Introduction
This free Pennsylvania paycheck calculator shows you how much money you will take home after taxes and deductions. Just enter your pay rate or salary, your filing status, and any deductions you have. The calculator does the rest. It applies the PA flat state income tax rate of 3.07%, federal income tax based on IRS withholding tables, FICA taxes for Social Security and Medicare, and local earned income tax for your municipality.
Pennsylvania has unique tax rules that set it apart from other states. PA uses a flat income tax instead of brackets, and it does not let you deduct 401(k) or HSA contributions from your state taxable wages the way the federal government does. Local taxes also vary by city and school district, so your take-home pay in Philadelphia will look different from your take-home pay in Pittsburgh or a small rural town. If you want to see how a different state handles paycheck calculations, try our general Paycheck Calculator or state-specific tools like the Texas Paycheck Calculator, California Paycheck Calculator, or Florida Paycheck Calculator.
This tool gives you a full breakdown of every tax and deduction taken from your gross pay. It supports hourly and salaried workers, overtime, pre-tax benefits like health insurance and retirement plans, and post-tax deductions like union dues. You will also get a step-by-step explanation of how each number is calculated, so you can see exactly where your money goes.
How to Use Our PA Paycheck Calculator
Enter your pay details, tax filing info, and any deductions below. The calculator will show your estimated Pennsylvania take-home pay for each paycheck, a full tax breakdown, and a step-by-step explanation of how your net pay is figured.
Check Date — Pick the date on your paycheck. The year you choose sets which tax rates and rules are used.
Pay Frequency — Choose how often you get paid. Options include daily, weekly, bi-weekly, semi-monthly, monthly, quarterly, semi-annually, or annually. This controls how taxes and deductions are split across each check. If you are paid every two weeks, our Biweekly Paycheck Calculator can also help you see your numbers, or use the Weekly Pay Calculator for weekly schedules.
Pay Type — Select Hourly if you are paid by the hour or Salary if you earn a fixed annual amount.
Hourly Rate and Hours — If you chose Hourly, enter your pay rate in dollars per hour and the number of hours you work each pay period. You can add up to six rate rows if you earn different rates for different tasks or shifts. If you need to convert between hourly and yearly figures, try our Hourly to Salary Calculator or Salary to Hourly Calculator.
Overtime — Click "Add Overtime" to enter your overtime hourly wage and the number of overtime hours you work per pay period. Our dedicated Overtime Calculator can help you figure out your overtime pay rate and total overtime earnings.
Annual Salary — If you chose Salary, type your total yearly pay before taxes. The calculator divides this by your number of pay periods to get your gross pay per check. You can also use our Salary Calculator to explore how your annual salary breaks down across different pay frequencies, or our Annual Income Calculator to convert any pay period into a yearly figure.
Filing Status — Pick the status that matches your federal tax return: Single or Married Filing Separately, Married Filing Jointly, or Head of Household.
Step 2: Multiple Jobs / Spouse Works — Turn this on if you checked box 2(c) on your W-4 because you hold more than one job or your spouse also works. This raises your federal withholding.
Step 3: Dependents / Credits — Enter the total annual dollar amount of tax credits from your W-4, such as $2,000 per qualifying child. This lowers your federal tax.
Step 4a: Other Income — Enter any yearly income not from jobs, like interest or dividends, that you want taxes withheld on. This raises your federal withholding.
Step 4b: Deductions — Enter any yearly deductions above the standard deduction that you claimed on your W-4. This lowers your federal withholding.
Step 4c: Extra Withholding — Enter any extra federal tax you asked to be taken out each pay period on your W-4.
Federal Allowances (Pre-2020 W-4) — Only fill this in if you use an older W-4 form from before 2020. Each allowance reduces your taxable wages. Leave it at 0 if you use the current W-4. For more help understanding how withholding works, check out our IRS Withholding Calculator or Tax Withholding Calculator.
Additional Federal Withholding — Enter any extra dollar amount you want withheld for federal taxes on top of all other entries.
State and Local Allowances — Enter any allowances claimed on your Pennsylvania state or local withholding forms. Use the additional withholding fields to add flat dollar amounts taken from each check for state or local taxes.
Local Earned Income Tax Rate — Enter the local earned income tax (EIT) rate for the municipality where you live and work. This rate is usually between 0.5% and 4%. For example, Philadelphia residents would enter 3.75%.
Municipality — Type your city or township name for your own reference. This field does not change the calculation.
Local Services Tax (LST) — Toggle this on if your municipality charges a Local Services Tax. Enter the annual amount, up to $52. The calculator splits it evenly across your pay periods.
Elected Additional State Withholding (ATR) — Choose a percentage if you want extra Pennsylvania state tax withheld beyond the flat 3.07% rate. This is a voluntary election.
Pre-Tax Deductions — Enter the amounts for benefits like medical insurance, dental, vision, 401(k), long-term disability, life insurance, commuter plans, FSA, or HSA. For each one, pick whether the amount is a fixed dollar value or a percentage of your gross pay. These are taken out before some or all taxes are calculated. To plan your 401(k) contributions and see how they grow over time, try our 401k Calculator. For HSA planning, our HSA Calculator can help you maximize your health savings.
Post-Tax Deductions — Click "Add Post-Tax Deduction" to enter items like union dues, charity, or garnishments that come out after taxes. Enter a name, amount, and choose dollars or percent.
Tax Exemptions — Turn on "Exempt from taxes" if you are exempt from any payroll taxes. Then check each specific tax you are exempt from, such as federal income tax, PA state tax, Social Security, or Medicare.
Calculate and Reset — Press Calculate to see your results. Press Reset to clear all fields and start over. The calculator also updates in real time as you change any input.
Pennsylvania Paycheck Calculator
This calculator shows you how much money you take home from each paycheck if you work in Pennsylvania. It starts with your gross pay — the total amount you earn before anything is taken out — and subtracts all the taxes and deductions that apply to you. What's left is your net pay, or take-home pay. If you need to work backward from your net pay to find the gross amount, our Net to Gross Calculator can help, and the Gross Pay Calculator is useful for verifying your pre-tax earnings.
How Pennsylvania Taxes Work
Pennsylvania has a flat state income tax rate of 3.07%. This means everyone in the state pays the same percentage, no matter how much they earn. On top of that, most PA workers also pay a local earned income tax (EIT) set by the city or township where they live. This local rate usually falls between 0.5% and 4%. For example, workers in Philadelphia pay one of the highest local rates in the state. To understand how your income falls into federal tax brackets, you can use our Tax Bracket Calculator, and our Effective Tax Rate Calculator shows you the overall percentage of your income that goes to taxes. For a broader look at your total income tax burden, check out our Income Tax Calculator.
Many PA municipalities also charge a Local Services Tax (LST). This is a small flat fee — up to $52 per year — that gets split evenly across your paychecks.
Federal and FICA Taxes
Every worker in the U.S. also pays federal income tax and FICA taxes. Federal income tax uses a bracket system, meaning higher portions of your income get taxed at higher rates. Your filing status and W-4 form choices control how much is withheld. FICA taxes include Social Security at 6.2% and Medicare at 1.45%. Social Security tax stops once your yearly wages hit the wage base cap. If you earn more than $200,000 in a year, an extra 0.9% Medicare tax kicks in. To learn more about how Social Security benefits are calculated based on your earnings history, visit our Social Security Calculator. Our Payroll Tax Calculator provides a broader look at all employer and employee payroll taxes, and the Self Employment Tax Calculator is useful if you also have freelance or contract income alongside your W-2 job.
Pre-Tax and Post-Tax Deductions
Pre-tax deductions — like health insurance premiums, 401(k) contributions, and FSA contributions — come out of your pay before taxes are calculated. This lowers the amount of income you owe taxes on. However, Pennsylvania does not let all pre-tax deductions reduce your state-taxable wages. For example, 401(k) and HSA contributions lower your federal taxes but are still taxed by PA. If you are planning for retirement and want to see how your 401(k) savings grow, try our 401k Calculator or explore a Roth IRA Calculator for after-tax retirement saving options. Our Retirement Calculator can help you set a broader savings goal.
Post-tax deductions, like union dues or Roth 401(k) contributions, come out after all taxes have been calculated. They do not reduce your tax bill.
Who This Calculator Is For
This tool is built for W-2 employees who work in Pennsylvania. Whether you are paid hourly or on salary, weekly or monthly, it handles the math for you. Enter your pay details, filing status, and deductions to get a clear picture of your estimated take-home pay for each paycheck. For a general take-home pay estimate across any state, see our Take Home Pay Calculator. If you receive bonuses, our Bonus Tax Calculator can show you how supplemental wages are taxed differently. And if you are tracking work hours to verify your pay stub, our Time Card Calculator and Work Hours Calculator make it easy to log and total your hours. You can also use the Hourly Paycheck Calculator for a quick look at hourly take-home estimates or the Monthly Income Calculator to see how your paycheck translates into monthly earnings. To plan how your pay raise will affect your take-home, check out our Pay Raise Calculator.