Calculate your 2026 take-home pay in the US or UK

What This Tool Does

The calculator is two systems behind one URL. The region toggle at the top of the page picks which one is active and remembers your choice for the next visit. Both regions are updated to the latest 2026 figures published by the IRS and HMRC.

• United States — federal income tax across all four IRS filing statuses (Single, MFJ, HoH, MFS) plus the full FICA stack (Social Security, Medicare, Additional Medicare). Standard deduction is auto-applied per filing status. State, city, and local income tax are not included — they vary too widely to model in one calculator.
• United Kingdom — income tax across the three official bands (basic 20%, higher 40%, additional 45%) with the £12,570 Personal Allowance, the £100,000–£125,140 PA taper, and Class-1 employee National Insurance at the post-Spring-2024 rates (8% PT-to-UEL, 2% above UEL).

Both regions display the same outputs: take-home (annual and monthly), the effective tax rate, and a full line-by-line breakdown.

How Does the Math Work?

United States (2026 tax year)

1. Subtract the standard deduction from gross to get taxable income. For 2026 the deduction is $16,100 (single / MFS), $32,200 (MFJ), or $24,150 (HoH).
2. Apply the 7-band federal income-tax schedule (10/12/22/24/32/35/37%) marginally on the taxable income — each slice taxed at its own rate.
3. Add Social Security: 6.2% on gross up to $184,500 (2026 wage base), then 0%. Maximum employee Social Security tax for 2026: $11,439.
4. Add Medicare: 1.45% on all gross.
5. Add Additional Medicare: 0.9% on gross above the filing-status threshold ($200,000 single, $250,000 MFJ, $125,000 MFS) — these thresholds have been frozen since 2013.
6. Subtract the sum from gross — that’s your annual take-home. Divide by 12 for monthly.

The marginal-bracket display shows the highest rate that any of your income hits — useful for understanding what an extra $1,000 of salary would cost in tax.

United Kingdom (2026/27 tax year)

1. Compute your effective Personal Allowance: full £12,570 if gross ≤ £100,000, taper to £0 between £100,000 and £125,140.
2. Subtract PA from gross to get taxable income.
3. Apply income tax: 20% on the first £37,700 of taxable, 40% from there to the additional-rate threshold, 45% above £125,140 of gross.
4. Compute Class-1 employee NI: 0% below £12,570, 8% between £12,570 and £50,270, 2% above £50,270.
5. Subtract income tax + NI from gross — that’s your annual take-home.

Which Filing Status Should You Pick (US)?

• Single — unmarried, not head of a household, no qualifying dependents. The default for most W-2 earners.
• Married filing jointly (MFJ) — combined return for spouses. Bracket thresholds and standard deduction are roughly double the single values, but the deduction-to-bracket ratio is the same so it’s not always advantageous.
• Head of household (HoH) — unmarried with a qualifying dependent. Wider brackets than single but tighter than MFJ. Standard deduction is $24,150 in 2026.
• Married filing separately (MFS) — same brackets as single up through 35% but the additional-Medicare threshold is half ($125,000 instead of $200,000), and the 37% bracket starts at $384,350 (half of MFJ’s $768,700). Rarely beneficial except for specific tax-strategy reasons.

What Are the 2026 US Federal Brackets?

For taxable income (gross minus standard deduction), single filer (IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32):

Bracket	Rate	Income range
1	10%	$0 – $12,400
2	12%	$12,400 – $50,400
3	22%	$50,400 – $105,700
4	24%	$105,700 – $201,775
5	32%	$201,775 – $256,225
6	35%	$256,225 – $640,600
7	37%	$640,600+

Married-filing-jointly thresholds are roughly double (37% starts at $768,700), head-of-household sits between single and MFJ (37% at $640,600 with a wider 22% band). The 2026 figures reflect about 2.7 % inflation adjustment over 2025.

What Are the 2026/27 UK Bands?

For taxable income (gross minus Personal Allowance), England / Wales / Northern Ireland (gov.uk income-tax rates):

Band	Rate	Taxable range	Gross equivalent
Basic	20%	£0 – £37,700	£12,570 – £50,270
Higher	40%	£37,700 – £112,570	£50,270 – £125,140
Additional	45%	£112,570+	£125,140+

Scottish income tax uses a 6-band structure (19/20/21/42/45/48%) — that’s a separate calculator and out of scope here.

What Changed for 2026?

United States — meaningful adjustments

Social Security wage base up to $184,500 (+). The SSA’s October 2025 announcement raised the wage base from $176,100 to $184,500 — an $8,400 jump tied to the 2.8 % cost-of-living adjustment. High earners now pay 6.2 % on an additional $8,400 of wages, costing $520.80 in extra Social Security tax across the year. Maximum employee Social Security contribution for 2026 is $11,439.

Standard deduction raised across the board (+). Single and MFS filers go from $15,000 to $16,100 (+$1,100), MFJ from $30,000 to $32,200 (+$2,200), HoH from $22,500 to $24,150 (+$1,650). That much extra income now sits in the 0 % zone, saving you the marginal rate of your top bracket on the increase.

Bracket thresholds shifted ~2.7 % up for inflation (+). The 37 % top bracket starts at $640,600 single / $768,700 MFJ in 2026 (was $626,350 / $751,600 in 2025). Every threshold below moved by similar percentages. Net effect for typical earners: a small federal-income-tax cut that mostly offsets the higher Social Security contribution.

Additional Medicare thresholds unchanged (=). The 0.9 % surtax kicks in at $200,000 (single / HoH), $250,000 (MFJ), or $125,000 (MFS) — these have been frozen since the Affordable Care Act took effect in 2013. With wage growth, more workers now exceed them every year.

United Kingdom — the freeze continues

No rate or threshold changes for 2026/27 (=, but creates fiscal drag). Personal Allowance £12,570, basic-rate band £37,700, higher-rate threshold £50,270, additional-rate threshold £125,140 — all unchanged and frozen until at least April 2031 under current legislation. Class-1 employee NI stays at 8 % between PT and UEL, 2 % above. Practical impact: as nominal wages grow with inflation, more of your salary lands in higher-rate territory even though the bands haven’t moved — sometimes called fiscal drag or “stealth tax.” For a worker who got a 4 % pay rise in April 2026, the effective tax rate will be slightly higher in 2026/27 than in 2025/26 simply because more of the same band breakdown now sits above the £50,270 line.

Where Do the Rates Come From and What About Privacy?

US numbers come from IRS Revenue Procedure 2025-32 (annual brackets, October 2025) and the Social Security Administration’s 2026 wage-base announcement. Cross-reference with the Tax Foundation 2026 brackets for an independent reading. UK numbers come from HMRC’s published rates for the 2026/27 tax year, including the post-Spring-2024 NI cuts (12 % → 10 % → 8 %).

The calculator runs entirely client-side. Your salary, filing status, and region pick never leave your browser — no analytics, no signup, no server. The region you choose (US or UK) is the only thing stored, and it’s stored only in your own browser’s localStorage so you don’t have to pick again next visit.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much take-home does $75,000 single produce in 2026?

For a single W-2 earner with $75,000 gross and the 2026 standard deduction of $16,100, taxable income is $58,900. Federal income tax across the 10 / 12 / 22 % brackets works out to about $8,043. Social Security is 6.2 % × $75,000 = $4,650, Medicare 1.45 % × $75,000 = $1,087.50, no Additional Medicare (under the $200,000 threshold). Total federal-and-FICA: about $13,780, leaving roughly $61,220 take-home before any state income tax and pre-tax benefit deductions. Add your state’s effective rate to see your full picture — the Tax Foundation state-income-tax map is a good cross-reference.

How much take-home does £50,000 produce in the UK in 2026/27?

With the full £12,570 Personal Allowance, taxable income is £37,430. Income tax: 20 % × £37,430 = £7,486 (still inside the basic-rate band). Class-1 NI: 8 % × (£50,000 − £12,570) = 8 % × £37,430 = £2,994.40. Total deduction: about £10,480, leaving roughly £39,520 take-home. At £50,001 the higher-rate band kicks in — every additional pound is taxed at 40 % income tax + 2 % NI = 42 % combined marginal, a steep cliff that catches a lot of mid-career earners with promotions or bonuses.

Does this include 401(k), IRA, or pension contributions?

No. Pre-tax retirement contributions reduce taxable income but not Social Security / Medicare wages, and they vary by employer plan. The 2026 401(k) contribution limit is $24,500. Subtract your annual 401(k) contribution from gross before entering it if you want to model their effect on federal income tax — but be aware that the FICA line items will be slightly understated. UK pension contributions (workplace pension or salary sacrifice) work similarly — subtract your contribution from gross before entering for an income-tax-accurate result.

Does this include health-insurance premiums or HSA contributions?

Not directly. Section-125 cafeteria-plan deductions (employer-paid health, HSA, FSA) reduce both federal taxable income and FICA wages. If you want to model them precisely, subtract your annual cafeteria deduction from gross before entering it — the calculator will then represent your post-cafeteria position. The 2026 HSA contribution limit is $4,400 self-only / $8,750 family, with an extra $1,000 catch-up at age 55+.

Why does my actual paycheck stub differ from this number?

Several common reasons: state and local income tax (US), pre-tax deductions (401(k), HSA, premiums), post-tax deductions (Roth 401(k), garnishments), itemized vs standard deduction, marriage-bracket interactions, and rounding differences in the IRS withholding tables (Pub 15-T) versus the marginal-rate calculation we run here. This tool gives you the math of federal tax — actual paycheck withholding is an estimate that trues up at year-end through your tax return. If your withholding is significantly off from the math here, file a new W-4 with your employer.

How does the UK Personal Allowance taper actually feel in a paycheck?

PAYE software treats the taper as a continuous reduction. At £105,000 your effective PA is £10,070 (£12,570 − £2,500). At £110,000 it’s £7,570. Your tax code reflects this — common tapered codes look like “1007L” or “757L” for those examples. The practical pain hits in the £100,000–£125,140 corridor where every additional £100 of salary nets only about £40 take-home (40 % income tax + 8 % NI + 50p of allowance loss × 40p tax = ~62 % effective marginal rate). Salary-sacrifice pension contributions are the most common workaround — they reduce your gross before the taper bites.

Are the 2026 brackets adjusted for inflation?

US: Yes. The IRS publishes annual bracket-threshold adjustments tied to chained CPI-U. The 2026 figures here reflect Rev. Proc. 2025-32, published October 2025 — the increase from 2025 was about 2.7 %. Each January the IRS releases the next year’s set; this tool is updated when they do. UK: No. Personal Allowance, basic-rate band, and the higher- and additional-rate thresholds are frozen until at least April 2031 under current legislation, which means real-terms tax rises (fiscal drag) every year wages grow above the freeze.

Where can I check my answer against another reliable source?

For US: SmartAsset, Bankrate’s tax calculator, or the official IRS tax-withholding estimator. For UK: HMRC’s official Income Tax Calculator or GOV.UK’s PAYE service. All of these should land within ~1 % of this tool for typical scenarios; differences usually come from how each handles benefits-in-kind, student-loan repayments, or marriage allowance transfers.

Which Related Tools Pair Well With This One?

If you’re working through compensation math, you might also need an hourly-to-annual converter, a VAT/sales-tax calculator for after-tax pricing, an interest calculator for savings or loan totals, a compound-interest calculator for long-term retirement projections, or an amortization calculator to see how a mortgage interacts with your post-tax monthly budget.