Texas Paycheck Calculator (2026): Take-Home Pay

How your Texas paycheck is calculated

The calculator works out your tax on a full year of this pay, then divides by the number of paychecks and rounds each line to the cent. It is an estimate of what comes out, not a copy of your pay stub.

Find your yearly gross pay. A salary is used as it is. Hourly pay is your rate × hours a week × 52.
Take off pre-tax deductions. Your 401(k) and health premium per paycheck are multiplied by your paychecks in a year.
Work out federal income tax. Subtract the 2026 standard deduction ($16,100 single, $32,200 married filing jointly, $24,150 head of household, $16,100 married filing separately). The 2026 tax brackets are applied to what is left.
Work out Social Security and Medicare. Social Security is 6.2% of pay up to $184,500. Medicare is 1.45% of all pay, plus 0.9% on pay above $200,000.
Add Texas income tax. It is $0.
Take-home pay = (gross pay − pre-tax deductions − federal income tax − Social Security − Medicare) ÷ paychecks a year

Payroll software reaches the income tax line a different way. It follows the percentage method in IRS Publication 15-T: scale one paycheck up to a year, take off a set amount, apply a rate table, then divide back. When your Form W-4 gives a filing status and nothing else, and every paycheck is the same, that method and this calculator give the same income tax for the year, apart from rounding. We checked this against the 2026 Publication 15-T tables for single, married filing jointly and head of household. Anything else you put on your W-4 moves your real figure away from this one.

Worked examples

An office job on a salary

Single, $60,000 a year, paid every two weeks, no benefit deductions.

Gross pay per paycheck$2,307.69
Federal income tax−$193.08
Social Security−$143.08
Medicare−$33.46
Texas income tax$0.00
Take-home pay per paycheck$1,938.07
Take-home pay per year$50,390

A warehouse worker paid by the hour

Head of household, $18 an hour for 40 hours a week, paid weekly.

Gross pay per paycheck$720.00
Federal income tax−$25.56
Social Security−$44.64
Medicare−$10.44
Texas income tax$0.00
Take-home pay per paycheck$639.36
Take-home pay per year$33,247

An engineer with a 401(k) and health insurance

Married filing jointly on one income of $95,000, paid twice a month, with $250 to a 401(k) and $120 for health insurance each paycheck. Social Security and Medicare are charged on $92,120 of pay for the year, but income tax starts from $86,120.

Gross pay per paycheck$3,958.33
401(k) contribution−$250.00
Health insurance premium−$120.00
Federal income tax−$248.93
Social Security−$237.98
Medicare−$55.66
Texas income tax$0.00
Take-home pay per paycheck$3,045.76
Take-home pay per year$73,098

Take-home pay by salary in Texas

Per paycheck, paid every two weeks (26 paychecks). Single filer, standard deduction, no pre-tax deductions. Tax year 2026.
Salary	Gross pay	Federal income tax	Social Security	Medicare	Take-home pay
$30,000	$1,153.85	$54.62	$71.54	$16.73	$1,010.96
$40,000	$1,538.46	$100.77	$95.38	$22.31	$1,320.00
$50,000	$1,923.08	$146.92	$119.23	$27.88	$1,629.05
$60,000	$2,307.69	$193.08	$143.08	$33.46	$1,938.07
$70,000	$2,692.31	$252.69	$166.92	$39.04	$2,233.66
$80,000	$3,076.92	$337.31	$190.77	$44.62	$2,504.22
$90,000	$3,461.54	$421.92	$214.62	$50.19	$2,774.81
$100,000	$3,846.15	$506.54	$238.46	$55.77	$3,045.38
$110,000	$4,230.77	$591.15	$262.31	$61.35	$3,315.96
$120,000	$4,615.38	$675.77	$286.15	$66.92	$3,586.54
$130,000	$5,000.00	$766.69	$310.00	$72.50	$3,850.81
$140,000	$5,384.62	$859.00	$333.85	$78.08	$4,113.69
$150,000	$5,769.23	$951.31	$357.69	$83.65	$4,376.58

Pay frequency changes the size of each paycheck, not the yearly total. Here is the $60,000 salary from the first example at each pay schedule.

$60,000 salary, single filer. Take-home pay for the year is $50,390 in every row.
Paid	Paychecks a year	Gross pay	Federal taxes	Take-home pay
Weekly	52	$1,153.85	$184.81	$969.04
Every two weeks	26	$2,307.69	$369.62	$1,938.07
Twice a month	24	$2,500.00	$400.42	$2,099.58
Monthly	12	$5,000.00	$800.83	$4,199.17

What Texas takes from your pay

Nothing. Section 24-a of Article VIII of the Texas Constitution says the Legislature may not tax the net incomes of individuals. Voters added it on November 5, 2019, so a state income tax would now need another constitutional amendment, not only a new law.

Texas does have an unemployment tax, but it is a cost for employers. They pay it on the first $9,000 each worker earns in a year, and the Texas Workforce Commission states that it is not deducted from employee wages. If you see a state tax line on a Texas pay stub, ask your payroll office what it is.

Your employer can take other amounts only in three cases under the Texas Payday Law: a court orders it, a state or federal law allows it, or you agreed to it in writing for a lawful purpose.

Texas wage and payday rules

Minimum wage. The Texas Minimum Wage Act adopts the federal rate of $7.25 an hour. A full-time week at that rate takes home about $267.81 for a single filer.
Tipped workers. The employer can pay $2.13 an hour and count up to $5.12 an hour of tips toward the minimum.
Overtime. The U.S. Department of Labor lists no Texas overtime rule of its own. The federal rule applies: one and a half times your regular rate after 40 hours in a workweek, if your job is covered. Federal law does not require extra pay for working a weekend or a holiday as such.
Paydays. Workers entitled to overtime must be paid at least twice a month. Workers exempt from overtime must be paid at least once a month. With no posted paydays, they fall on the 1st and 15th.
Final pay. If you are fired or laid off, your last pay is due within six calendar days. If you quit, it is due on the next regular payday.
Unpaid wages. You can file a wage claim with the Texas Workforce Commission within 180 days of the date the pay was due.

How a 401(k) and health insurance change your paycheck

The two pre-tax boxes in the calculator are treated differently, because the tax rules differ.

Traditional 401(k). Contributions are not counted for federal income tax now, but the IRS still counts them as wages for Social Security and Medicare.
Health insurance through a cafeteria plan. Premiums your employer takes before tax under a Section 125 plan are left out of income tax, Social Security and Medicare.

On the $60,000 example, putting $200 a paycheck into a 401(k) cuts take-home pay by $176.00. A $200 health premium cuts it by $160.70. Neither costs the full $200, because your tax falls too.

What this estimate leaves out

Your Form W-4. Employers withhold income tax using your W-4 and IRS Publication 15-T. Extra withholding, dependents, other income or a second job on the form will move your real figure.
Other benefits. Only a traditional 401(k) and a pre-tax health premium are counted. Dental, vision, health savings and flexible spending accounts, and life insurance are not. A Roth 401(k) is paid with after-tax dollars, so do not enter it in the 401(k) box.
Tax credits and other income. The child tax credit, a spouse's pay, interest and side income are not included.
Overtime, bonuses and tips. Hourly pay is counted at one flat rate.
After-tax deductions. Garnishments, union dues and similar items come off after tax and are not shown.
The Social Security cut-off. Above $184,500, the tax stops part way through the year. The calculator spreads it evenly.
Tax from another state. If you live in Texas but work in a state with an income tax, that state may tax the pay. No state or local tax of any kind is included here.

Common mistakes

Dividing a monthly figure by two. Pay every two weeks means 26 paychecks, not 24. Each one is smaller than a twice-a-month paycheck.
Reading "no income tax" as "no tax". Federal tax still takes about 16.02% of a $60,000 salary.
Using your tax bracket on all your pay. The top rate applies only to the last part of your income. The first $16,100 of a single filer's pay has no income tax at all.
Expecting a 401(k) to cut Social Security. It lowers income tax only.

Questions people ask

Does Texas take state income tax out of my paycheck?

No. Texas has no state income tax on wages, and the Texas Constitution bars the Legislature from taxing the net income of individuals. The only taxes withheld from a Texas paycheck are federal: income tax, Social Security and Medicare.

How much is $60,000 a year per paycheck in Texas?

About $1,938.07 every two weeks for a single filer in 2026, from gross pay of $2,307.69. That is about $50,390 a year after federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare, before any benefit deductions.

What taxes come out of a paycheck in Texas?

Federal income tax, Social Security at 6.2% and Medicare at 1.45%. There is no state income tax, and Texas unemployment tax is paid by employers, not taken from your pay.

What is the minimum wage in Texas in 2026?

$7.25 an hour. Texas adopts the federal minimum wage. Tipped workers can be paid $2.13 an hour before tips, as long as tips bring them up to $7.25.

How often do Texas employers have to pay you?

At least twice a month if you are entitled to overtime under federal law, and at least once a month if you are exempt from it. If the employer does not set paydays, they are the 1st and 15th of each month.

Does Texas have its own overtime law?

The U.S. Department of Labor lists no Texas overtime rule beyond federal law. Overtime comes from the federal Fair Labor Standards Act: one and a half times your regular rate for hours over 40 in a workweek, if your job is covered.

Do I pay Texas unemployment tax?

No. Employers pay it on the first $9,000 of each worker's pay in a year. The Texas Workforce Commission says unemployment taxes are not deducted from employee wages.

Why is my real paycheck different from this estimate?

Your employer withholds federal income tax using your Form W-4 and the IRS tables in Publication 15-T. This estimate matches that method only when the W-4 gives a filing status and nothing else and your pay is the same every period. Bonuses, overtime, tax credits, a second job, other benefits and after-tax deductions all change the figure.

Sources

Figures last checked against these sources on October 10, 2026. This page gives general information and estimates, not tax, legal or financial advice.