Payroll software uses withholding tables, a Form W-4, benefit elections, and sometimes a local tax code tied to an address. Takehome uses the numbers you type and a simplified set of 2026 rules. The two will be close for a straightforward hourly job and further apart when the year is complicated.
Not included unless you type it
- Tax credits, including the child tax credit and dependent care credit.
- Itemized deductions. The estimate always uses the standard deduction.
- A second job, a spouse’s wages, or self-employment tax.
- Pre-tax commuter benefits, wage garnishments, union dues, and Roth 401(k) contributions. A Roth contribution is after tax. Put that kind of deduction in the after-tax field so it does not reduce the tax estimate.
- State disability insurance, paid family leave, and local taxes other than the rate you enter.
- The difference between withholding and the tax you owe in April.
Graduated state taxes are an estimate of a typical worker’s rate range, not the state’s official withholding table. If you know the flat rate your payroll actually uses, type it into the state override and leave the built-in estimate behind.
None of this is tax, payroll, or legal advice. Use it to plan a budget or to read a stub, then confirm anything that changes how you file.