$18 an Hour Biweekly Paycheck: How Much After Taxes? (2026)

At $18/hour working a standard 40-hour week, your biweekly paycheck calculation starts clean:

$18 × 80 hours = $1,440 gross

Then taxes arrive.

Use our Paycheck Calculator to get your exact take-home.

All Time Periods at $18/Hour

Period	Gross Amount
Per hour	$18.00
Per day (8 hrs)	$144.00
Per week (40 hrs)	$720.00
Per biweekly paycheck	$1,440.00
Per month	$3,120.00
Per year	$37,440.00

After-Tax Biweekly Pay by State (2026)

Single filer, standard deduction, no additional deductions.

State	Gross Biweekly	Federal Tax	FICA	State Tax	Net Biweekly
Texas	$1,440	−$101	−$110	$0	~$1,229
Florida	$1,440	−$101	−$110	$0	~$1,229
Washington	$1,440	−$101	−$110	$0	~$1,229
Georgia	$1,440	−$101	−$110	−$61	~$1,168
California	$1,440	−$101	−$110	−$130	~$1,099
New York	$1,440	−$101	−$110	−$68	~$1,161
Illinois	$1,440	−$101	−$110	−$65	~$1,164

Federal Tax Breakdown for $37,440

Taxable income: $37,440 − $15,000 standard deduction = $22,440

Bracket	Rate	Tax
First $11,925	10%	$1,192.50
$11,925 → $22,440	12%	$1,261.80
Annual federal tax		$2,454

Per biweekly paycheck: ~$94

Effective federal rate: 6.6%

FICA Deduction

Tax	Rate	Annual	Biweekly
Social Security	6.20%	$2,321	$89
Medicare	1.45%	$543	$21
Total FICA	7.65%	$2,864	$110

How Many Paychecks in a Year?

On a biweekly schedule you receive 26 paychecks per year — two months of the year you’ll get three paychecks instead of two. At $18/hour, that third paycheck month delivers an extra $1,229 (net, Texas) that can cover a month’s rent contribution or a significant savings deposit.

Impact of Pre-Tax Deductions

Adding a 5% 401(k) contribution ($72/paycheck) reduces your net — but less than $72 because it lowers taxable income:

	Without 401(k)	With 5% 401(k)
Gross biweekly	$1,440	$1,440
401(k) contribution	$0	−$72
Taxable income	$1,440	$1,368
Federal tax	−$94	−$86
FICA	−$110	−$110
Net biweekly (TX)	~$1,236	~$1,172
401(k) deposited	$0	$72
Total wealth built	$1,236	$1,244

$18/Hour vs. Nearby Wage Rates

Hourly Rate	Annual Gross	Net Biweekly (TX)
$16/hr	$33,280	~$1,101
$17/hr	$35,360	~$1,165
$18/hr	$37,440	~$1,229
$19/hr	$39,520	~$1,293
$20/hr	$41,600	~$1,358

Each additional $1/hour = ~$64–65 more per biweekly paycheck net (in a no-income-tax state).

Note on California State Tax

At $37,440/year, California’s effective state income tax rate is roughly 4.5–5%. That translates to about $130/biweekly paycheck in CA state taxes, bringing your take-home to ~$1,099 vs. ~$1,229 in Texas — a $130/paycheck gap, or $3,380 per year.

See your exact biweekly net with our Biweekly Pay Calculator.