affects how close you are to the Social Security wage base ($176,100 in 2026). Once you cross that threshold, Social Security withholding stops for the rest of the year, increasing your take-home. Mid-year changes to your W-4 also affect withholding going forward. Employer payroll software recalculates withholding each period based on projected annual income, so a one-time overtime week can temporarily shift the withholding amount on your next regular check.
This hourly paycheck calculator provides estimates for informational purposes only. It does not constitute tax or financial advice. Results may vary based on your specific withholding situation, employer deductions, and local taxes not modeled here. Consult a qualified tax professional for advice specific to your circumstances.
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