About PaycheckNest
PaycheckNest is an independent website with free paycheck calculators for all 50 states. It shows what comes out of a paycheck under 2026 withholding rules and where each number comes from.
What the site does
PaycheckNest has a paycheck calculator for each of the 50 states, plus overtime and tipped-wage calculators. Each one estimates federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare and state income tax for one paycheck. All math runs in your browser, so we never receive the numbers you enter.
Where the figures come from
Every tax rate, bracket, deduction, wage floor and overtime rule the calculators use is stored with three things: its value, the source it came from, and the date it was last checked. The register currently holds 1279 entries drawn from 65 source documents.
- Federal figures come from the IRS (Publication 15-T, Rev. Proc. 2025-32, Topic 751), the Social Security Administration and the U.S. Department of Labor.
- State figures come from state revenue departments, withholding guides and statutes wherever they're published. If an official 2026 document wasn't available, the secondary source we used is named instead.
- Every state page lists its own sources and check dates at the bottom, and the methodology page links the full register as a JSON download.
What happens when a figure can't be verified
We don't estimate a figure we can't source. If a required 2026 figure hasn't been published, the calculator marks that line "2026 figure pending" and leaves it out of the result rather than guessing.
Right now that applies to: Arizona (2026 standard deduction pending); Connecticut (state tax not yet estimated); Nebraska (2026 standard deduction pending); Vermont (2026 standard deduction pending).
How the calculations are checked
The site's pages and the calculator share one tax engine, so every example, table and FAQ answer on the site is computed rather than typed. Automated tests compare federal withholding against the IRS Publication 15-T Annual Percentage Method from $0 to $1,000,000 for every filing status. The date of the last check appears at the top of every page.
Who runs PaycheckNest
PaycheckNest is researched, written and maintained by the PaycheckNest editorial team. It isn't affiliated with the IRS, the Social Security Administration or any state tax agency.
Ads, affiliate links and independence
The site is free and is paid for by advertising and affiliate links. Advertisers and partners have no say in the calculators. Ads never change a result, and no figure is chosen to favor a partner. Details are in the advertising and affiliate disclosure.
Limits of the estimates
The calculators estimate paycheck withholding, not the tax you'll owe when you file. They don't include W-4 adjustments, dependents, local income taxes or credits claimed only on your return. This site isn't tax advice. For your own situation, check with your employer's payroll team or a tax professional.
Corrections
If a number looks wrong, email hello@paychecknest.com with the page and the figure. We check every report against the source. Confirmed fixes are retested and recorded in the methodology changelog.