Introduction
This free paycheck calculator helps you figure out how much money you will take home after taxes and deductions. Just enter your hourly wage or yearly salary, pick your state, and choose how often you get paid. The tool does the rest. It calculates federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare, state income tax, and local taxes for you. It also accounts for pre-tax deductions like 401(k) contributions and health insurance, plus post-tax deductions like Roth 401(k) and garnishments.
You can use the calculator in two ways. The default mode starts with your gross pay and shows your net take-home amount. The reverse mode lets you enter the net pay you want and works backward to find the gross pay you need to earn. Both modes give you a full breakdown of every tax and deduction, a pie chart that shows where your money goes, and a comparison table across different pay periods like weekly, bi-weekly, and monthly.
Whether you are starting a new job, negotiating a raise, or planning your budget, this paycheck calculator gives you a clear picture of your actual earnings. All calculations use 2024 federal tax brackets and current FICA rates so your estimate stays accurate and up to date.
How to Use Our Paycheck Calculator
Enter your pay details below to see how much money you take home after taxes and deductions. The calculator shows your net pay, tax breakdown, and a comparison across different pay periods.
Calculation Mode: Pick whether you want to find your net pay from a gross amount, or find the gross pay needed to reach a desired take-home amount.
Desired Net Pay: If you chose the reverse mode, type in the take-home pay amount you want per pay period.
Pay Type: Choose "Hourly" if you are paid by the hour or "Salary" if you earn a fixed yearly amount. If you need to convert between the two, try our hourly to salary calculator or salary to hourly calculator.
Hourly Rate and Hours: Enter your hourly wage and the number of hours you work each pay period. You can add up to three different rates if you earn different wages for different jobs or shifts. Use our hourly rate calculator if you need to determine your rate.
Annual Salary: If you chose salary mode, enter your total yearly pay before taxes. Our salary calculator can help you estimate your annual compensation.
Include Overtime: Check this box if you work overtime. Then enter your overtime hourly rate and the number of overtime hours per pay period. You can also use our dedicated overtime calculator to estimate overtime earnings separately.
Gross Pay Override: If you already know your exact gross pay for the period, type it here. This will skip the hourly or salary calculation.
Gross Pay YTD: Enter how much gross pay you have earned so far this year. This is used to check if you have hit the Social Security wage cap.
Pay Frequency: Select how often you get paid, such as weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly. For frequency-specific estimates, check out our biweekly paycheck calculator or weekly pay calculator.
Pay Period Ending Date: Enter the last date of your current pay period. This field is optional.
Pay Date: Enter the date you will receive this paycheck. This field is optional.
Check Number: Enter your check number if you want to keep track of it. This field is optional.
Employee Name: Type your name for your own records. This field is optional.
State: Select the state where you work. This sets the state income tax rate used in the calculation. For California residents, we also offer a dedicated California paycheck calculator with state-specific details.
Federal Filing Status: Choose your tax filing status, such as Single, Married Filing Jointly, Married Filing Separately, or Head of Household. Your filing status determines your tax bracket and standard deduction.
Use Pre-2020 (Legacy) W-4 Format: Turn this on if your W-4 form is from before 2020 and uses allowances instead of the newer format.
Number of Dependents: Enter how many qualifying children or other dependents you claim on your W-4. Each dependent reduces your federal tax.
Other Income (Step 4a): Enter any extra annual income you listed on Step 4a of your W-4, such as interest or side job earnings. If you have self-employment income, our self-employment tax calculator can help estimate those taxes separately.
Deductions (Step 4b): Enter any extra annual deductions you listed on Step 4b of your W-4, beyond the standard deduction.
Additional Federal Withholding: Enter any extra dollar amount you want taken out of each paycheck for federal taxes.
Federal Allowances: If you use the legacy W-4, enter the number of allowances you claimed. More allowances means less tax withheld.
State Filing Status: Choose your filing status for state tax purposes.
State Allowances: Enter the number of allowances you claim on your state tax form.
Local / City Tax Rate: Enter your local or city income tax rate as a percentage. Set this to zero if your area has no local tax.
401(k) / 403(b): Enter how much you contribute to a traditional 401(k) or 403(b) each pay period. This is taken out before income taxes.
Health Insurance: Enter your per-period health insurance premium that is deducted pre-tax from your paycheck.
HSA / FSA: Enter your per-period contribution to a Health Savings Account or Flexible Spending Account. Our HSA calculator can help you plan your contributions.
Other Pre-Tax: Enter any other pre-tax deductions not listed above, such as transit benefits or dependent care.
Roth 401(k): Enter your per-period Roth 401(k) contribution. This is taken out after taxes. If you are considering a Roth IRA instead, see our Roth IRA calculator.
Garnishments: Enter any court-ordered wage garnishments deducted from your paycheck each period.
Other Post-Tax: Enter any other post-tax deductions, such as union dues or voluntary life insurance.
Calculate Button: Press this button to run the paycheck calculation and see your results.
Reset Button: Press this button to clear all fields and return the calculator to its default settings.
What Is a Paycheck Calculator?
A paycheck calculator helps you figure out how much money you actually take home after taxes and deductions are removed from your pay. Your employer pays you a gross amount, but that is not what lands in your bank account. Federal income tax, Social Security tax, Medicare tax, and state income tax all get taken out first. If you have benefits like health insurance or a 401(k) retirement plan, those amounts come out too. What is left after all of that is your net pay, also called take-home pay.
How Paycheck Taxes Work
Every worker in the United States pays federal income tax. The amount depends on how much you earn and your filing status, such as single or married filing jointly. The government uses tax brackets, which means different portions of your income get taxed at different rates. On top of federal tax, most states charge their own income tax. A few states like Texas, Florida, and Nevada have no state income tax at all.
You also pay FICA taxes on every paycheck. FICA stands for the Federal Insurance Contributions Act. It includes Social Security tax at 6.2% of your wages and Medicare tax at 1.45%. Social Security tax stops once your yearly earnings reach $168,600 in 2024. Your employer pays the same amounts on their side, so you never see that cost on your pay stub. You can use our payroll tax calculator to see the full employer and employee tax picture.
Pre-Tax vs. Post-Tax Deductions
Pre-tax deductions lower your taxable income before taxes are calculated. Common examples are 401(k) contributions, health insurance premiums, and HSA or FSA contributions. Because these come out first, you pay less in taxes. Post-tax deductions, like Roth 401(k) contributions or wage garnishments, come out after taxes are calculated, so they do not reduce your tax bill.
Gross Pay vs. Net Pay
Gross pay is the full amount you earn before anything is taken out. Net pay is what you actually receive. The difference between the two can be surprising. For many workers, taxes and deductions remove 25% to 35% of their gross pay. Knowing your net pay helps you build a realistic budget and plan your spending. To get a broader view of your finances, try our annual income calculator to see your total yearly earnings, or use our net worth calculator to understand your complete financial picture. If you receive a bonus, our bonus tax calculator can show you how much of that extra pay you will actually keep.