Gross Pay Calculator
Work backwards from the take-home pay you want: the gross salary needed per year and per paycheck after 2026 federal, FICA and state tax.
IRS tax year 2026 tables (Rev. Proc. 2025-32) last updated · reference source
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Currency: Amounts are calculated in the currency you select; this site does not convert between currencies and does not use live exchange rates.
Dated static reference; no live data is fetched. Verify current source values and assumptions before relying on results.
What this tool does
The reverse of a paycheck calculator — a gross-up tool. Give it the net amount you want in each paycheck and it solves for the gross salary that leaves exactly that after federal income tax, FICA and the state estimate: useful for negotiating a salary from a take-home target, setting a relocation offer, or pricing a contract rate that must net a set amount.
How to use the Gross Pay Calculator
- Enter your figures in the fields above.
- Check the filing status, state and pay-frequency selections — they change the tables used.
- Read the headline result first, then the breakdown: it shows exactly which tax or amount produced each line.
- Change any input to compare scenarios; the result updates with the same dated tables shown on this page.
Formula
find gross such that paycheck-net(gross) = target net × periods, by bisection on the same annual engine as the Paycheck Calculator
- target net
- Take-home wanted per paycheck, after all modelled taxes
- periods
- 52 weekly, 26 biweekly, 24 semimonthly, 12 monthly
Worked example
Wanting $2,500 net every two weeks in Texas as a single filer requires roughly a $79,900 gross salary — the $65,000 annual net target plus about $14,900 of federal tax and FICA.
Inputs
- Target net pay per paycheck2500
- Pay frequencyEvery two weeks — 26 paychecks
- Filing statusSingle
- State (estimate)Texas — no income tax
- Pre-tax deductions per year (401(k), HSA, premiums)0
Result
- Required gross salary (annual)$79,843.64
- Gross pay per paycheck$3,070.91
- Net pay per paycheck at that gross$2,500.00
- Federal tax per paycheck$335.98
- FICA per paycheck$234.92
- State tax per paycheck (estimate)$0.00
Results explained
- Required gross salary (annual)
- The gross annual pay whose modelled net equals your target, to the nearest dollar.
- Gross pay per paycheck
- Required gross salary divided by pay periods.
Frequently asked questions
Grossing up means increasing a payment so that after taxes the recipient keeps a specified net amount. Employers gross up relocation bonuses and tax-equalized assignments the same way this tool solves salaries.
Because the rate is marginal and layered: the gross-up dollars are themselves taxed, partly at your top bracket, and FICA stops at the wage base. The solver iterates the real calculation instead of guessing a single rate.
It is the same engine run backwards. Enter the required gross it finds into the Paycheck Calculator and you will see your target net (within rounding).
Yes — pre-tax deductions are taken out before net pay in this model, so to land the same take-home with a larger 401(k) contribution you need a higher gross. That is a feature: the tool prices the whole package.
Approximately: set the frequency to monthly and the target to the bonus net you want plus your normal monthly net, then subtract your normal gross. For exact bonus withholding, note bonuses are often withheld at a flat 22% federal rate even though they settle at your marginal rate.