About KeepMyCheck

Why it exists

A careful study of NFL players drafted from 1996 to 2003 found that 15.7% filed for bankruptcy within 12 years of retiring, and that earning more or playing longer did surprisingly little to protect them. The problem is rarely one bad night. It is a slow leak: taxes nobody explained, fees nobody questioned, and spending built on a number that was never real. Young athletes, and especially young Black athletes who are often the first in their family to handle this kind of money, deserve the full picture before they sign, not after.

KeepMyCheck is free, has no sign-up, and is not paid by any agent, advisor, or company to send you anywhere.

How the pro calculator works

For each season, the calculator takes your salary (plus any signing bonus in year one) and works out:

• Federal income tax with 2026 brackets and the standard deduction for your filing status, minus the child tax credit (which phases out at high incomes).
• Social Security and Medicare: 6.2% up to $184,500, 1.45% on everything, and 0.9% more above $200,000 ($250,000 married).
• Home games: the share of your duty days spent at home is taxed by your team's state (or Canadian province), plus any local wage tax at the venue.
• Road games (the jock tax): the rest of your duty days, taxed at the average rate of every other venue in your league, including states with no tax (which count as zero), local taxes, and Canada.
• Your home state: taxes all of your income, minus a credit for tax paid to other states. Reciprocal agreements between neighboring states are respected.
• Signing bonus: treated as taxable only by your home state, because most states do not split a bonus that is paid just for signing. Bonuses tied to playing are different.
• Fees: the agent percentage, any business manager or advisor percentage, and a yearly amount for a CPA and lawyer.

Our estimate of how much of each season is spent on the road, by league:

These come from each league's schedule: road games times the usual days per trip, divided by the duty days from training camp to the last regular season game. NFL road share is small because most duty days are practice days at home.

What it does not do

• It does not know your exact schedule, playoff games, or which trips you made.
• It does not include investment income, endorsements, deferred pay, or itemized deductions.
• City taxes where you live (like New York City) are only included for Maryland counties.
• NBA escrow is shown separately because part of it usually comes back.
• Union dues are not included; unions do not publish a per-player amount.

League rules we use

• NFL: agent cap 3% (reported); 2026 minimum $885,000.
• NBA: agent cap 4% (verified); 2026 minimum $1,357,763.
• WNBA: agent cap 5% (uncertain); 2026 minimum $270,000.
• MLB: agent cap none published by the union (reported); 2026 minimum $780,000.
• NHL: agent cap none published by the union (reported); 2026 minimum $850,000.
• MLS: agent cap none published by the union (uncertain); 2026 minimum $113,400.

Sources

• IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32: 2026 brackets, standard deduction, child tax credit
• Social Security Administration: 2026 wage base ($184,500)
• Tax Foundation: 2026 state income tax rates and brackets
• Massachusetts DOR: 4% surtax threshold
• City of Philadelphia: wage tax rates
• Maryland Comptroller: 2026 withholding and nonresident tax
• City of Portland: Metro SHS and Preschool for All taxes
• PwC Worldwide Tax Summaries: Canada 2026
• NBPA Regulations Governing Player Agents (Sept 2025)
• Sportico: NBA escrow results
• NBER Working Paper 21085: Bankruptcy rates among NFL players
• College Sports Commission: NIL Go and revenue sharing

Numbers last checked September 2026. See the disclaimer.