Professional services
Paycheck Calculator
Works take-home pay, where the pre-tax deductions change the tax as well as the net.
Result
Not tax advice, and not a filing calculation. This estimates what to set aside using rates you supply. Brackets, thresholds, deductions, credits and state rules change every year and interact with the rest of your return in ways no single calculator models. Confirm anything that affects a payment or a filing with an accountant. Withholding is not the same as tax owed: it is an estimate made by your employer from the form you filed, and the reconciliation happens at filing. Which deductions are pre-tax for which tax differs by plan type, and this uses a common but not universal treatment.
Get a Free Business AuditHow the calculation works
Gross pay less pre-tax deductions gives the amount subject to tax, from which federal and state income tax withholding and payroll taxes are taken, then post-tax deductions, leaving net pay. The order matters, because pre-tax deductions reduce the income that tax is calculated on while post-tax deductions do not.
What moves the number
- Pre-tax deductions such as retirement contributions and health premiums.
- Withholding elections on the W-4.
- State income tax, which varies or is absent.
- Pay frequency, which affects the withholding calculation.
Where this one goes wrong
A pre-tax contribution costs less in take-home pay than its face amount, because it reduces the income that tax is withheld on, and that difference is the point people most often miss when deciding how much to contribute. Withholding is also only an estimate of the eventual tax: a refund means too much was withheld through the year and a bill means too little, and the W-4 is where that is adjusted rather than at filing.
Before you quote
- Note that pre-tax contributions cost less than their face amount.
- Adjust withholding through the W-4 rather than at filing.
- Check whether your state has an income tax at all.
Where the rules come from
Questions
About this calculator
Why does a retirement contribution cost less than it looks?
Because a pre-tax contribution reduces the income that tax is withheld on, so the reduction in take-home pay is smaller than the contribution. That difference is the point most often missed when deciding how much to put in.
Is a big refund good?
It means too much was withheld through the year, so the money was with the government rather than with you. Neither a large refund nor a large bill is ideal, and the W-4 is where withholding is adjusted to land closer to the mark.
Why does my net pay vary?
Commonly because the Social Security wage base is reached later in the year, which stops that withholding, or because a benefit deduction or bonus changed the calculation. Variable hours and overtime also shift the withholding since it is calculated per period.
The formula
net = gross - FICA - income tax withholding on pay after pre-tax deductions - other deductions
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How to use this calculator
- Gross pay per period ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $2,400.
- Pay frequency. Enter your own figure; the page starts at Fortnightly (26).
- Federal withholding rate (%). Enter your own figure; the page starts at 12%.
- State withholding rate (%). Enter your own figure; the page starts at 4%.
- FICA rate (%). Enter your own figure; the page starts at 7.65%.
- Retirement contribution ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $150.
The result updates as you type, so you can try a figure, see what it does to take home pay, and change it back. Nothing you enter is sent anywhere or saved.
A worked example
These are the figures the calculator opens with. Every number in the results column below is produced by the same calculation the page runs, so you can follow it through before putting your own figures in.
What goes in
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| Gross pay per period | $2,400 |
| Pay frequency | Fortnightly (26) |
| Federal withholding rate | 12% |
| State withholding rate | 4% |
| FICA rate | 7.65% |
| Retirement contribution | $150 |
| Health insurance | $180 |
| Other deductions | $0 |
What comes out
| Result | Value |
|---|---|
| Take home pay main result | $1,568.97 |
| Tax withheld | $501.03 |
| All deductions | $831.03 |
| Annual take home | $40,793 |
| Share of gross you keep | 65.37% |
Take home is $1,568.97 per period, $40,793 a year. Tax takes $501.03 and all deductions $831.03, so you keep 65.37% of gross.
How sensitive the answer is
Holding everything else steady and changing only gross pay per period, this is what happens to take home pay. It is worth knowing which of your inputs the answer actually hinges on, and which barely move it.
| Gross pay per period ($) | Take home pay |
|---|---|
| $1,200 | $652.77 |
| $1,800 | $1,110.87 |
| $2,400 example above | $1,568.97 |
| $3,600 | $2,485.17 |
| $4,800 | $3,401.37 |
Every other input is held at the example value while this one changes, which is not how a real job behaves. Treat it as a guide to which number matters most, not as five separate quotes.
What each figure means
- Gross pay per period ($)
- A money amount, starting at $2,400.
- Pay frequency
- Choose from Weekly (52), Fortnightly (26), Twice monthly (24), Monthly (12).
- Federal withholding rate (%)
- A percentage, between 0 and 50, starting at 12%.
- State withholding rate (%)
- A percentage, between 0 and 15, starting at 4%.
- FICA rate (%)
- A percentage, between 0 and 12, starting at 7.65%.
- Retirement contribution ($)
- A money amount, starting at $150.
- Health insurance ($)
- A money amount, starting at $180.
- Other deductions ($)
- A money amount, starting at $0.
What the results tell you
| Result | What it is |
|---|---|
| Take home pay | The headline result. A money figure. |
| Tax withheld | A money figure. |
| All deductions | A money figure. |
| Annual take home | A money figure. |
| Share of gross you keep | A percentage. |
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