About ExactTakeHome

Mission

ExactTakeHome provides the most accurate US paycheck and take-home pay calculator across all 51 jurisdictions, all 50 states plus Washington D.C., using real 2026 tax rates updated quarterly. Our goal is simple: every American worker deserves to know exactly what they will take home before they cash their first paycheck.

How It Works

Unlike generic tax calculators that estimate annual liability, ExactTakeHome computes per-paycheck withholding using IRS Publication 15-T and official state employer withholding schedules, the same documents payroll departments use. That means the calculator is built to mirror paycheck withholding rather than produce a rough year-end estimate. We cover federal income tax, Social Security (6.2%), Medicare (1.45%), all state income taxes, and state-specific payroll deductions including California SDI, New Jersey disability, and New York Paid Family Leave.

CPA-Verified Tax Data

Our 2026 federal and state tax computations have been independently reviewed and approved by Kevin Marshall, CPA (Arizona CPA License #15690). Kevin verified our interpretation of IRS Pub 15-T, the 2026 Social Security wage base ($184,500), all state withholding schedules, and state-specific payroll deductions. See our full methodology →

Who Built This

ExactTakeHome was built by Abhinav Jain and co-founded with Nidhi Jain, Co-founder, with a mission to give every American worker full transparency into real take-home pay. We cover all 50 US states and Washington D.C., including no-income-tax states, flat-tax states, and progressive-bracket states.

Paycheck & Tax Guides

Read our free paycheck guides explaining how take-home pay is calculated at every level — from how IRS Pub 15-T withholding works to state-specific tax breakdowns for California, Texas, and New York.

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