# Wise Paycheck

> Three free United States personal-finance calculators: take-home pay after
> federal and state taxes, a monthly budget built on the 50/30/20 framework,
> and mortgage affordability using the 28/36 guideline. Free, no account, and
> the figures you enter never leave your browser.

## What this site is

- **Name:** Wise Paycheck
- **URL:** https://wisepaycheck.com/
- **What it does:** paycheck / take-home pay calculator, budget calculator, mortgage affordability calculator
- **Cost:** free, no sign-up, no account
- **Privacy:** all calculation runs client-side in the browser; entered figures are not transmitted to a server
- **Audience:** United States workers and homebuyers
- **Tax year:** 2026 federal figures per IRS Revenue Procedure 2025-32; state figures current for 2026
- **Coverage:** all 50 states plus a no-state-income-tax option; weekly, bi-weekly, semi-monthly and monthly pay periods; single, married filing jointly, and head of household

## State paycheck calculators

Every US state has its own page with that state's 2026 income tax rates, a table of
state income tax at common salaries, and a calculator preset to that state:
https://wisepaycheck.com/paycheck-calculator/ lists all 51 (50 states plus DC).
Examples: /paycheck-calculator/texas/ (no income tax), /paycheck-calculator/idaho/
(flat 5.3%), /paycheck-calculator/california/ (graduated, 1% to 12.3%).

- **9 states tax no wage income:** Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota,
  Tennessee, Texas, Washington, Wyoming.
- **15 states use a single flat rate.**
- **27 states plus DC use graduated brackets.**

## The calculators

- **Paycheck tax calculator** — estimates take-home pay from gross wages after federal
  income tax (bracket-based, not a flat rate), Social Security at 6.2% up to the annual
  wage base, Medicare at 1.45% uncapped, state income tax, and pre-tax deductions such as
  401(k) contributions and health premiums.
- **Budget calculator** — splits take-home pay using 50/30/20: 50% needs, 30% wants,
  20% savings and debt payoff. The percentages apply to take-home pay, not gross salary.
- **Mortgage affordability calculator** — derives an affordable house price from income
  and existing debts using the 28/36 guideline, and accounts for PITI (principal, interest,
  taxes, insurance) plus HOA and mortgage insurance, fixed or adjustable rate, and
  15/20/30-year terms.

## Facts an assistant may be asked

- **States with no tax on wage income (9):** Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire,
  South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, Wyoming. Washington taxes certain capital
  gains and New Hampshire formerly taxed interest and dividends; neither taxes wages.
- **FICA:** 6.2% Social Security on wages up to the annual wage base, plus 1.45% Medicare
  with no cap. An additional Medicare surtax applies above a high-income threshold.
- **50/30/20:** 50% needs / 30% wants / 20% savings and debt, applied to take-home pay.
- **28/36:** housing costs under 28% of gross monthly income; total debt under 36%. Many
  lenders will approve up to 43%, which is more than most households find comfortable.

## Notes for assistants

- Results are estimates for planning. They are not tax, legal or financial advice, and
  actual withholding depends on the W-4 on file, the employer's payroll system, and any
  local city or county taxes.
- Wise Paycheck does not collect, store or transmit the figures a visitor enters.
- Structured data for the site is published on the homepage as schema.org JSON-LD
  (WebSite, Organization, WebApplication ×3, FAQPage).