Hourly Paycheck Calculator (2026)

How the Hourly Paycheck Calculator: Take-Home Pay Works

The hourly paycheck calculator converts your hourly wage, weekly hours and overtime into an estimate of gross pay and take-home pay for each pay period. Enter your rate, regular hours and any overtime hours, choose how often you are paid, and the tool subtracts 2026 federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare, state tax and pre-tax deductions. It also shows your equivalent annual salary, which is useful when comparing an hourly job with a salaried offer.

How hourly pay becomes a paycheck

Hourly employees are paid for the hours they work, which means gross pay changes from period to period. Regular hours are paid at the base rate, and non-exempt employees must receive overtime of at least one and a half times their regular rate for hours over 40 in a workweek under federal law. Some states, including California, Alaska, Nevada and Colorado, also require daily overtime after a set number of hours in a day. The calculator uses the federal weekly rule and assumes the same schedule every week of the year.

After gross pay is known, the same tax steps apply as for a salaried worker. Pre-tax deductions reduce income subject to income tax. The standard deduction and federal brackets produce federal income tax. Social Security takes 6.2% of wages up to $184,500, and Medicare takes 1.45%. State tax is estimated from the flat percentage you enter. Read the full logic in our US paycheck guide.

Worked example: $22 an hour with five hours of overtime

A single worker earning $22 an hour works 40 regular hours and 5 overtime hours a week. Regular pay is $880.00, and the overtime hours at $33 an hour add $165.00, so weekly gross is $1,045.00 and annual gross is $54,340. With a $50 pre-tax deduction each biweekly paycheck and a 4% state tax, federal income tax is about $4,185, FICA is $4,157 and state tax is about $2,122. Net pay is about $42,577 a year, or $1,637.56 per biweekly paycheck.

Without the overtime, the same worker earns $45,760 and takes home about $36,026 a year, so the five overtime hours add about $6,551 of net pay each year. That is less than the extra gross pay of $8,580 because overtime is taxed as ordinary income at your highest bracket and FICA applies to every dollar.

Hourly wages and take-home pay at common rates

The estimates below assume 40 hours a week for 52 weeks, a single filer, no pre-tax deductions and the 2026 standard deduction. State tax is not included, so subtract your state percentage for a fuller picture.

• $15 an hour: $31,200 a year before tax. After federal tax and FICA, about $27,249 a year, or $1,048.05 every two weeks and $524.02 a week, before any state tax.
• $20 an hour: $41,600 a year before tax. After federal tax and FICA, about $35,606 a year, or $1,369.45 every two weeks and $684.72 a week, before any state tax.
• $25 an hour: $52,000 a year before tax. After federal tax and FICA, about $43,962 a year, or $1,690.85 every two weeks and $845.42 a week, before any state tax.
• $30 an hour: $62,400 a year before tax. After federal tax and FICA, about $52,318 a year, or $2,012.25 every two weeks and $1,006.12 a week, before any state tax.
• $40 an hour: $83,200 a year before tax. After federal tax and FICA, about $67,361 a year, or $2,590.82 every two weeks and $1,295.41 a week, before any state tax.

Because federal brackets are marginal, take-home pay does not rise in a straight line with wages: each extra dollar per hour keeps a slightly smaller share as you move into higher brackets. Even so, a raise always increases what you take home.

Hourly wage to annual salary conversion

A quick way to convert an hourly wage to a yearly salary is to multiply by 2,080, which is 40 hours times 52 weeks. A $20 hourly wage is about $41,600 a year, $25 is about $52,000 and $30 is about $62,400. Adding overtime, shift differentials or unpaid time off changes the total, so use the calculator when the schedule varies. To convert in either direction without tax, use the hourly to salary calculator. When comparing offers, remember that salaried jobs often include paid holidays and benefits, while hourly jobs may not.

Overtime rules and how it is taxed

Overtime is not taxed at a special higher rate. It is added to your regular pay, and the extra income is taxed at your marginal bracket, which is why a big overtime check can look small after withholding. Your employer may withhold using the aggregate method, which can temporarily over-withhold, and any excess is refunded when you file. Employees classified as exempt, usually salaried workers in executive, administrative or professional roles, are not entitled to overtime. If you regularly work overtime, use the overtime calculator to see what each hour is worth after tax and make sure your W-4 matches your real income.

Part-time, seasonal and multiple-job workers

If you work part time or seasonally, the calculator assumes the same weekly hours all year, which can overstate annual income. Instead, enter your typical weekly hours and read the per-paycheck result, ignoring the annual figure. If you have two jobs, each employer withholds as if that job were your only income, which usually produces under-withholding when combined income pushes you into a higher bracket. Complete the multiple-jobs section on your Form W-4 or use the IRS Tax Withholding Estimator to avoid a surprise at tax time. Students and part-time workers with low total income may owe little or no federal income tax and can get a refund of withholding, although Social Security and Medicare still apply. Keep in mind that gig work paid on a 1099 is not covered by this calculator; use the self-employment tax calculator instead.

Weekly, biweekly, semi-monthly and monthly hourly pay

Most hourly workers are paid weekly or biweekly. Weekly pay produces 52 checks a year, biweekly 26, semi-monthly 24 and monthly 12. For hourly workers, semi-monthly and monthly pay can create timing differences, because the number of workdays in a period changes, so paychecks may vary even if the schedule stays the same. Use the frequency selector to compare, and read biweekly vs semi-monthly pay for more detail.

How to check an hourly paycheck for errors

Hourly pay errors are common because hours, rates and deductions all change from period to period. Compare the hours on your stub with your own schedule or time app, confirm the rate matches your offer or latest raise, and check that overtime hours are listed at the higher rate. Multiply gross pay by 0.062 and 0.0145 to verify Social Security and Medicare. If tips are part of your pay, check that reported tips match your records. When something is off, raise it in writing with the pay date and hours in question. Under federal law employers must pay all hours worked, and many states allow you to file a wage claim with the labor department. See how to read your paycheck stub for a full checklist.

Tips to increase hourly take-home pay

• Check your W-4. Excess withholding reduces every check.
• Use pre-tax benefits. HSAs and traditional 401(k) contributions cut taxable income.
• Track hours. Keep your own record to catch missing overtime.
• Negotiate the rate. A $1 an hour raise adds about $2,080 a year before tax.
• Compare states. See the Texas and Illinois calculators for state effects.

Common hourly paycheck mistakes

• Budgeting from gross pay. Use net pay per paycheck.
• Assuming overtime is taxed more. It is taxed at your marginal rate, and withholding may look higher.
• Forgetting unpaid breaks. Only paid hours count as work time.
• Ignoring state rules. Some states have daily overtime and higher minimum wages.
• Not updating the W-4. A second job or a raise can change the right withholding.

Key takeaways

• Gross pay equals hours times rate, plus overtime at 1.5 times for hours over 40 per week.
• Taxes are calculated on total gross pay, so overtime is included.
• Multiply an hourly wage by 2,080 for a quick annual estimate.
• Federal, FICA and state taxes all reduce net pay.
• Use this estimate for planning and check your real stub.

Hourly Paycheck results at a glance

These are the calculator's results at different values of hourly wage, with every other input left at the example values above (the bold row is the example). Use them to see how quickly the result changes before entering your own numbers.

How pay frequency changes the result

The same example with each pay frequency option:

How filing status changes the result

The same example with each filing status option:

The same example at different state tax rates

State income tax is the input that varies most between readers. Nine states charge 0% on wages, flat-tax states charge one rate, and progressive states charge more at higher incomes. Here is the example at five effective state rates; for your exact state rules, use the state paycheck calculators.

Hourly take-home per biweekly paycheck

Full-time, 80 hours per paycheck, single filer, federal tax and FICA only: