Plain Paycheck

Tax year 2026 · Federal & state tables · Computed in your browser

Hours past 40 usually pay 1.5× for non-exempt workers under the FLSA. This calculator applies one flat rate to every hour. See the time-and-a-half calculator for the overtime premium, or the no tax on overtime calculator for the 2025–2028 federal deduction on it.

An hourly wage, turned into a real paycheck.

per biweekly paycheck · single · California · 40 hrs/week × 52 weeks

Gross / check
$1,600.00
Taxes / check
$276.23
Net / year
$34,418
Effective rate
17.3%

The stub, line by line

Each paycheckPer year
Gross pay$1,600.00$41,600
Federal income tax−$108.15−$2,812
California income tax−$24.87−$647
Social Security−$99.20−$2,579
Medicare−$23.20−$603
CA SDI−$20.80−$541
Take-home pay$1,323.77$34,418

California, in full →

The math, shown

Annual salary = hourly rate × hours per week × 52 paid weeks, the same 2,080-hour convention used on every conversion page here. Hours per week is capped at 100 for the calculator so a mistyped number can't blow up the result; enter your real average if it varies.

Once that salary is annualized, the take-home math runs the same path as every other calculator on this site: the salary, minus any 401(k) deferral and the 2026 federal standard deduction, walks through the seven federal brackets, and only the last dollar sees the top rate.

FICA is computed on gross wages: Social Security takes 6.2% of the first $184,500, Medicare takes 1.45% with no ceiling plus an extra 0.9% past the additional-tax threshold. State tax then follows with each state's own deductions, credits, and brackets, and any employee-paid programs appear as their own stub lines.

Overtime isn't modeled here; every hour goes in at the same rate. If some of your hours are time-and-a-half, use the time-and-a-half calculator to find your blended rate first, or run this calculator with your straight-time hours and add overtime pay separately.

Quick answers

How much is $20 an hour after taxes?
At 40 hours a week (2,080 hours a year), $20/hour is $41,600 gross. After 2026 federal tax, FICA, and state tax, a single filer with no 401(k) keeps between $32,757 a year in Oregon and $35,606 a year in Florida, roughly $15.75 to $17.12 for every hour worked. The calculator above runs the same math on any rate, hours, and state.
Is overtime taxed more?
No. The tax rate on overtime pay is the same as on any other wage. Withholding on a single check can look higher when overtime makes that check bigger, since payroll withholding tables project a bigger check to a higher annual rate for that pay period; the actual income tax is based on your real yearly income and trues up at filing. See the time-and-a-half calculator for the 1.5× math itself.
How many working hours are in a year?
2,080, which is 40 hours a week × 52 paid weeks, the standard full-time convention this calculator (and every conversion page on this site) uses. If some weeks are unpaid, use your actual paid hours instead: at 37.5 hours a week the year is 1,950 hours; at 45 hours a week it's 2,340.
What if my hours change week to week?
This calculator assumes the same hours every week, all year. For a variable schedule, enter your typical or average weekly hours; averaging a few recent pay periods gets close enough for planning purposes.
Is this the exact amount my employer will withhold?
No. It is a planning estimate on 2026 tables. Actual withholding follows your W-4 elections, benefit premiums, and any local taxes, so individual paychecks can differ even when the year's total lands close. Nothing you type here leaves your browser.

Sources