Most federal employees know their salary. Almost none know their take-home pay to the penny — because the deduction chain is long: federal income tax withholding, Social Security and Medicare, FERS retirement contribution, TSP contribution, FEHB premium, FEGLI premium, and state income tax. This tool calculates all of them and shows you your biweekly deposit amount and annual take-home on one screen.
Section I Federal Net Pay Calculator
Calculate My Take-Home Pay
| Deduction / Component | Annual |
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Section II Deduction Guide
| Deduction | Rate / Amount | Pre/Post Tax | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Federal income tax | 10–37% marginal | Post-tax contribution basis | 2026 brackets per IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32 |
| Social Security | 6.2% | Pre-tax | On wages up to ~$176,100 (2026 wage base) |
| Medicare | 1.45% | Pre-tax | +0.9% surtax on wages over $200K (single) / $250K (MFJ) |
| FERS | 4.4% (FERS-FRAE) | Pre-tax | 3.9% for 2013 hires; 0.8% for pre-2013 |
| TSP Traditional | Your elected % | Pre-tax | Reduces federal taxable income; up to $24,500 in 2026 |
| TSP Roth | Your elected % | Post-tax | No current tax benefit; withdrawals tax-free in retirement |
| FEHB premium | Plan-specific | Pre-tax (premium conversion) | Reduces federal + FICA taxable income |
| FEGLI Basic | $0.16 per $1,000 biweekly | Post-tax | Employee pays 2/3 of total; gov't pays 1/3 |
Section III Frequently Asked Questions
Federal employees participate in premium conversion under 5 U.S.C. 8906(e), which means FEHB premiums are deducted from your pay before calculating federal income tax, Social Security, and Medicare. This is equivalent to an employer-sponsored flexible spending arrangement. The result is that your FEHB premium reduces your taxable income — a GS-13 paying $3,484/year in FEHB premiums saves approximately $766 in federal income tax and $267 in FICA taxes, for a total after-tax cost of about $2,451 rather than $3,484.
In most states, yes. Most states follow federal tax treatment and exclude traditional TSP contributions from state taxable income. However, a handful of states do not conform to federal rules on retirement account contributions. Pennsylvania and New Jersey, for example, do not allow pre-tax treatment of 401(k)/403(b) contributions (and by extension, traditional TSP) for state income tax purposes. If you live in a non-conforming state, your state taxable income may be higher than your federal taxable income by the amount of your TSP traditional contributions.
Your effective (average) tax rate is the total federal income tax you pay divided by your gross income. Your marginal rate is the rate that applies to your last dollar of income. The two are very different — a single filer earning $103,049 is in the 22% marginal bracket, but their effective federal income tax rate is closer to 14–15% because the first $12,400 is taxed at 10%, the next $38,000 at 12%, and only the amount above $50,400 at 22%. Most tax anxiety comes from confusing marginal with effective rates.