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 South Carolina withholding: we follow the WH-1603F Formula for Computing South Carolina 2026 Withholding Tax (Rev. 11/4/25) (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 2026 withholding formula SCDOR publishes for paychecks now. The 2026 rate law (H. 4216) changes the tax on your 2026 return, not this employer formula. Filing status does not change South Carolina withholding; only allowances do.
Start with your gross pay, subtract federal income tax using the 2026 IRS Publication 15-T brackets, subtract state income tax if South Carolina 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 South Carolina 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 South Carolina 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.