Net to gross calculator

Know what you need in your bank account? Enter it here to see the salary you'd have to earn before taxes to get it.

How it's worked out

There's no simple formula going backwards, because each tax has its own brackets and limits. So the calculator searches: it tries salaries and works out the take-home for each with the full paycheck engine, closing in on the lowest salary that reaches your target, to the cent. Worked out with the same engine as our state calculators: IRS Publication 15-T (2026) for federal withholding, the 2026 Social Security and Medicare rates, and each state's official withholding formula with its default state-form choices. Single filer and paid every two weeks unless you change it; no 401(k) or benefits.

Examples

To take home $50,000 a year as a single filer, you need a salary of about $59,515 in a state with no income tax, and about $63,457 in New York (outside New York City). Taking home $1,500.00 every two weeks in a state with no income tax takes about $45,824 a year.

What sits between gross and net

• Federal income tax — graduated rates from the IRS tables, after your filing status's standard amount; the biggest piece for most people.
• Social Security — 6.2% of pay up to $184,500 a year.
• Medicare — 1.45% of all pay, plus 0.9% above $200,000.
• State taxes — none in some states; elsewhere a flat or graduated income tax, and in a few states a small premium for disability or paid leave.

Pre-tax deductions (401(k), health insurance) also come out before your take-home, so if you have them, you need a higher salary than shown here for the same amount in the bank.

Salary needed for common take-home amounts

Yearly salary before tax to take home each amount, single filer paid every two weeks with a standard W-4 and no 401(k) or benefits.

TX Texas (no state income tax), CA California, NY New York (outside New York City), IL Illinois.

Using it for a job offer or a budget

If you know your monthly costs, add them up, choose "Year" or your paycheck frequency, and enter the total. If a job offer is quoted as a salary, use your state's paycheck calculator the other way around, or the two-state comparison if the job means moving. Contractors paid on a 1099 also pay the employer's half of Social Security and Medicare, so they need more than this shows.

Sources

• IRS Publication 15-T (2026), Federal Income Tax Withholding Methods — Worksheet 1A and the annual percentage-method tables
• IRS Publication 15 (2026), Employer's Tax Guide — Social Security and Medicare rates
• Social Security Administration — 2026 wage base of $184,500