Bonus Tax Calculator — take-home after withholding (2026)

How it works

The key thing a bonus calculator has to get right is the difference between withholding and tax. Your employer withholds federal tax on a bonus using the flat supplemental rate — 22% up to $1 million, 37% above — rather than your regular paycheck method, and Social Security (6.2%) and Medicare (1.45%) come out just as they do on any wages. That's what lands in your account. But the bonus is still taxed as ordinary income at your marginal bracket when you file: if 22% is more than your bracket, you get the difference back as a refund; if it's less, you owe. The teardown shows each line as a share of the bonus so the withholding is a picture, not a surprise.

Worked example

A $10,000 bonus has $2,200 withheld for federal tax (22%), $620 for Social Security (6.2%), and $145 for Medicare (1.45%) — $2,965 total, so $7,035 lands in your account, an effective withholding of 29.65%. A bonus over $1 million is withheld at 22% on the first million and 37% on the rest: a $1.2 million bonus has $220,000 + $74,000 = $294,000 of federal withholding before FICA.

Frequently asked questions

Are bonuses taxed at a higher rate?

No — a bonus is ordinary income, taxed at your normal brackets. It's *withheld* at a flat 22% supplemental rate, which is separate from the final tax. If your marginal bracket is below 22%, the extra withholding comes back at filing; if it's above, you'll owe more. The rate feels high because withholding is flat, not because the tax is.

Why was so much taken out of my bonus?

Because federal withholding on a bonus is a flat 22% regardless of your bracket, plus 7.65% for Social Security and Medicare — nearly 30% before any state tax. That's withholding, not the tax you ultimately owe. It's common to get part of it back when you file if your actual bracket is lower.

What is the supplemental wage rate?

The flat rate employers use to withhold federal tax on bonuses and other supplemental wages: 22% on amounts up to $1 million in a year, and 37% on the part above $1 million. It's set by the IRS in Publication 15 and doesn't depend on your W-4 or filing status.

Will I get some of it back?

If the 22% withheld exceeds the tax actually due on the bonus at your marginal rate, the excess is refunded when you file — you're not taxed twice. If your bracket is above 22%, the bonus is under-withheld and you may owe. Either way the bonus is reconciled with the rest of your income on your return.

Does Social Security come out of a bonus?

Yes — 6.2% Social Security and 1.45% Medicare apply to a bonus like any wages, unless your total wages for the year have already passed the Social Security wage base ($184,500 in 2026), after which the 6.2% stops. This page assumes the bonus is below that cap; a very high earner may have less Social Security withheld.

Can I lower the withholding on my bonus?

The flat supplemental rate is largely fixed, but increasing pretax contributions (like a 401(k)) from the bonus can reduce the income-tax portion — though not the Social Security or Medicare. The right lever is your overall withholding across the year; a bonus is just withheld at the flat rate in the moment.

How accurate is this, and what does it exclude?

The arithmetic is exact for the bonus entered, using the 2026 supplemental and FICA rates. It computes *withholding*, not final tax, and excludes state and local tax, the Social Security wage-base cap, the 0.9% Additional Medicare tax on high earners, the "aggregate" withholding method some employers use instead of the flat rate, and any pretax deductions from the bonus.