Start Here: Every PayGauge Paycheck Guide in One Place

Find your paycheck in under a minute

Every guide on this blog shows the math behind take-home pay: federal tax, state tax and FICA, worked out line by line. Pick your state, your salary or your hourly wage below. Or skip the reading and run your own numbers.

Open the take-home calculator

Your state

State tax is the biggest reason the same salary pays differently in different places. Open the group that matches your state.

No state income tax on wages (9 states)
One flat state rate (16 states)
Tax brackets that rise with income (25 states)

Some cities and counties add their own income tax on top. The state guides say where that applies.

Your salary

What each salary becomes after federal tax and FICA, for a single filer in a state with no income tax. Your state tax comes off the top of these.

Your hourly wage

Full time, 40 hours a week, 52 weeks. Overtime and unpaid weeks change the total.

When your paycheck changes

Smaller check, new job, a raise, a bonus, a different pay schedule. Start with the situation you are in.

Paycheck terms in plain English

The words on your pay stub, explained.

Figures use 2026 federal brackets, the $16,100 single-filer standard deduction and FICA rates. They are estimates for general information, not tax advice. Browse everything by topic with the Labels list in the sidebar.


 

Location: Washington, DC, USA

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