Annual Pay Calculator
Free annual pay calculator. Convert salary, bonus, and deductions into per-paycheck and yearly totals across any pay frequency.
Biweekly Pay Calculator
Free biweekly pay calculator. Convert annual salary to per-paycheck amounts with federal, state, FICA taxes, and deductions breakdown.
%
%
Health, dental, vision, etc.
401(k), 403(b), etc.
Gross per Paycheck⧉
$2,500.00
Salary ÷ 26 periods
Net per Paycheck⧉
$951.25
Take-home after all deductions
Federal Tax/Pay⧉
$495.00
22% of taxable income
State Tax/Pay⧉
$112.50
5% of taxable income
FICA/Pay⧉
$191.25
Social Security + Medicare (7.65%)
Annual Net Income⧉
$24,732.50
Total take-home for the year
Monthly Net⧉
$2,061.04
Annual net ÷ 12 months
Net Hourly Rate⧉
$11.89
Based on 2,080 work hours
Paycheck Allocation
Net 38.1%
Fed
State
FICA
Ded.
| # | Gross | Fed Tax | State | FICA | Net | Cum. Net |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $2,500.00 | $495.00 | $112.50 | $191.25 | $951.25 | $951.25 |
| 2 | $2,500.00 | $495.00 | $112.50 | $191.25 | $951.25 | $1,902.50 |
| 3 | $2,500.00 | $495.00 | $112.50 | $191.25 | $951.25 | $2,853.75 |
| 4 | $2,500.00 | $495.00 | $112.50 | $191.25 | $951.25 | $3,805.00 |
| 5 | $2,500.00 | $495.00 | $112.50 | $191.25 | $951.25 | $4,756.25 |
| 6 | $2,500.00 | $495.00 | $112.50 | $191.25 | $951.25 | $5,707.50 |
| 7 | $2,500.00 | $495.00 | $112.50 | $191.25 | $951.25 | $6,658.75 |
| 8 | $2,500.00 | $495.00 | $112.50 | $191.25 | $951.25 | $7,610.00 |
| 9 | $2,500.00 | $495.00 | $112.50 | $191.25 | $951.25 | $8,561.25 |
| 10 | $2,500.00 | $495.00 | $112.50 | $191.25 | $951.25 | $9,512.50 |
| 11 | $2,500.00 | $495.00 | $112.50 | $191.25 | $951.25 | $10,463.75 |
| 12 | $2,500.00 | $495.00 | $112.50 | $191.25 | $951.25 | $11,415.00 |
Showing first 12 of 26 pay periods
Planning notes, formulas, and examples
About the Biweekly Pay Calculator
The Biweekly Pay Calculator converts your annual salary into the exact per-paycheck amount you receive every two weeks. It breaks down federal taxes, state taxes, FICA contributions, insurance deductions, and retirement contributions to show your real take-home pay.
Biweekly pay (26 paychecks per year) is the most common pay schedule in the United States. Understanding your biweekly take-home helps you budget for rent, bills, savings, and discretionary spending. Two months each year you receive a third paycheck — this calculator helps you plan for those bonus months too.
Enter your salary, select your tax rates, and add your per-paycheck deductions. The paycheck schedule table tracks your cumulative net income throughout the year, and the visual bar shows exactly where each dollar of your gross pay goes. Use the presets to quickly explore common salary scenarios.
When This Page Helps
Budgeting on a biweekly schedule requires knowing your exact take-home per check. This calculator accounts for federal and state taxes, FICA, insurance, and retirement deductions so you can plan around the amount that actually lands in your account.
How to Use the Inputs
- Enter your annual salary or click a preset.
- Confirm pay frequency is set to Bi-Weekly (26).
- Enter your federal marginal tax rate.
- Enter your state income tax rate (0 for no-tax states).
- Add per-period deductions like health insurance.
- Add pre-tax retirement contributions.
- Review your net per paycheck and annual totals.
Formula used
Gross/Pay = Annual Salary ÷ 26
Taxable/Pay = Gross/Pay − Pre-Tax Retirement
Federal Tax = Taxable × Federal Rate
State Tax = Taxable × State Rate
FICA = (min(Gross, $184,500) × 6.2%) + (Gross × 1.45%)
Net/Pay = Gross − Federal − State − FICA − Deductions − RetirementExample Calculation
Result: $951.25 net per paycheck
Gross: $2,500. Minus retirement $250 = $2,250 taxable. Fed tax $495, state $112.50, FICA $191.25, deductions $500. Net = $951.25 per paycheck.
Tips & Best Practices
- Use the two "3-paycheck months" to accelerate debt payoff or savings.
- Pre-tax retirement contributions reduce your tax bill while building wealth.
- States with no income tax (TX, FL, NV, etc.) — set state rate to 0%.
- Run the calculator with different retirement contributions to see the net cost.
- Compare biweekly to monthly pay to understand cashflow timing differences.
Understanding Your Biweekly Paycheck
A biweekly paycheck has many components beyond your salary. Federal income tax withholding is based on your W-4 elections and marginal bracket. State taxes vary from 0% in states like Texas and Florida to over 13% in California. FICA taxes are a flat 7.65% split between Social Security and Medicare. Then come voluntary deductions for health insurance, dental, vision, retirement savings, HSA, and FSA contributions.
Maximizing the Three-Paycheck Month
Twice a year, biweekly workers receive three paychecks in a single month. Smart budgeting means not relying on this extra check for regular expenses. Instead, direct the entire third paycheck toward high-interest debt, emergency fund, or investment accounts. Over a career, this strategy alone can generate tens of thousands in additional savings.
Biweekly vs Other Pay Frequencies
Biweekly is preferred by many employers because it aligns with two-week work periods and simplifies overtime calculations. For employees, the main advantage is predictability — you always know your next payday. The downside is that monthly bills do not align perfectly with biweekly income, so budgeting requires planning beyond a single paycheck.
Sources & Methodology
Last updated:
Methodology
This page converts annual salary to a 26-pay-period schedule and applies user-entered tax and deduction assumptions to estimate gross and net per paycheck. The pay-period math is direct arithmetic; the tax portion is a planning approximation anchored to the current Social Security taxable maximum.
Sources
- Maximum Taxable Earnings for Social Security (Social Security Administration) — Used for the current Social Security wage base in the FICA estimate.
- IRS Topic No. 751, Social Security and Medicare Withholding Rates (Internal Revenue Service) — Payroll tax rate reference for the FICA line.
Frequently Asked Questions
There are 26 biweekly pay periods per year. Two months will have three paychecks instead of two, which is a great opportunity to boost savings or pay down debt.
Biweekly is every 2 weeks (26 times/year), semi-monthly is twice per month on fixed dates (24 times/year). Biweekly checks are slightly smaller but you get 2 extra per year.
FICA covers Social Security and Medicare. The combined rate is 7.65% for most workers, with Social Security subject to an annual wage cap.
Pre-tax deductions (401k, HSA, health insurance) reduce your taxable income per paycheck. You pay less in taxes, so the net cost is less than the face value of the deduction.
It depends on which day of the week you get paid and the year. Generally two months per year have three pay dates. Check your pay calendar for specifics.
Reduce taxable income through 401(k) contributions, HSA contributions, or FSA elections. You can also adjust your W-4 if withholding is consistently too high.
More in this topic
Semi-Monthly Pay Calculator
Free semi-monthly pay calculator. Calculate per-paycheck take-home with pre-tax deductions, FICA, taxes, and a full 24-period annual schedule.
Weekly Pay Calculator
Free weekly pay calculator. Calculate net take-home pay after taxes with overtime, tips, and deductions. See paycheck breakdown, hours impact, and rate comparisons.