🇺🇸 United States tax & finance calculators
Take-home varies up to $11K/yr across states for the same gross. State income tax is the spread.
🇺🇸 United States key numbers
Top 8 United States calculators
All United States tax & salary tools
Tax brackets, retirement, payroll, and credits that follow IRS rules. Universal calculators (loans, health, sport, conversions) are below.
🇺🇸United States tax & salary Tools
🇺🇸 United States city calculators
Salary and income tax calculators for the largest US metros - localized for state tax, county tax, and cost-of-living.
US tax planning: federal + state guide
The US tax system layers federal income tax (10% to 37% across 7 brackets) on top of state income tax (which varies from 0% in 9 states to 13.3% in California). Add Social Security (6.2%), Medicare (1.45%), and the Additional Medicare Tax (0.9% above $200K) for a complete picture. Strategic use of pre-tax accounts, HSAs, and itemized deductions can save thousands annually.
The big retirement accounts
401(k): $23,500 employee contribution limit for 2025 (up from $23,000). Plus $7,500 catch-up if age 50+. Many employers match up to 6% of salary - never leave free money on the table. Roth 401(k) option lets you pay tax now, withdraw tax-free later.
IRA (Individual Retirement Account): $7,000 limit ($8,000 if 50+). Traditional IRA is deductible if you don't have a workplace plan; Roth is post-tax with tax-free growth. Income limits apply to Roth contributions ($165K single, $246K married for full contribution in 2025).
HSA (Health Savings Account): triple tax-advantaged. Pre-tax contribution (up to $4,300 single, $8,550 family), tax-free growth, tax-free withdrawals for qualified medical. After 65, withdraw for any reason at ordinary income tax (like a Traditional IRA).
State income tax varies dramatically
- No state tax: Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire (interest/dividends only), South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, Wyoming.
- Highest rates: California 13.3%, Hawaii 11%, New York 10.9%, New Jersey 10.75%, Oregon 9.9%.
- Flat tax states: Pennsylvania 3.07%, Indiana 3.05%, North Carolina 4.25%, Illinois 4.95%, Michigan 4.25%.
Standard deduction vs itemizing
The 2025 standard deduction is $15,000 single, $30,000 married filing jointly. After the 2017 TCJA roughly doubled the standard deduction, the share of taxpayers itemizing dropped from ~30% to ~10%. Itemize only if your sum of mortgage interest + state/local taxes (capped at $10,000 SALT) + charitable giving + medical expenses (above 7.5% AGI) exceeds the standard deduction.
Capital gains rates
Long-term capital gains (held over 1 year) are taxed at 0% / 15% / 20% depending on taxable income, plus 3.8% Net Investment Income Tax above $200K single / $250K married. Short-term (under 1 year) is taxed at ordinary income rates. Tax-loss harvesting at year-end can offset gains.
More US take-home calculators by state
Calculators by US state
Localized 2026 tax math + keyword-targeted pages for every US region. Each links to: Salary Calculator, Income Tax, Mortgage, 401K, Property Tax.