Tax & Business
Payroll Calculator
Estimate your take-home pay after federal and state taxes, Social Security, Medicare, and deductions.
Guide
How to use the Payroll Calculator
The Payroll Calculator helps you make a quick estimate, compare scenarios, and understand the numbers behind the result. It is designed for fast planning, with enough context to make the answer useful instead of just a number.
- Enter the amount, jurisdiction, filing details, or business figures that match your situation.
- Review the estimated tax, net amount, rate, or return shown in the result panel.
- Compare scenarios before making a purchase, payroll, investment, or tax planning decision.
Method
How this calculator works
It estimates paycheck withholding and payroll taxes, then converts annual or period pay into take-home pay.
This calculator is useful for understanding a paycheck before accepting a job or changing deductions.
Because assumptions matter, try a few values that represent optimistic, typical, and conservative cases.
Tax and business results are estimates. Rules vary by jurisdiction and can change, so verify important decisions with official guidance or a qualified professional.
Example
Worked example
An $80,000 salary paid semi-monthly is $3,333 gross per check. FICA takes $255 (7.65%), and federal withholding for a single filer with the standard deduction takes roughly $330. In a state with no income tax, that leaves about $2,750 per check — around $66,000 a year take-home, or 82% of gross, before any benefits or retirement deductions.
FAQ
Common questions
Why is my paycheck so much smaller than my salary suggests?
Gross pay loses federal income tax withholding, Social Security (6.2% up to the annual wage base), Medicare (1.45%), state income tax in most states, and any benefit deductions like health insurance and 401(k) contributions. Together these commonly take 20%–35% of gross.
What is FICA on my pay stub?
The combined Social Security and Medicare tax — 7.65% of gross pay for employees (your employer pays a matching 7.65%). High earners pay an extra 0.9% Medicare surtax above $200,000.
Does contributing to a 401(k) lower my taxes?
Traditional 401(k) contributions come out before federal income tax, so a $500 contribution reduces taxable wages by $500 and shrinks your paycheck by less than $500. It does not reduce Social Security or Medicare tax.
What information do I need for the Payroll?
You usually need gross pay, pay frequency, filing details, deductions, and state assumptions. You can change the inputs and recalculate as many times as needed.
How does the Payroll calculate the result?
It estimates paycheck withholding and payroll taxes, then converts annual or period pay into take-home pay.
Are the results exact?
Tax and business results are estimates. Rules vary by jurisdiction and can change, so verify important decisions with official guidance or a qualified professional.
Related
Related calculators
Sources