Estimate 2026 federal withholding for regular employee wages using a 2020-or-later Form W-4. See income-tax withholding and FICA deductions separately.
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How this calculator works
The calculation annualizes taxable wages, applies W-4 Steps 2, 3 and 4 using IRS Publication 15-T Worksheet 1A, then converts withholding back to one pay period. Social Security and Medicare use their own wage bases. This is a paycheck estimate, not a completed W-4 or an annual tax-return projection.
Example calculation
For $2,000 in biweekly taxable wages, Single filing status and no W-4 adjustments, estimated federal income-tax withholding is $156.15. With $124.00 Social Security and $29.00 Medicare, combined federal payroll deductions are $309.15.
2026 methodology & assumptions
For regular U.S. employee wages with a 2020-or-later W-4. This estimate uses 52 weekly, 26 biweekly, 24 semi-monthly or 12 monthly pay periods. Federal withholding follows IRS Publication 15-T Worksheet 1A. Amounts are rounded to cents.
Social Security uses a $184,500 wage limit and 6.2% employee rate; Medicare uses 1.45%. Additional Medicare withholding is 0.9% on wages above $200,000 paid by the same employer, regardless of filing status. Enter year-to-date taxable wages before this paycheck to model those thresholds.
California uses EDD Method B annualization, including DE 4 allowances and 1.3% uncapped SDI. Period-specific tables may differ slightly because of rounding. Supplemental wages, nonresident-alien adjustments, self-employment tax, local taxes, special exemptions, and multi-state allocation are not automatically modeled. Overtime is not automatically treated as tax-free.
Frequently asked questions
What does the multiple-jobs checkbox do?
It uses the IRS Step 2 checkbox withholding schedule. Select it only when that box is checked on the W-4 being modeled. Other multiple-job adjustments can instead be reflected in additional withholding.
Why do you ask for year-to-date wages?
The Social Security wage limit and Additional Medicare withholding threshold apply across the year at the same employer. Enter wages before this paycheck; leaving zero models the beginning of the year.
Calculations are estimates for informational purposes and may not reflect every tax, deduction, credit, local tax, or individual payroll situation. Verify important payroll and tax information with applicable government guidance or a qualified professional. Use the generator only for accurate, authorized payroll records.
Related payroll calculators and records
Review wages, withholding and deductions against your records. Use the free tools for an estimate, then create a document only from accurate, authorized payroll information.
Start with gross pay for one pay period, then enter the applicable deductions in their own fields. If you start with an amount that already excludes those deductions and enter them again, the estimate will reduce wages twice. Use the pay frequency on your actual payroll: biweekly means 26 periods here; semi-monthly means 24.
W-4 Step 3 credits and Steps 4(a) and 4(b) adjustments are annual amounts. Step 4(c) is extra withholding for each paycheck. Copy the entries from the W-4 being modeled; do not enter a number of dependents in the dollar-credit field. Select Calculate again after changing an input.
Federal income tax is only one deduction
Read the federal income-tax withholding line separately from Social Security, Medicare and Additional Medicare. “Combined federal payroll deductions” adds those taxes together. “Remaining pay before state/local taxes” is not a complete take-home-pay estimate for every location. This federal calculator has no state-tax input; use a supported state calculator for state-specific estimates.
Trace the $156.15 federal withholding example
Assume $2,000 biweekly taxable wages, Single filing status, a 2020-or-later W-4 with Step 2 unchecked, and zero credits or adjustments. The 2026 IRS Worksheet 1A calculation is: $2,000 × 26 = $52,000 annualized wages; subtract $8,600 to get $43,400 adjusted annual wages. The applicable standard table gives $1,240 + 12% × ($43,400 − $19,900) = $4,060. Divide by 26 and round to cents: $156.15 for this paycheck.
Adding $25 in Step 4(c) produces $181.15 federal income-tax withholding with the other inputs unchanged. This is a worked estimate for the stated inputs, not a flat tax rate or a prediction of your annual refund.
When the estimate differs from your pay stub
Check the pay frequency, federal taxable wages, W-4 version and entries, deduction treatment and payroll rounding. Confirm whether the payment includes a separately processed bonus or another situation outside this calculator’s regular-wage scope. For the annual relationship between wages and withholding, see YTD gross pay versus W-2 Box 1: Box 1 reports wages, while Box 2 reports federal income tax withheld.
