exityear lite
a free and private financial projection tool with a bit more oomph than others
2026 federal figures · 2025 state tables · estimate only
Federal brackets, the standard deduction, the Social Security wage base and the 401(k) limit are 2026 figures. State income tax uses 2025 rates and brackets, and no city or local tax is modeled — if you are in New York City, Ohio, Pennsylvania or Maryland, your real deduction will be larger. Head-of-household filers get single-filer treatment at the state level only. Commuter and parking benefits are modeled as fully pre-tax; the IRS's monthly limit on that exclusion is not enforced here. Withholding is not the same thing as what you finally owe: credits, other income, and anything unusual in your situation are not modeled here. Check a real pay stub before making plans.
Your paycheck
What actually lands in your account, and where the rest of it goes.
Job Details
Deductions
per paycheck unless noted401(k), traditional percent of gross, pre-tax | % |
401(k), extra dollars flat amount per check | $ |
401(k), Roth after tax, per check | $ |
HSA pre-tax, skips FICA too | $ |
Commuter & parking pre-tax, skips FICA too — IRS monthly limit not modeled | $ |
Health premium your share, pre-tax | $ |
Dental + vision your share, pre-tax | $ |
ESPP after tax, per check | $ |
Other after tax, not counted as withholding | $ |
Extra withholding after tax, counted as tax withheld — W-4 line 4(c) | $ |
You keep about 63 cents of every dollar you earn.
Paystub Details
Every two weeks · 26 pay periods a year| Line | This check | Per year | % of gross |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $3,692.31 | $96,000 | 100.0% |
| 401(k), traditional | -$295.38 | -$7,680 | 8.0% |
| HSA | -$150.00 | -$3,900 | 4.1% |
| Commuter & parking | — | — | — |
| Health + dental | -$187.00 | -$4,862 | 5.1% |
| Taxable wages | $3,059.92 | $79,558 | 82.9% |
| Federal income tax | -$333.57 | -$8,673 | 9.0% |
| State tax · CA | -$136.02 | -$3,537 | 3.7% |
| Social Security | -$208.03 | -$5,409 | 5.6% |
| Medicare | -$48.65 | -$1,265 | 1.3% |
| Extra withholding | — | — | — |
| 401(k), Roth | — | — | — |
| ESPP | — | — | — |
| Other | — | — | — |
| Take home | $2,333.65 | $60,675 | 63.2% |
Rates
- Effective tax rate
- 19.7%
- Marginal federal
- 22%
- Saved to retirement
- $7,680/yr
- Total withheld
- $18,883/yr
Worth knowing
At this pace you put in $7,680 of the $24,500 401(k) limit.
Social Security stops at $184,500 of wages. You are under it.
Employer match is not counted here. If yours matches, that is free money on top of these numbers.
Why this sits next to a retirement plan
The projection on the main calculator asks for income before tax and applies one flat rate on top. That is the right shape for a thirty-year projection, but it makes the first number you enter the easiest one to get wrong — most people know their take-home far better than their gross. Work backwards here, then enter the gross figure there with some confidence.
The effective rate at the bottom of this page is also a reasonable starting point for that plan's tax rate, with one caveat worth understanding: roughly 7.65% of it is Social Security and Medicare, which are charged on wages. Once you stop working and live on portfolio withdrawals, that part goes away. A retirement tax rate should be lower than a working one.
Two deductions here are the same dollars as another page. The HSA line is the account that is tax-free both going in and coming out, which makes it the natural place to hold money for the years before Medicare — the healthcare page models that end of it. And the health premium line is what an employer is quietly paying most of; it is the number that changes most on the day you stop working.
Illustrative only. Not financial advice. Exityear Lite is a simplified, sunset version of a retired product, kept online as a portfolio showcase. Projections are deterministic estimates based on the assumptions you enter, use a simplified flat tax rate, and omit market volatility and many real-world factors. Some links may be sponsored affiliate recommendations where we earn a commission at no additional cost to you. Do not use it to make financial decisions. Consult a qualified professional.