acalculator

How much bonus tax will I pay?

Enter your bonus to see the federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare, and state tax withheld from it, and what you take home. Uses the IRS 2026 supplemental wage rules. An estimate, not tax advice.

Your numbers

Withholding method
Earlier pay this year
Bonus after tax
$3,517.50

On a $5,000.00 bonus, you take home $3,517.50 after $1,482.50 of taxes.

Federal income tax
$1,100.00
Social Security
$310.00
Medicare
$72.50
State tax
$0.00
Total taxes
$1,482.50
Share withheld
29.65%
Tax year
2026 federal rates

Answer for the example date Wednesday, September 30, 2026. It changes to today's date when the page loads.

Bonus after tax: $3,517.50. On a $5,000.00 bonus, you take home $3,517.50 after $1,482.50 of taxes.

Where does the bonus go?

The results are estimates for information only. They are not financial, tax, or legal advice. Check the numbers with your lender or a qualified professional before you decide. Terms of use

How to calculate

Computes the federal income tax withheld from a bonus (flat 22% or the aggregate method, 37% over $1 million), Social Security, Medicare, and state tax, and the bonus you take home.

Example with the default inputs (Bonus $5,000.00, Withholding method Flat 22%, State tax rate on bonuses 0%, Wages paid so far this year $0.00, Bonuses paid so far this year $0.00, Pay date September 30, 2026) on the example date Wednesday, September 30, 2026: On a $5,000.00 bonus, you take home $3,517.50 after $1,482.50 of taxes.

Method: Flat: federal = 22% × the bonus, and 37% on the part that takes the year’s supplemental wages over $1,000,000. Aggregate: federal = Pub 15-T withholding on (regular wages + bonus) − withholding on the regular wages alone. Social Security = 6.2% of the bonus up to the $184,500 wage base; Medicare = 1.45%, plus 0.9% on wages over $200,000 in the year. State = bonus × state rate. Take-home = bonus − all of them.

  • An estimate, not tax advice. Withholding is not the final tax: the bonus is taxed with the rest of your income on your return.
  • The flat 22% applies only when the bonus is paid separately or shown apart from regular wages and income tax was withheld from your regular wages this year or last year.
  • The aggregate method here adds the bonus to one regular paycheck and uses the 2026 percentage method for a 2020 or later Form W-4.
  • State tax is a single rate you type: states set their own supplemental rates, and some tax bonuses as regular pay. Local taxes, 401(k) deferrals from the bonus, and the Additional Medicare Tax owed on a joint return are not modelled.

Machine-readable copies: Markdown, JSON.

Worked examples

Each example is checked against the calculator on every build.

  1. Bonus $5,000.00, Withholding method Flat 22%, Pay date 2026-12-15 gives Federal income tax $1,100.00, Social Security $310.00, Medicare $72.50, Total taxes $1,482.50, Bonus after tax $3,517.50.Source: IRS Pub 15 (2026) section 7 (22% flat rate) and section 9 (6.2% and 1.45%)
  2. Bonus $1,500,000.00, Withholding method Flat 22%, Wages paid so far this year $200,000.00, Pay date 2026-12-15 gives Federal income tax $405,000.00, Social Security $0.00, Medicare $35,250.00, Bonus after tax $1,059,750.00.Source: IRS Pub 15 (2026) section 7: 37% mandatory on supplemental wages over $1,000,000; section 9: no Social Security above $184,500, 0.9% Additional Medicare over $200,000
  3. Bonus $3,000.00, Withholding method Aggregate, Regular taxable wages a paycheck $2,000.00, Pay frequency Every two weeks, Filing status (W-4) Single or married separately, State tax rate on bonuses 5%, Pay date 2026-12-15 gives Federal income tax $610.54, Social Security $186.00, Medicare $43.50, State tax $150.00, Bonus after tax $2,009.96.Source: IRS Pub 15 (2026) section 7 aggregate procedure with Pub 15-T (2026) Worksheet 1A
  4. Bonus $10,000.00, Withholding method Flat 22%, Wages paid so far this year $180,000.00, Bonuses paid so far this year $995,000.00, Pay date 2026-12-15 gives Federal income tax $2,950.00, Social Security $279.00, Medicare $145.00, Bonus after tax $6,626.00.Source: IRS Pub 15 (2026) sections 7 and 9: $5,000 at 22% and $5,000 over $1,000,000 at 37%; Social Security on the $4,500 left under $184,500

How it works

Federal income tax withheld from the bonus (IRS Publication 15, section 7):

  • Flat method: 22% of the bonus. The part of the bonus that takes this employer's supplemental wages for the year over $1,000,000 is withheld at 37% instead: part over = min(bonus, max(0, bonuses so far + bonus − 1,000,000)).
  • Aggregate method: withholding on (regular taxable wages + the bonus under the $1,000,000 line) for one pay period, minus withholding on the regular wages alone, both by the Publication 15-T (2026) Worksheet 1A percentage method for a 2020 or later Form W-4 (see the federal tax withholding calculator for the tables). The part over $1,000,000 is withheld at 37%.

Social Security and Medicare (section 9), given the wages this employer paid you before the bonus this year:

  • Social Security = 6.2% × min(bonus, max(0, 184,500 − wages so far)).
  • Medicare = 1.45% × bonus + 0.9% × min(bonus, max(0, wages so far + bonus − 200,000)).

State tax = bonus × the state rate you type. Take-home = bonus − federal − Social Security − Medicare − state. The year of the pay date picks the rates; the page has 2026 rates.

Worked examples by hand

  1. $5,000, flat. Federal 22% × 5,000 = 1,100. Social Security 6.2% × 5,000 = 310. Medicare 1.45% × 5,000 = 72.50. Taxes 1,482.50; take-home $3,517.50.
  2. $1,500,000, flat, $200,000 of wages already paid. Federal 22% × 1,000,000 + 37% × 500,000 = 220,000 + 185,000 = 405,000. Social Security 0 (wages already over $184,500). Medicare 1.45% × 1,500,000 + 0.9% × 1,500,000 = 21,750 + 13,500 = 35,250. Take-home $1,059,750.
  3. $3,000, aggregate, with a $2,000 every-two-weeks paycheck, single, state 5%. Withholding on $5,000: 5,000 × 26 = 130,000; − 8,600 = 121,400; 17,966 + 24% × 8,200 = 19,934; ÷ 26 = 766.69. On $2,000: 52,000 − 8,600 = 43,400; 1,240 + 12% × 23,500 = 4,060; ÷ 26 = 156.15. Federal 766.69 − 156.15 = 610.54. Social Security 186, Medicare 43.50, state 150. Take-home $2,009.96.
  4. $10,000, flat, $995,000 of bonuses and $180,000 of wages already paid. Over $1,000,000: 5,000. Federal 22% × 5,000 + 37% × 5,000 = 2,950. Social Security 6.2% × 4,500 = 279. Medicare 1.45% × 10,000 = 145. Take-home $6,626.

Other questions people ask

How much tax is taken out of a bonus?

When a bonus is paid on its own, most employers withhold a flat 22% federal income tax, plus 6.2% Social Security and 1.45% Medicare, plus your state’s rate. On a $5,000 bonus that is $1,100 + $310 + $72.50 = $1,482.50 before state tax.

Why is my bonus taxed at a higher rate than my paycheck?

It is withheld at a different rate, not taxed at one. Withholding is only a prepayment. On your tax return the bonus is added to your other income and taxed at your normal rates, so if 22% was too much you get the difference back as a refund, and if it was too little you owe it.

What is the aggregate method?

The employer adds the bonus to a regular paycheck and withholds as if the total were your usual pay, then takes off what it would have withheld from the regular pay alone. Because the combined amount looks like a much higher salary, the aggregate method often withholds more than 22%.

What happens with bonuses over $1 million?

Once your supplemental wages from one employer pass $1,000,000 in a year, the employer must withhold 37% on the part over $1,000,000, whatever your Form W-4 says.

Does Social Security tax apply to my bonus?

Yes, until your wages for the year reach the Social Security wage base, $184,500 in 2026. Medicare applies to all of it, and once your wages from the employer pass $200,000 in the year, 0.9% Additional Medicare Tax is withheld on the part over $200,000.

How do states tax bonuses?

Each state sets its own rule. Many have a flat supplemental rate; others withhold on bonuses as on regular pay; states with no income tax take nothing. Type your state’s rate to include it.