Tax
Paycheck Calculator
Estimate take-home pay with separate income-tax and FICA wage bases, withholding components, deductions, and annualization.
Income-tax wage base-
FICA wage base-
Estimated federal withholding-
Estimated state or local withholding-
Estimated Social Security withholding-
Estimated Medicare withholding-
Estimated Social Security and Medicare-
All modeled taxes and deductions-
Estimated take-home pay-
Entered amounts exceeding gross pay-
Estimated annual take-home pay-
Decision view
Gross-to-net paystub reconciliation
Gross-to-net paystub reconciliationGross earnings, distinct pre-tax deductions, entered withholding components, and post-tax deductions reconcile to take-home pay.
Exact scenario comparisonEntered federal withholding rate (%) changes while all other entered assumptions remain constant.
| Entered federal withholding rate (%) | Income-tax wage base | FICA wage base | Estimated federal withholding | Estimated state or local withholding | Estimated Social Security withholding | Estimated Medicare withholding | Estimated Social Security and Medicare | All modeled taxes and deductions | Estimated take-home pay | Entered amounts exceeding gross pay | Estimated annual take-home pay |
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How to use Paycheck Calculator
- Enter gross pay and regular annual pay frequency.
- Separate deductions that reduce income-tax wages only from deductions also exempt from FICA.
- Enter supported federal and state withholding rates for the scenario.
- Enter Social Security and Medicare rates separately.
- Add post-tax deductions after taxes are calculated.
- Reconcile every tax and deduction to gross and review any unfunded amount.
Calculator guide
Understanding Paycheck Calculator
Reconcile one paycheck from gross earnings to take-home pay while separating deductions that reduce only income-tax wages from deductions that also reduce FICA wages. Federal, state, Social Security, Medicare, and post-tax deductions remain visible.
Detailed calculation process
How take-home pay is reconciled
The calculator establishes each tax base before subtracting cash deductions.
General formula: I = max(G - P_i - P_f, 0); F = max(G - P_f, 0); N = max(G - P_i - P_f - W_f - W_s - SS - M - P_o, 0) Income-tax wages I and FICA wages F use different deductions; every resulting tax then enters the net-pay reconciliation.
What each symbol means
Worked substitution with the default inputs
The displayed paycheck ledger is authoritative for the entered assumptions; annual net multiplies the reconciled paycheck by the selected frequency.
Paystub audit
Map every deduction to the correct side of taxable pay
A familiar gross-to-net total can conceal a wrong deduction basis.
Worked situations
Practical examples
- Under the defaults, income-tax wages are $3,020 and FICA wages are $3,140 because the two pre-tax categories have different bases.
- If total modeled taxes and deductions exceed gross pay, take-home pay stops at zero and the excess is reported as unfunded deductions rather than a negative paycheck.
Better inputs
Useful tips
- Use the taxable-wage lines on an actual pay statement to classify benefits.
- Do not assume every pre-tax deduction is exempt from Social Security and Medicare.
- Model bonuses, commissions, overtime, and irregular benefits in separate pay scenarios.
Before relying on the result
Limitations and common mistakes
- The model does not implement federal or state withholding tables, allowances, multiple jobs, or supplemental wage rules.
- Social Security wage caps and Additional Medicare withholding are handled by the separate Payroll Tax Calculator.
- Annualization assumes the entered paycheck is representative of every pay period.
Reference
Key terms
- Gross pay
- Earnings before modeled taxes and deductions.
- Income-tax wages
- Gross pay after deductions entered as reducing income-tax wages.
- FICA wages
- Covered wages used for Social Security and Medicare in this simplified paycheck.
- Pre-tax deduction
- Payroll deduction taken before at least one tax base is determined.
- Post-tax deduction
- Payroll deduction taken after the modeled taxes.
- Take-home pay
- Gross pay less all modeled taxes and deductions, floored at zero.
Important note
Authority to review: IRS Publication 15, Form W-4 guidance, and the employee's benefit-plan documents. Entered income-tax rates are planning assumptions.
Frequently asked questions
Why are there two pre-tax fields?
Some deductions reduce federal income-tax wages but remain subject to FICA, while qualified cafeteria-plan deductions may reduce both.
Does the federal rate reproduce Form W-4 withholding?
No. It is an entered planning rate, not a withholding-table calculation.
Why is Social Security separate from Medicare?
They have different rates and wage-base rules.
Can take-home pay be negative?
No. Any modeled excess is shown as unfunded deductions instead.
Does annual net include bonuses?
Only if the entered paycheck is representative of those payments.
Where do garnishments go?
They can be included as post-tax deductions, subject to applicable legal limits outside this page.