TAKE-HOME ESTIMATE
How the take-home estimate works
Some job pages show an estimated weekly take-home. It is an estimate, not a pay offer.
It appears only when the posting states its pay and its weekly hours, or states its pay for a full-time job.
How it is worked out
- A year of pay is the stated weekly pay times 52.
- Federal income tax for 2026 is taken off, for a single filer with the standard deduction of $16,100.
- Social Security at 6.2% and Medicare at 1.45% are taken off.
- What is left is divided by 52 and rounded to a dollar.
An example
For a posting that states $16.00 an hour and 40 hours a week:
TAKE-HOME ESTIMATE
| Weekly pay | $640.00 |
|---|---|
| A year, times 52 | $33,280.00 |
| Federal income tax | -$1,813.60 |
| Social Security and Medicare, 7.65% | -$2,545.92 |
| Left for the year | $28,920.48 |
| A week, divided by 52 | $556 |
What it leaves out
State and local taxes, benefits, overtime, other income and dependents are not counted. Your own pay can differ.
No estimate is shown for pay above $184,500 a year.
The 2026 rates used
- 10% on taxable income over $0
- 12% on taxable income over $12,400
- 22% on taxable income over $50,400
- 24% on taxable income over $105,700
- 32% on taxable income over $201,775
- 35% on taxable income over $256,225
- 37% on taxable income over $640,600
Sources
- IRS news release IR-2025-103 (Revenue Procedure 2025-32), 9 October 2025. The 2026 standard deduction for a single filer and the 2026 rate schedule.
- IRS Topic no. 751, Social Security and Medicare withholding rates. The employee's Social Security (6.2%) and Medicare (1.45%) rates, and the 2026 Social Security wage base of $184,500, above which this estimate is not made.