What is my federal tax withholding?
Enter your taxable wages, pay frequency, and Form W-4 to see the federal income tax your employer withholds from each paycheck, by the IRS Publication 15-T (2026) percentage method. An estimate, not tax advice.
- Federal income tax withheld
- $156.15
On $2,000.00 of taxable wages, your employer withholds $156.15 in federal income tax.
- Withheld in a year
- $4,060.00
- Adjusted annual wage
- $43,400.00
- Tentative withholding
- $156.15
- Share of wages withheld
- 7.81%
- Tables used
- Publication 15-T (2026) Annual Percentage Method, STANDARD schedule
Answer for the example date Wednesday, September 30, 2026. It changes to today's date when the page loads.
Federal income tax withheld: $156.15. On $2,000.00 of taxable wages, your employer withholds $156.15 in federal income tax.
Federal income tax withheld by taxable wages this paycheck
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 an employer withholds from one paycheck by IRS Publication 15-T (2026) Worksheet 1A, from your Form W-4 and pay frequency.
Example with the default inputs (Taxable wages this paycheck $2,000.00, Pay frequency Every two weeks (26), Form W-4 2020 or later, Filing status (Step 1c) Single or married separately, Step 2 box checked (two jobs) No, Step 3 amount $0.00, Step 4(a) other income $0.00, Step 4(b) deductions $0.00, Extra withholding (Step 4c) $0.00, Pay date September 30, 2026) on the example date Wednesday, September 30, 2026: On $2,000.00 of taxable wages, your employer withholds $156.15 in federal income tax.
Method: Worksheet 1A: yearly wage = wages × pay periods (+ Step 4(a)) − Step 4(b) − $8,600 ($12,900 married filing jointly; nothing when the Step 2 box is checked), or − $4,300 per allowance on a 2019 or earlier form. Tentative = the Annual Percentage Method table amount ÷ pay periods. Withholding = tentative − Step 3 ÷ pay periods (not below 0) + Step 4(c).
- An estimate, not tax advice. Uses IRS Publication 15-T (2026), the percentage method for automated payroll; employers using the wage bracket tables may differ by up to a dollar.
- Wages are the paycheck’s taxable wages: gross pay less pre-tax deductions (traditional 401(k), section 125 health premiums, HSA).
- Not modelled: nonresident alien additions (Pub 15-T Table 1), supplemental wages (use the bonus tax calculator), and state withholding.
Worked examples
Each example is checked against the calculator on every build.
- Taxable wages this paycheck $1,000.00, Pay frequency Weekly (52), Form W-4 2020 or later, Filing status (Step 1c) Single or married separately, Pay date 2026-02-06 gives Adjusted annual wage $43,400.00, Federal income tax withheld $78.08.Source: IRS Pub 15-T (2026) Worksheet 1A, 52,000 − 8,600 = 43,400
- Taxable wages this paycheck $1,000.00, Pay frequency Weekly (52), Form W-4 2020 or later, Filing status (Step 1c) Married filing jointly, Pay date 2026-02-06 gives Adjusted annual wage $39,100.00, Federal income tax withheld $38.08.Source: IRS Pub 15-T (2026) Worksheet 1A, 52,000 − 12,900 = 39,100
- Taxable wages this paycheck $1,500.00, Pay frequency Weekly (52), Form W-4 2020 or later, Filing status (Step 1c) Single or married separately, Step 2 box checked (two jobs) yes, Pay date 2026-02-06 gives Adjusted annual wage $78,000.00, Federal income tax withheld $251.67.Source: IRS Pub 15-T (2026) Worksheet 1A, Step 2 checkbox schedule, 78,000: 8,983 + 24% × 17,100 = 13,087
- Taxable wages this paycheck $526.90, Pay frequency Weekly (52), Form W-4 2019 or earlier, Marital status Single, Allowances 1, Pay date 2026-02-06 gives Adjusted annual wage $23,098.80, Federal income tax withheld $31.23.Source: IRS Pub 15-T (2026) page 7, nonresident alien example: $300 + $226.90 weekly, 2019 Form W-4, single, 1 allowance: withhold $31 (the publication rounds to whole dollars)
- Taxable wages this paycheck $3,000.00, Pay frequency Twice a month (24), Form W-4 2020 or later, Filing status (Step 1c) Head of household, Step 3 amount $4,400.00, Extra withholding (Step 4c) $25.00, Pay date 2026-05-15 gives Adjusted annual wage $63,400.00, Federal income tax withheld $66.17.Source: IRS Pub 15-T (2026) Worksheet 1A, 72,000 − 8,600 = 63,400
How it works
This follows IRS Publication 15-T (2026), Worksheet 1A, "Employer's Withholding Worksheet for Percentage Method Tables for Automated Payroll Systems". Pay periods a year: daily 260, weekly 52, every two weeks 26, twice a month 24, monthly 12, quarterly 4, twice a year 2, yearly 1.
2020 or later Form W-4
- Yearly wages = taxable wages for the pay period × pay periods, plus the Step 4(a) other income.
- Take off the Step 4(b) deductions, and, when the Step 2 box is not checked, $8,600 ($12,900 for married filing jointly). The result, not below 0, is the adjusted annual wage.
- Find the adjusted annual wage in the 2026 Annual Percentage Method table for the filing status (the STANDARD schedule, or the Step 2 checkbox schedule when the box is checked): tax = the row's amount + the row's rate × (adjusted annual wage − the row's floor).
- Tentative withholding = that tax ÷ pay periods.
- Withholding = tentative − Step 3 amount ÷ pay periods (not below 0) + the Step 4(c) extra amount.
2019 or earlier Form W-4
Adjusted annual wage = yearly wages − $4,300 × allowances (not below 0). Single uses the single STANDARD schedule and married the married filing jointly STANDARD schedule. Withholding = the table amount ÷ pay periods + any extra amount.
The 2026 STANDARD schedules (at least, tax at that amount, rate on the excess):
| Single or married filing separately | Married filing jointly | Head of household | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0 | $0 | $0 | 0% |
| $7,500 | $19,300 | $15,550 | 10% |
| $19,900 (+$1,240) | $44,100 (+$2,480) | $33,250 (+$1,770) | 12% |
| $57,900 (+$5,800) | $120,100 (+$11,600) | $83,000 (+$7,740) | 22% |
| $113,200 (+$17,966) | $230,700 (+$35,932) | $121,250 (+$16,155) | 24% |
| $209,275 (+$41,024) | $422,850 (+$82,048) | $217,300 (+$39,207) | 32% |
| $263,725 (+$58,448) | $531,750 (+$116,896) | $271,750 (+$56,631) | 35% |
| $648,100 (+$192,979.25) | $788,000 (+$206,583.50) | $656,150 (+$191,171) | 37% |
The Step 2 checkbox schedules: single from $8,050 (10%), $14,250 (+$620, 12%), $33,250 (+$2,900, 22%), $60,900 (+$8,983, 24%), $108,938 (+$20,512, 32%), $136,163 (+$29,224, 35%), $328,350 (+$96,489.63, 37%); married filing jointly from $16,100 (10%), $28,500 (+$1,240), $66,500 (+$5,800), $121,800 (+$17,966), $217,875 (+$41,024), $272,325 (+$58,448), $400,450 (+$103,291.75); head of household from $12,075 (10%), $20,925 (+$885), $45,800 (+$3,870), $64,925 (+$8,077.50), $112,950 (+$19,603.50), $140,175 (+$28,315.50), $332,375 (+$95,585.50).
The year of the pay date picks the tables. The page has the 2026 tables; a later pay date uses them and says so. Amounts are not rounded; the page shows cents.
Worked examples by hand
- $1,000 weekly, single, 2020 form. 1,000 × 52 = 52,000; − 8,600 = 43,400. Table: 1,240 + 12% × (43,400 − 19,900) = 1,240 + 2,820 = 4,060. ÷ 52 = $78.08. The weekly wage bracket table prints $78 for $995 to $1,005.
- $1,000 weekly, married filing jointly. 52,000 − 12,900 = 39,100. 10% × (39,100 − 19,300) = 1,980. ÷ 52 = $38.08 (table: $38).
- $1,500 weekly, single, Step 2 box checked. 1,500 × 52 = 78,000, nothing taken off. Checkbox schedule: 8,983 + 24% × (78,000 − 60,900) = 8,983 + 4,104 = 13,087. ÷ 52 = $251.67 (table: $252).
- Nonresident alien example (Pub 15-T page 7). $300 of wages plus the $226.90 Table 1 addition = $526.90 weekly, 2019 form, single, 1 allowance: 526.90 × 52 = 27,398.80; − 4,300 = 23,098.80. 1,240 + 12% × 3,198.80 = 1,623.86; ÷ 52 = $31.23, which the publication rounds to $31.
- $3,000 twice a month, head of household, Step 3 $4,400, $25 extra. 3,000 × 24 = 72,000; − 8,600 = 63,400. 1,770 + 12% × (63,400 − 33,250) = 5,388; ÷ 24 = 224.50. Step 3: 4,400 ÷ 24 = 183.33, so 224.50 − 183.33 = 41.17; + 25 = $66.17.
Other questions people ask
How does my employer work out federal withholding?
Most payroll systems use Worksheet 1A of IRS Publication 15-T. They turn your taxable pay into a yearly amount, adjust it for your Form W-4, look it up in the Annual Percentage Method table, and divide the result by the number of paychecks. The dependents credit from Step 3 is then spread over the paychecks and any extra amount from Step 4(c) is added.
What wages count for federal withholding?
Gross pay less pre-tax deductions: a traditional 401(k) or 403(b), health, dental and vision premiums through a cafeteria plan, and HSA or FSA contributions. Roth contributions and after-tax deductions do not reduce the wages.
What does the Step 2 checkbox do?
It tells your employer you have two jobs at once, or are married filing jointly with a working spouse. The employer then uses the Step 2 checkbox schedule, whose brackets are half as wide, and takes no standard deduction off your wages. Check it on one W-4 only, the one for the highest-paying job, or on both if the two jobs pay about the same.
How do Step 3 dependents lower my withholding?
Step 3 on the 2026 Form W-4 is $2,200 for each child under 17 and $500 for each other dependent. The yearly total is divided by the number of paychecks and taken off the withholding for each paycheck, but not below zero.
I still have a 2019 or earlier Form W-4. How is it handled?
Employers keep using it until you file a new one. Each withholding allowance takes $4,300 a year off your wages (Pub 15-T 2026, Worksheet 1A line 1k), and married uses the married filing jointly table. Choose "2019 or earlier" to use it.
Why does my paycheck show a slightly different amount?
Employers may use the wage bracket tables, which round to whole dollars over $10 wage ranges, or round each step. The difference is usually under a dollar. Bonuses paid separately use a flat 22% instead (see the bonus tax calculator).