Disclaimer & Terms

Effective Date: January 1, 2026

AfterTaxLab provides take-home pay estimates for education and planning purposes only. It is not tax, legal, or financial advice.

1. Estimates Only

Calculations use 2026 federal brackets, standard deduction (Single $16,100 / Married $32,200 / Head $24,150), state models, and FICA (Social Security 6.2% up to wage base, Medicare 1.45% + 0.9% additional where applicable). Local/city taxes, pre-tax benefits beyond the single input, credits, deductions, alternative minimum tax, and individual circumstances are not fully modeled.

2. No Professional Relationship

Use of this site does not create a CPA, attorney, or advisor relationship. For filing decisions, consult a qualified CPA or tax professional in your state.

3. No Warranty

We strive for accuracy but do not guarantee error-free results. Tax laws change. Bracket data, state rules, and wage bases may update during the year.

4. Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, AfterTaxLab and its operators are not liable for any loss or decision made based on estimates.

5. Terms of Use

By using the site you agree to these terms. You may not scrape or republish the calculator logic for commercial use without permission. Calculator inputs never leave your browser.

6. Contact

Questions or corrections: [email protected]

7. Estimates, not advice

All figures on this site are planning estimates generated by a simplified tax engine. They are not tax, legal or financial advice, and they are not a substitute for a licensed professional or a state revenue department estimator. Your actual liability depends on facts we do not ask for: filing status details, credits, itemised deductions, pre-tax benefits, local taxes and the rest of your return.

State layers are explicitly labelled by method — exact for zero-tax and flat-rate states, simplified progressive for California and New York, planning estimate for other progressive states. Where a state estimate differs from its official estimator, the official estimator is correct and this site is wrong.

8. No warranty and limits of liability

The service is provided as is, without warranty of accuracy, availability or fitness for a particular purpose. Decisions made using these numbers — including relocation, job offers and budgeting — are made at your own risk. To the extent permitted by law, we are not liable for losses arising from use of the site.

9. Changes

Tax rules change annually. Pages are updated when sources change, and the effective date is shown on each calculator and explainer.

What this site is

AfterTaxLab produces estimates of take-home pay using published federal and state tax rules for tax year 2026. It is an educational tool, not a tax return, not a payroll system, and not advice. Do not file a return or make a financial decision on the strength of this output alone.

Limits of the model

The calculator models a W-2 employee taking the standard deduction, with federal income tax, FICA and state wage income tax. It does not model, and does not claim to model:

Itemised deductions, credits and phase-outs, or the alternative minimum tax
Self-employment tax, quarterly estimates, or business income
Local and city income or payroll taxes beyond the state level
State disability, paid family leave, or unemployment contributions withheld from wages
Wage garnishment, back taxes, or non-resident and part-year state rules
Employer-specific payroll rounding and mid-year W-4 changes

Where a state operates a complex system — local add-ons, special rates for certain occupations, or benefit-based contributions — the state page says so and labels the figure as an estimate rather than a withholding calculation.

Data currency

Federal figures reflect the IRS inflation adjustments published for tax year 2026, including the standard deduction and the Social Security wage base. State figures reflect each state's published schedules at the time of the last review, and the review date is stated on the relevant pages. Tax law changes: if a rate changes after your visit, this page may not yet reflect it. When a rule changes, the affected pages are revised and the change is noted.

Rounding and reporting errors

Results are rounded for readability, usually to the nearest dollar, so a column of figures may not add up to the total to the cent. That rounding is presentation only and does not change the tax computation.

If you believe a figure is wrong, report it to support@aftertaxlab.com with the page URL, your inputs and the figure you expected. Confirmed errors are corrected and, where they affect a published table, the correction is noted on the page.

For advice about your own circumstances, consult a CPA, enrolled agent or licensed tax adviser.