About Takehome Cash

Updated August 24, 2026 · tax year 2026

Takehome Cash is a free calculator for US W-2 employees who want a straight estimate of take-home pay: federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare, and a simplified state wage-tax model for every state plus the District of Columbia.

Use it when you are reading an offer, comparing two states, or checking what a 401(k) deferral does to a paycheck. The math runs in your browser. There is no account, no database, and no advertising code in this version.

Numbers are withholding-style estimates, not a filing product and not official IRS Publication 15-T output. We use the 2026 federal brackets and standard deductions from IRS Revenue Procedure 2025-32, the SSA 2026 Social Security wage base of $184,500, and state rates compiled by the Tax Foundation from state statutes. Modeling choices and known gaps are on the methodology page.

The site is operated by Shobhit Sachan. If a figure looks wrong against your stub, treat the stub as source of truth and check the methodology notes for locals (NYC, CA SDI, WA Cares) and credits we omit.