Where your doctor salary goes
Your take-home versus federal income tax and FICA payroll tax.
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Doctor Salary Calculator
Estimate a physician’s take-home pay after federal income tax and FICA, see how specialty drives earnings, and compare doctor pay with other high-earning professions.
Estimated net take-home (year)
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Gross annual pay—
Federal income tax—
FICA (Social Security + Medicare)—
Monthly take-home—
Effective hourly rate—
Doctor pay vs other fields
Approximate US median annual wages by occupation (BLS 2024 basis). Your field is highlighted.
Doctor salary, explained
A doctor salary is the yearly pay a physician earns for diagnosing and treating patients. Median US physician pay is around $239,000 a year, among the highest of any occupation, but specialty creates enormous variation. Primary-care physicians (family medicine, pediatrics) typically earn less than the median, while surgical and procedural specialties such as orthopedics, cardiology, and anesthesiology can earn double or more.
A physician’s earning path is unusual: years of low resident pay precede a large jump to attending compensation. Practice setting also matters, employed hospital physicians, private-practice partners, and locum-tenens doctors are all paid differently, and productivity (RVU-based) models tie pay to patient volume. High earners face the top federal tax brackets, so the gap between gross and take-home is wide. This calculator estimates a physician’s take-home after federal tax and FICA.
Doctor pay by experience level
Doctor pay is not a single number. It grows with experience, credentials, region, and employer. These approximate tiers show the typical range a doctor can expect across a career:
Entry level (0–2 yrs): $180,000
Median / mid-career: $239,000
Experienced (senior): $300,000
Top 10% earners: $420,000
Median / mid-career: $239,000
Experienced (senior): $300,000
Top 10% earners: $420,000
Physician pay jumps sharply from residency to attending status. Beyond that, specialty is the dominant factor, followed by practice ownership, productivity, geographic demand, and partnership. Procedural and surgical specialties sit at the top of the pay range.
The take-home formula
A salary calculator turns your gross pay into the number that actually lands in your bank account. The core formula subtracts federal income tax and FICA payroll tax from gross pay:
gross pay = base salary + extra income
taxable income = gross pay − standard deduction
federal tax = progressive brackets applied to taxable income
FICA = 6.2% Social Security (to wage cap) + 1.45% Medicare
net take-home = gross pay − federal tax − FICA
taxable income = gross pay − standard deduction
federal tax = progressive brackets applied to taxable income
FICA = 6.2% Social Security (to wage cap) + 1.45% Medicare
net take-home = gross pay − federal tax − FICA
Worked example
A physician earning $239,000, filing single, has taxable income of $224,400 after the standard deduction. Federal income tax is roughly $49,500, and FICA (with the additional Medicare tax over $200,000) is about $14,270. Estimated take-home is around $175,240 a year, near $14,603 a month, before state income tax and retirement contributions.
What affects a doctor's pay the most?
- Specialty: the dominant driver. Surgical and procedural fields pay far above primary care.
- Practice setting: private-practice ownership, hospital employment, and locum tenens pay differently.
- Productivity model: RVU-based pay ties earnings to patient volume and procedures.
- Geography: rural and underserved areas sometimes pay premiums to attract physicians.
- Career stage: the jump from resident to attending is the largest single pay increase.
Frequently asked questions
What is the average doctor salary?
Median US physician pay is around $239,000 a year, but it ranges widely, from roughly $200,000 in primary care to $400,000 or more in high-paying surgical specialties.
Which medical specialties pay the most?
Procedural and surgical specialties such as orthopedic surgery, cardiology, and anesthesiology are among the highest paid, while family medicine and pediatrics are typically lower.
How much does a doctor take home after taxes?
On a $239,000 salary, a single physician keeps roughly $174,000 after federal income tax and FICA. State tax and retirement contributions reduce that further, and high earners face top brackets.
Why is the gap between gross and take-home so large for doctors?
High physician incomes reach the top federal tax brackets and the additional Medicare tax over $200,000, so a larger share of each dollar is withheld than for lower earners.
How much do residents earn compared to attendings?
Residents earn a modest fixed stipend (often $60,000–$75,000) regardless of specialty, then see a large jump to attending pay once training is complete.
Does practice setting affect doctor pay?
Yes. Private-practice partners, employed hospital physicians, and locum-tenens doctors are paid differently, and productivity-based (RVU) models tie pay to patient volume.