PAYCHECK & TAX GUIDES
Paycheck and Tax Guides (2026)
Your paycheck is more than a number — it is a calculation built from IRS Publication 15-T, your state's employer withholding schedule, your W-4 elections, and your pre-tax deductions. These guides explain each component in plain language, verified by Kevin Marshall, CPA (Arizona CPA License #15690). Whether you are decoding your first pay stub or planning around a raise, start here.
- How Paycheck Withholding Works: A Complete 2026 GuideStep-by-step explanation of how IRS Pub 15-T drives every federal and state withholding line on your paycheck.~7 min read →
- What Is FICA Tax? 2026 Complete Guide to Social Security and MedicareThe definitive 2026 breakdown of Social Security and Medicare taxes — rates, wage base, and who pays what.~6 min read →
- California Take-Home Pay Guide: What You Actually Keep in 2026How CA income tax, SDI, and federal withholding combine — with a worked $75,000 example and state comparison.~7 min read →
- Texas Take-Home Pay Guide: No State Income Tax (2026)Texas workers keep more from every paycheck — a full breakdown of what federal taxes remain when there is no state income tax.~6 min read →
- Remote Work and State Taxes: Who Taxes You in 2026?Live in one state, work for an employer in another? You may owe taxes in both — here is how to navigate it.~8 min read →
- W-2 vs 1099 Take-Home Pay: How the After-Tax Math ComparesThe real after-tax gap between W-2 employment and 1099 contracting — and how much more contractors need to earn.~7 min read →
- How to Read Your Pay Stub: Every Line Explained (2026)A plain-language walkthrough of every line on your pay stub — gross, federal, FICA, state, deductions, and net pay.~7 min read →
- Salary vs Hourly After Taxes: 2026 Comparison GuideSalary and hourly pay are taxed the same way — here is how to convert, compare, and account for overtime.~6 min read →
- New York Take-Home Pay Guide: State Tax, NYC Surcharge, and PFL (2026)New York workers face up to three layers of income tax — state, NYC surcharge, and PFL. Here is what each costs.~8 min read →
- 2026 Federal Tax Brackets and Their Impact on Your PaycheckThe OBBBA made 2026 federal brackets permanent — here is what each of the 7 rates means for your paycheck.~7 min read →
- Social Security Wage Base 2026 — Why Your Paycheck ChangesWhy your paycheck increases mid-year when Social Security withholding stops at the $184,500 wage base.~5 min read →
- How Your W-4 Changes Take-Home PayYour W-4 only controls federal income tax withholding — here is exactly how filing status, dependents, and extra withholding change each paycheck.~5 min read →
Salary explainers and paycheck examples
- How Federal Income Tax Is Calculated - A plain-language walkthrough of withholding math.
- New Hire First Paycheck Guide - What to expect from your first check at a new job.
- Overtime Pay After Taxes - Why overtime feels over-taxed and how withholding actually works.
- How Much Should You Save From Each Paycheck? - Budgeting guidance tied to take-home pay.
- How Much Is $200K After Taxes? - High-income take-home framing with withholding context.
- $60,000 Salary in Washington - No-income-tax state salary explainer.
- $70,000 Salary in Pennsylvania - Flat-tax-state salary breakdown.
- $80,000 Salary in Florida - Salary explainer for a no-tax state.
- $90,000 Salary in Illinois - Mid-range salary breakdown in a flat-tax state.
CPA-Verified Payroll Content
Every guide in this section is reviewed by Kevin Marshall, CPA (Arizona CPA License #15690), who verified our interpretation of IRS Publication 15-T, the 2026 Social Security wage base ($184,500), and all 51 state employer withholding schedules. See our full calculation methodology.
For your exact take-home pay, use the free paycheck calculator — it runs the same IRS Pub 15-T Percentage Method your payroll system uses.
This section provides general information, not tax advice. Consult a qualified CPA for your specific situation.
Payroll glossary
If you need a faster definition of a term before diving into a guide, start with these glossary pages.
- Semi-monthly pay - Semi-monthly pay means you are paid twice per month, usually for 24 paychecks per year.
- Gross pay - Gross pay is the amount an employee earns before taxes, withholding, and other deductions are taken out.
- FICA - FICA is the Federal Insurance Contributions Act payroll tax, which funds Social Security and Medicare.
- FEIN - FEIN stands for Federal Employer Identification Number and is another name for an EIN issued by the IRS.
- Net pay - Net pay is the amount you actually receive after taxes and deductions are taken out of gross pay.
- Withholding - Withholding is the tax your employer subtracts from each paycheck and remits to the IRS and other tax agencies.
- W-4 - Form W-4 is the IRS Employee's Withholding Certificate used by employees to tell employers how much federal income tax to withhold.
- Pay period - A pay period is the recurring block of time an employer uses to measure wages before issuing a paycheck.