American households do not live on principal-and-interest. A mortgage payment is usually PITI: principal, interest, property tax, and homeowners insurance, often plus PMI and HOA. A car payment is often quoted before sales tax. A salary is quoted before federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare, and — in most states — state wage tax. MyClearCost exists so those extras sit on the first screen, not in a footnote after you have already committed.
Start with the decision you have this week. Comparing two job offers? Use take-home pay with the same filing status and 401(k) percent on both, then look at the deposit, not the salary. Shopping a house? Open mortgage PITI, pick your state, and treat escrow as real money. A dealer quoting “$499 a month”? Run auto loan with your state’s tax and any trade-in before you sign a buyer’s order. Carrying balances on more than one card? Snowball vs avalanche uses the same extra dollar so you can see which method finishes first and which costs less interest.
Every result is an educational estimate. Tax year 2026 federal brackets and standard deductions follow IRS inflation adjustments. State income and property tax are statewide shortcuts you can override from a stub or county bill. Lenders, payroll vendors, and insurers use overlays this site does not copy. Compare the screen with your Loan Estimate, pay stub, or card statement, and read how we calculate if you want the formulas in plain English.