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Guides
Each guide is a rule with a worked number and a link to the agency that publishes it. The calculators are the short version.
2026 Federal Income Tax Brackets
The seven 2026 federal ordinary income tax brackets from IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32, with a worked $100,000 single example that lands at $13,170 of tax.
2026 Standard Deduction
The 2026 standard deduction under the One Big Beautiful Bill inflation adjustments: $16,100 single, $32,200 married filing jointly, $24,150 head of household.
Social Security Tax 2026
The 2026 Social Security wage base is $184,500. Employees pay 6.2% until that cap, a maximum of $11,439. Medicare is not capped.
Additional Medicare Tax 2026
Additional Medicare Tax is 0.9% of wages over $200,000 single, $250,000 joint, or $125,000 married filing separately. Employers start withholding at $200,000 regardless.
How a Traditional 401(k) Changes 2026 Take-Home Pay
A traditional 401(k) reduces federal and state income tax. It does not reduce Social Security or Medicare. The 2026 employee deferral limit is $24,500.
When US Mortgage Insurance Actually Comes Off
Private mortgage insurance can be requested at 80% of the original value and must end at 78% under the Homeowners Protection Act. Extra payments do not always make a servicer drop it by themselves.
Biweekly Mortgage Payments
Twenty-six half-payments on a US monthly mortgage add up to thirteen full payments a year. The interest you save is that extra payment, not a magic of the word biweekly.
Extra Mortgage Principal
Extra principal on a US mortgage cuts interest because the rate is applied to a smaller balance. A worked 6.5% loan shows the years and dollars, with no change to the note rate.
Texas Paycheck Calculator 2026
Texas does not tax wages. A 2026 paycheck is federal income tax plus Social Security and Medicare. Property tax is not withheld from the check.
Florida Paycheck Calculator 2026
Florida does not tax wages. Federal income tax and FICA still come out. Homestead exemption is a property-tax rule, not a larger paycheck.
Washington Paycheck Calculator 2026
Washington does not tax wages. A capital-gains tax can apply to long-term gains above a threshold, and it is not withheld from a paycheck.
Nevada Paycheck Calculator 2026
Nevada does not tax wages. Gaming and commerce taxes are business taxes. A Las Vegas or Reno paycheck is federal tax plus FICA.
Tennessee Paycheck Calculator 2026
Tennessee does not tax wages. The old Hall tax on interest and dividends is not a wage tax. Federal tax and FICA still apply in Nashville or Memphis.
Alaska Paycheck Calculator 2026
Alaska has no state income tax and no state sales tax. The Permanent Fund Dividend is not wages and is not part of this paycheck.
Wyoming Paycheck Calculator 2026
Wyoming has no individual income tax. A 2026 paycheck is federal income tax and FICA. The state does not add a wage rate.
South Dakota Paycheck Calculator 2026
South Dakota has no state income tax. Take-home pay is federal tax and FICA. Sales tax and local property tax are not payroll.
New Hampshire Paycheck Calculator 2026
New Hampshire does not tax wages. A 2026 paycheck is federal income tax plus FICA. Do not add a wage rate for the old interest-and-dividends tax.
Arizona Paycheck Calculator 2026
Arizona’s 2026 individual income tax is a 2.50% flat rate. This page applies that rate to wages after a 401(k), before Arizona deductions, so the state line is a ceiling.
Colorado Paycheck Calculator 2026
Colorado’s flat income tax is 4.40% for 2026. The state’s standard deduction tracks the federal amounts. The rate box here does not subtract that deduction.
Georgia Paycheck Calculator 2026
Georgia’s 2026 flat individual income tax rate is 5.19%. Applied here to wages after a 401(k), with no Georgia deductions.
Illinois Paycheck Calculator 2026
Illinois taxes individuals at a flat 4.95%. Chicago does not add a city income tax. The personal exemption is not subtracted in this flat-rate line.
Indiana Paycheck Calculator 2026
Indiana’s state rate for 2026 is 2.95%. Counties add their own income tax on top. The number pre-filled here is the state piece only.
Iowa Paycheck Calculator 2026
Iowa’s 2026 individual income tax is a 3.80% flat rate, with a standard deduction aligned to the federal deduction. This tool applies 3.80% to wages and does not subtract that deduction.
Michigan Paycheck Calculator 2026
Michigan’s 2026 state withholding rate on wages is 4.25%. City income taxes, including Detroit, are not in that rate.
UK Income Tax Bands 2026/27
England, Wales, and Northern Ireland income tax for 2026/27: personal allowance £12,570, basic rate 20% to £37,700 of taxable income, then 40%, then 45% above £125,140.
National Insurance 2026/27
Employee Class 1 National Insurance for 2026/27 is 8% between £12,570 and £50,270 a year, then 2%. The primary threshold and upper earnings limit did not move.
UK Student Loan Repayments 2026/27
Annual student loan thresholds for 2026/27: Plan 1 £26,900, Plan 2 £29,385, Plan 4 £33,795, Plan 5 £25,000, postgraduate £21,000. Undergraduate plans are 9%. Postgraduate is 6%.
Scottish Income Tax 2026/27
Scottish income tax bands for 2026/27 from gov.scot: 19% to £16,537, 20% to £29,526, 21% to £43,662, 42% to £75,000, 45% to £125,140, 48% above. National Insurance is unchanged.
UK Salary Sacrifice and Take-Home Pay
A salary sacrifice cuts the pay that income tax, employee National Insurance, and student loan are calculated on. At £42,000, 5% sacrificed saves tax and NI and still goes into the pension.
SDLT 2026
Stamp Duty Land Tax on a home in England or Northern Ireland: 0% to £125,000, then 2%, 5%, 10%, and 12%. Additional homes add 5% of the price. First-time buyer relief ends above £500,000.
Scotland LBTT 2026
Land and Buildings Transaction Tax on a Scottish home: 0% to £145,000, 2% to £250,000, 5% to £325,000, 10% to £750,000, 12% above. Additional dwellings add 8% of the price.
Wales LTT 2026
Land Transaction Tax on a Welsh home: 0% to £225,000, 6% to £400,000, 7.5% to £750,000, 10% to £1.5 million, 12% above. Higher rates for additional homes start at 5%.
First-Time Buyer Stamp Duty
English first-time buyer relief is 0% to £300,000 if the price is £500,000 or less. Scotland widens the nil-rate band to £175,000. Wales does not copy the English relief.
Canada minimum down payment
5%, 10%, and the $1.5 million line
Canada Mortgage Default Insurance
Standard mortgage insurance premiums added to a Canadian loan: 4.00% with 5% to under 10% down, 3.10% with 10% to under 15%, and 2.80% with 15% to under 20%.
Canada GDS and TDS
Gross debt service is housing costs over gross income, modeled here at 39%. Total debt service adds other debts, modeled at 44%. Both are tested on the stressed payment, not the contract payment.
Canada Mortgage Qualifying Rate
The Canadian mortgage stress test qualifies you at the higher of your contract rate plus 2 percentage points and 5.25%. At a 4.4% contract rate the test is 6.4%, not 5.25%.
Australia Tax Rates 2026–27
Resident income tax from 1 July 2026: 0% to $18,200, 15% to $45,000, 30% to $135,000, 37% to $190,000, 45% above. The 16% rate becomes 15%.
Medicare Levy 2026–27
Most Australian residents pay a 2% Medicare levy. Singles pay nothing at or below $28,011 for 2026–27, then a reduced levy until the full 2% applies.
Low Income Tax Offset 2026–27
LITO is worth up to $700 below $37,500. It reduces by 5 cents per dollar to $45,000, then by 1.5 cents per dollar, and it is gone by about $66,667. It cuts tax, not Medicare.