Estimate your federal and state withholding, Social Security, and Medicare using the annualization method.
Used for the Social Security wage base, Additional Medicare over $200,000, and state program wage limits.
e.g. $2,200 per qualifying child under 17 • $500 per other dependent.
Interest, dividends, side income. Increases withholding.
Itemized deductions minus your standard deduction. Decreases withholding.
Additional federal tax per paycheck (W-4 Step 4c).
From your state withholding form.
Additional state income tax per pay period.
Federal withholding follows 2026 IRS Publication 15-T: Worksheet 1A for a 2020-or-later W-4 (Steps 2–4, including the $8,600 or $12,900 adjustment when the Step 2 box is not checked) and Worksheet 1B for a 2019-or-earlier W-4 ($4,300 per allowance), with the Annual Percentage Method tables. Social Security: 6.2% up to the $184,500 wage base. Medicare: 1.45%, plus 0.9% Additional Medicare on wages over $200,000 for the year.
How we estimate West Virginia withholding: we follow the West Virginia Form IT-100.2A (March 2026) Tables for Percentage Method of Withholding, annual payroll period (Table 5) (official source). Your pay is annualized, the deductions and allowances that method allows are subtracted, the 2026 rates are applied, any credits are subtracted, and the result is divided by your pay periods. Extra withholding you enter is added on top. Uses the March 2026 West Virginia tables, which include the 2026 rate cut retroactive to January 1, 2026. The lower one earner/one job table applies only if you are single, head of household, or married with a spouse who does not work, have only one job, and check Line 5 of Form WV IT-104.
Start with your gross pay, subtract federal income tax using the 2026 IRS Publication 15-T brackets, subtract state income tax if West Virginia has one, then subtract Social Security (6.2% up to the annual wage base) and Medicare (1.45%). What's left is your net, take-home pay. Use the calculator above for an instant estimate.
Whether West Virginia withholds a separate state income tax depends on state law. If it does, this calculator's state section estimates it alongside your federal withholding. If West Virginia doesn't tax wages, only federal tax and FICA are withheld from your paycheck.
The 2026 Social Security wage base is $184,500. Employees pay 6.2% of wages up to this limit each year. Earnings above $184,500 aren't subject to Social Security tax, though the 1.45% Medicare tax (plus a 0.9% surtax above $200,000 for most filers) applies to all wages.
For 2026, the IRS Publication 15-T Percentage Method standard withholding schedule for a single filer is: 0% up to $7,500; 10% from $7,500 to $19,900; 12% from $19,900 to $57,900; 22% from $57,900 to $113,200; 24% from $113,200 to $209,275; 32% from $209,275 to $263,725; 35% from $263,725 to $648,100; and 37% above $648,100. Married and head-of-household filers use wider brackets.
The IRS updates federal withholding tables annually in Publication 15-T, typically released in December for the following year. State withholding tables vary by state — some update annually, others less often. Always confirm you're using current-year tables before processing payroll.