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Paycheck Anatomy

Updated 2026-07-26 · Sources: 2 · Concept: where a paycheck actually goes

The first paycheck shock is universal: the number on the offer letter is not the number in the bank. This tool dissects one month's gross pay into its real parts, and shows the one line almost everyone underuses: the employer match, which is the only place a paycheck contains free money.

Gross salary ($/yr) Federal income tax (effective): 10% State income tax: 4% 401(k): 6% Employer match up to: 3% Giving: 10%

FICA rates are statutory: 6.2% Social Security + 1.45% Medicare. This model applies the flat 7.65% to every dollar of salary; in reality the Social Security half stops at an annual wage base that changes each year, so above that figure a real paycheck keeps more than this table shows; check the current base at ssa.gov. Federal/state income tax vary by bracket, deductions, and state; the sliders set an effective rate; check yours at the IRS withholding estimator. Traditional 401(k) shown pre-tax (it reduces taxable income); giving shown from gross per the firstfruits principle. Illustration, not tax advice.

Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's.

Matthew 22:21

KJV. Jesus, asked about the Roman tax, affirms both duties at once. A paycheck is where they meet on paper: taxes owed honestly (Romans 13:7), firstfruits given gladly, and the household provided for.

This tool needs JavaScript. The shape by hand, on $52,000 gross: FICA takes 7.65% ($3,978/yr). Federal + state effective rates take their share of what remains after pre-tax 401(k). A 6% 401(k) contribution ($3,120) with a 3% match adds $1,560/yr you cannot get any other way. What lands in the bank is typically 65 to 75% of gross.