# HSA paycheck calculator (2026)

Employee HSA deferrals generally reduce federal income tax, state wage tax, and FICA. Takehome Cash has no separate HSA box. This page preloads about $125 on the existing pre-tax health/premium per-paycheck field as an HSA proxy so you can see the FICA difference versus a 401(k).

Traditional 401(k) money stays in Social Security and Medicare wages. Amounts on the health line come out of FICA wages (ficaWages = gross − annualHealth) as well as federal and state taxable wages. That is the honest approximation here — not a dedicated HSA eligibility engine, not HDHP testing, and not employer contributions.

IRS Revenue Procedure 2025-19 set 2026 HSA limits at $4,400 self-only and $8,750 family (plus a $1,000 catch-up at age 55+). We do not cap the field at those dollars. The $125 biweekly sample is about $3,250 a year, under the self-only limit. Frequency starts biweekly so “per paycheck” means a real check, not one annual period.

Compare the no-HSA row with the health-line row in the table. Reviewed October 2, 2026.

## Sample estimates

### $80k CA biweekly, no HSA/health line

- Gross: $79,999.92
- Federal income tax: $8,769.98
- Social Security: $4,960.00
- Medicare: $1,160.00
- State income tax: $3,210.41
- Net / take-home: $60,859.53 (effective tax 23.9%)
- Per paycheck net: $2,340.75 (26 periods)

### $80k CA biweekly + $125/check HSA proxy

- Gross: $79,999.92
- Federal income tax: $8,054.98
- Social Security: $4,758.50
- Medicare: $1,112.87
- State income tax: $2,927.84
- Net / take-home: $58,897.98 (effective tax 22.3%)
- Per paycheck net: $2,265.31 (26 periods)

Label: engine estimates, not pay stubs.

## FAQ

### Is this a dedicated HSA calculator?

No. HSA employee deferrals are approximated with the existing health/premium field. There is no separate HSA engine or eligibility test.

### How is HSA different from 401(k) on FICA?

HSA-style amounts on the health line generally reduce FICA wages. Traditional 401(k) deferrals usually do not.

### What HSA limit do you use?

We cite IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-19 ($4,400 self-only / $8,750 family for 2026) in the copy. The field is not capped at those amounts.

## Related

- [Roth vs traditional 401(k)](https://takehomecash.com/roth-vs-traditional-401k-paycheck/index.md)
- [401(k) vs take-home pay](https://takehomecash.com/401k-vs-take-home-pay/index.md)
- [Methodology](https://takehomecash.com/methodology/index.md)