Your Actual Take-Home Pay
The number in your offer letter and the number that lands in your account are not close. This works out the gap with 2026 federal, state and city rates, shows what each W-4 choice does to every paycheck, and estimates the refund or bill at tax time.
Withholding is a prepayment, not the tax. Every dollar more withheld per check comes back in the refund, and every dollar less shows up as a smaller refund or a bill. Compared with the settings above:
| If I change | Take-home per check | Refund (or less owed) |
|---|
To keep a copy, choose "Save as PDF" in the print window.
Uses 2026 figures: the federal brackets and standard deduction, IRS Publication 15-T (2026) percentage-method withholding for a 2020-or-later Form W-4, Social Security at 6.2% on wages up to $184,500, Medicare at 1.45% plus 0.9% withheld over $200,000, the $2,200 child tax credit (up to $1,700 refundable) and the $500 credit for other dependents. State tax uses 2026 brackets, standard deductions and exemptions from the Tax Foundation, assumes state withholding matches the state tax, and uses single brackets for head of household. Local rates are 2026 resident rates and can be edited. The federal return is a simple Form 1040 with the standard deduction and no other credits or adjustments. Not included: state disability or paid family leave withholding, local taxes outside the list, Roth 401(k) contributions, bonuses (withheld at a flat 22%), and the earned income tax credit. Estimates only, not tax advice.