How much of your work bonus could you actually receive? Estimate the take-home amount after federal supplemental wage withholding, Social Security, Medicare and a custom state withholding allowance. All amounts are in US dollars.
For a separately identified cash bonus paid to a US W-2 employee. This model uses the IRS percentage withholding method—not an annual tax-return calculation.
70.35% of the gross bonus
Illustration: $10,000 bonus, $60,000 prior wages and no state withholding entered.
A bonus is usually part of your taxable pay, but the amount withheld from a bonus check is not necessarily the tax you ultimately owe. This page estimates the withholding and payroll taxes on a separately paid bonus where the employer uses the federal percentage method for supplemental wages. It does not assume every employer must use that method.
Under eligible circumstances, an employer can withhold 22% of supplemental wages up to $1 million in the calendar year. The amount above $1 million is subject to mandatory 37% withholding. Previous supplemental payments affect where your bonus crosses that threshold.
For covered W-2 employment, Social Security withholding is 6.2% on remaining wages below the 2026 $184,500 taxable maximum. Medicare is 1.45% on all covered wages. Employers also withhold an extra 0.9% on Medicare wages they pay above $200,000.
State rules vary and some locations also have local taxes. Enter a percentage only if you know the approximate supplemental withholding you want to model. Our calculator deliberately does not guess a state rate based on your location.
Suppose your employer separately pays a $10,000 cash bonus in 2026, uses the optional 22% federal supplemental rate, and has already paid you $60,000 of Social Security and Medicare wages this year. With no additional state/local withholding entered, the model calculates $2,200 federal withholding, $620 Social Security, and $145 Medicare. The resulting estimated bonus check is $7,035.
If you live or work in a jurisdiction that withholds state or local tax on bonuses, your actual deposit could be lower. If your Social Security wages have reached the annual cap with this employer, Social Security withholding on additional covered wages can be smaller. Employer payroll systems may also use the aggregate withholding method, which this calculator does not model.
| Gross bonus | Federal withheld | Employee FICA | Estimated bonus received |
|---|---|---|---|
| $1,000 | $220 | $76.50 | $703.50 |
| $5,000 | $1,100 | $382.50 | $3,517.50 |
| $10,000 | $2,200 | $765 | $7,035 |
| $20,000 | $4,400 | $1,530 | $14,070 |
The widely cited “22% bonus tax rate” refers to one possible federal withholding procedure, not a special final income-tax bracket for bonuses. When you file your tax return, your total taxable earnings and other circumstances generally determine federal income tax, with payroll withholding credited toward it. A bonus can therefore be over-withheld or under-withheld relative to your final tax liability.
An employer may instead use the aggregate method for supplemental wages, combining bonus and regular wages for withholding. Whether the flat method is permitted depends on conditions in IRS Publication 15, including how the bonus is identified and whether federal income tax has been withheld from the employee's regular wages in the current or preceding calendar year. This calculator is a planning aid for the percentage method, not a prediction of every possible paystub.
It excludes the aggregate federal withholding method, individualized Form W-4 calculations, pre-tax retirement or health deductions, employer-specific tax exemptions, paid leave and garnishments, most local taxes, and the final federal or state income tax liability. Its Social Security and Additional Medicare wage-to-date inputs should be amounts paid by the same employer; changing employers can alter actual payroll withholding. Actual checks can also differ slightly due to rounding and timing.
For full pay-period analysis, visit the Gross to Net Pay Calculator. To estimate ordinary annual federal income tax before credits rather than bonus withholding, use the 2026 Federal Income Tax Calculator. Planning contributions? Explore the 401(k) Calculator.
Not necessarily. Under certain IRS rules, 22% is an optional withholding rate for separately identified supplemental wages up to $1 million. Your final tax is based on the full year and applicable tax rules; it is not automatically 22%.
Generally yes for covered W-2 wages. Employee Social Security is 6.2% until the 2026 $184,500 taxable maximum and Medicare is 1.45% without a cap. Additional Medicare withholding may apply when wages paid by an employer exceed $200,000.
You can input an estimated state/local withholding rate manually. We do not compute any state's actual supplemental wage withholding rules. A zero entry means none is included in this estimate, not that your jurisdiction has no tax.
Your employer may use a different permitted withholding method, apply different state or local rules, or deduct benefits and other items. Your wages already paid during the year can change Social Security or Additional Medicare withholding.
For supplemental wages from the same employer that exceed $1 million in the calendar year, the federal withholding percentage generally becomes 37% on the excess. The calculator accounts for earlier supplemental wages in its percentage-method estimate.
Tax year: 2026. Information reviewed: November 5, 2026. This page uses publicly available US federal rules and is intended for illustrative payroll planning.
Editorial review: SalaryPayTools.com · November 5, 2026