Introduction
The Wisconsin Paycheck Calculator shows you how much money you really take home after taxes. You put in your pay, and it does the math for you.
Your paycheck is smaller than your pay rate because money comes out first. Federal income tax, Wisconsin state income tax, Social Security, and Medicare all take a share. Health insurance and 401(k) savings come out too.
This tool works for hourly pay and salary pay. Add your overtime hours, pick how often you get paid, and choose your filing status. You can also add pre-tax and post-tax deductions like dental, vision, or union dues.
You will see your take-home pay per hour, week, month, and year. A full breakdown lists every tax and deduction. Charts show where your gross pay goes, and the Wisconsin tax brackets show your top rate. There are also what-if cards that tell you what a raise or extra hours would add to your pay after tax.
Use it to plan a budget, check a job offer, or see if your 401(k) is worth raising. The results are estimates, so your real pay stub may differ a little.
How to use our Wisconsin Paycheck Calculator
Enter your pay, how often you get paid, your W-4 filing details, and any deductions. The calculator shows your Wisconsin take-home pay per paycheck, per week, per month, and per year, plus a full breakdown of federal tax, state tax, and FICA.
Pay Type: Pick "Hourly" if you are paid by the hour, or "Salary" if you earn a set yearly amount.
Hourly Wage: Type your normal pay rate per hour before taxes.
Include Overtime: Turn this on if you work extra hours that pay a higher rate.
Overtime Hourly Wage: Enter your overtime rate. It fills in at 1.5 times your wage, but you can change it.
Overtime Hours / Week: Type the average number of overtime hours you work each week.
Gross Pay Method: Choose "Annual Salary" for your yearly pay, or "Per Period Amount" for the gross on one paycheck.
Annual Salary: Type your yearly pay before taxes, or drag the slider to set it. Not sure of the yearly figure? Try the hourly to salary calculator.
Gross Pay Per Period: Type the gross amount shown on a single paycheck.
Hours Per Week: Set your normal weekly hours. This drives hourly gross pay and your hourly rate if you are salaried. You can total your shifts first with the work hours calculator.
401(k) Contribution Slider: Slide to the percent of your pay you put into your 401(k). It lowers your taxes and links to the pre-tax table.
Pay Frequency: Choose how often you get paid, such as weekly, bi-weekly, semi-monthly, or monthly.
Check Date: Pick your paycheck date. The year sets which federal and Wisconsin tax tables are used.
Quick-Fill Job Role Presets: Click a job to load a typical Wisconsin pay rate, then edit it to match your own pay.
Filing Status: Choose Single, Married Filing Jointly, Married Filing Separately, or Head of Household from your tax return.
W-4 Version: Pick "2020+ W-4" if you filled out a newer form, or "Pre-2020" if you used allowances. The IRS withholding calculator can help you double-check the form itself.
Step 2 — Multiple jobs or spouse works: Turn this on if you check that box on your W-4. It raises federal withholding.
Step 3 — Children under 17: Enter how many kids under 17 you claim. Each one cuts your federal tax by $2,000 a year.
Step 3 — Other dependents: Enter your other dependents. Each one is worth a $500 yearly credit.
Step 4a — Other income: Add yearly income with no tax taken out, like interest or dividends.
Step 4b — Deductions: Add yearly deductions above the standard deduction. See how they change your taxable income.
Step 4c — Extra withholding: Enter any flat extra federal tax you want taken from each check.
Federal Allowances: On the old W-4, enter the number of allowances you claimed.
State Allowances: Enter the exemptions from your Wisconsin WT-4 form.
Additional State Allowances: Enter extra WT-4 exemptions from line 2 of that form.
Local Allowances: Wisconsin has no local income tax, so this field will not change your result.
Additional Federal, State, and Local Withholding: Enter any flat extra dollars held from each paycheck. Local always stays at $0.00.
Flat WI Withholding Rate Override: Leave at 0% to use the tax brackets, or pick a flat percent of gross pay instead.
Pre-Tax Deductions: For medical, dental, vision, 401(k), HSA, FSA, and more, pick a dollar amount or a percent of gross, then type the amount per paycheck.
Post-Tax Deductions: Click "Add Deduction" for items taken after taxes, like union dues. Name it, pick dollars, percent of gross, or percent of net, then enter the amount.
Tax Exemption Overrides: Switch on any tax you do not pay, such as federal, Wisconsin state, Social Security, or Medicare.
Calculate: Click this to see your take-home pay, breakdown table, charts, tax brackets, and step-by-step math.
Reset All Fields: Click this to clear your entries and start over with the default values.
Wisconsin Paycheck Basics
Your paycheck has two numbers that matter. Gross pay is what you earn before anything is taken out. Net pay, or take-home pay, is what actually lands in your bank account. The gap between them is made up of taxes and deductions.
What Comes Out of a Wisconsin Paycheck
- Federal income tax — based on your W-4 form, filing status, and pay. See where you land with the tax bracket calculator.
- Social Security — 6.2% of your wages, up to a yearly wage cap.
- Medicare — 1.45% of all wages, plus 0.9% more on wages over $200,000. Both are covered in the payroll tax calculator.
- Wisconsin state income tax — set by your WT-4 form and the state tax brackets.
- Pre-tax deductions — health insurance, 401(k), HSA, and FSA money taken out before taxes.
- Post-tax deductions — things like union dues or Roth savings, taken out after taxes.
Wisconsin State Income Tax
Wisconsin uses four tax brackets. The rates are 3.5%, 4.4%, 5.3%, and 7.65%. Only the income inside each bracket gets that bracket's rate, so a raise does not push all of your pay into a higher rate. Wisconsin also gives a standard deduction that shrinks as your income grows, plus a $700 personal exemption for you and each dependent you claim. To see your blended rate across all brackets, use the effective tax rate calculator.
What Wisconsin Does Not Take
Wisconsin has no local or city income tax, so no matter if you work in Milwaukee, Madison, Green Bay, or a small town, the state rate is the same. There is also no employee deduction for state disability insurance, paid family leave, workers' compensation, or unemployment insurance. Your employer pays for unemployment and workers' comp, not you.
Things That Change Your Take-Home Pay
Pay frequency changes the size of each check but not your yearly total. Weekly gives you 52 smaller checks; bi-weekly gives 26; monthly gives 12 larger ones — compare them with the weekly pay calculator or the monthly income calculator. Pre-tax deductions lower your taxable wages, so putting more into a 401(k) or HSA cuts your tax bill — though your take-home pay still drops a bit. Overtime in Wisconsin is usually 1.5 times your regular rate for hours over 40 in a week. W-4 choices matter too: claiming children and dependents lowers withholding, while checking Step 2 for a second job or working spouse raises it. If too much or too little is coming out, the tax withholding calculator and the tax refund calculator can show the year-end result.
Good to Know
Wisconsin's minimum wage is $7.25 an hour, matching the federal rate. Tipped workers can be paid a lower cash wage as long as tips bring them up to $7.25. If you live in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, or Michigan but work in Wisconsin, a reciprocity agreement may let you pay income tax to your home state instead — you can compare with the Illinois, Indiana, or Michigan paycheck calculators.
Keep in mind that paycheck numbers are estimates. Your real check can differ a little based on your employer's payroll system, benefit costs, and how your W-4 and WT-4 forms are filled out. For bonuses, commissions, or side income, see the bonus tax calculator, the commission calculator, and the self-employment tax calculator.