Money
Paycheck Calculator
Choose hourly or salary, enter your pay info, your pay frequency, and rough federal and state withholding percentages. The calculator estimates gross pay, withholdings, deductions, and take home pay per paycheck and per year.
e.g. 25
e.g. 40
e.g. 0
1.5 is the federal U.S. default. Set to 2 for double time. · e.g. 1.5
Withholdings and deductions (per paycheck)
Estimated federal tax share. · e.g. 12
Combined state and local tax share. · e.g. 5
401(k), HSA, traditional health premiums. · e.g. 0
Roth 401(k), garnishments, union dues. · e.g. 0
Estimated net pay (biweekly)
$1,660.00
Gross $2,000.00 · $52,000.00 per year
Estimate only. Actual paycheck amounts depend on filing status, credits, exact tax tables, benefits, and payroll policies.
Examples
$25/hr · 40 hr/wk · biweekly · 12% fed · 5% state
Gross $2,000 · net ≈ $1,660
$60,000 salary · monthly · 15% fed · 5% state
Gross $5,000 · net ≈ $4,000
$25/hr · 40 hr + 5 OT · biweekly · 12% / 5%
Weekly gross $1,187.50 · annual ≈ $61,750
How it works
The calculator first computes the gross pay per paycheck. Hourly mode uses your rate, hours, and overtime to compute a weekly gross, scales it to an annual gross, and then splits the annual into the pay periods you selected. Salary mode just splits your annual salary into pay periods directly.
From gross, the calculator subtracts pre-tax deductions to find taxable pay, then applies your federal and state and local withholding percentages, and finally subtracts any post-tax deductions to estimate net pay.
Gross pay
gross pay = regular pay + overtime pay
Taxable pay
taxable pay = gross pay − pre-tax deductions
Estimated withholding
estimated withholding = taxable pay × withholding percent
Net pay
net pay = taxable pay − withholding − post-tax deductions
This is an estimate, not a payroll or tax filing calculation.
What is a paycheck calculator?
A paycheck calculator turns the way you get paid (hourly or salary), your pay frequency, and rough withholding and deduction settings into a take home pay estimate. It is a quick way to compare offers, plan a budget, or sanity check what you should expect to see hit your bank account each payday.
How the paycheck calculator works
Behind the simple inputs the calculator:
- Computes gross pay (hourly weekly gross times 52, or your annual salary directly).
- Splits the annual gross into pay periods based on the frequency you selected.
- Subtracts pre-tax deductions to find taxable pay for the period.
- Applies your federal and state and local withholding percentages.
- Subtracts post-tax deductions to estimate net pay per paycheck.
- Shows annual gross and an annual net estimate so you can see the yearly picture too.
Gross pay vs net pay
Gross pay is what you earn before anything is taken out. Net pay (take home pay) is what is left after taxes and deductions. The size of the gap depends on your tax bracket, filing status, and which deductions you have set up. For planning, expect net pay to be somewhere between 60% and 85% of gross for most U.S. workers, but your situation can be outside that range.
Hourly paycheck estimate
In hourly mode, enter your hourly rate, the hours you typically work per week, any overtime hours, and the overtime multiplier (usually 1.5). The calculator computes your weekly gross, scales it to an annual figure (52 weeks), and divides by your pay frequency. For shift-by-shift tracking, the time card calculator adds breaks and per-day totals. For a closer look at overtime pay alone, see the overtime calculator.
Salary paycheck estimate
In salary mode, enter your annual salary and the calculator splits it across the pay periods you selected: 26 biweekly paychecks, 24 semimonthly, 12 monthly, 52 weekly, or 1 annual. Withholdings and deductions apply the same way as in hourly mode.
Pre-tax vs post-tax deductions
Pre-tax deductions come out before federal and state taxes are calculated, so they shrink your taxable income. Common examples include traditional 401(k) contributions, HSA contributions, and many employer health insurance premiums. Post-tax deductions come out after taxes. Roth 401(k) contributions, garnishments, and union dues are common examples. The calculator handles both: pre-tax reduces taxable pay before withholding, post-tax reduces net pay after withholding.
Pay frequency explained
Pay frequency is how often you receive a paycheck. Weekly has 52 paychecks per year, biweekly has 26, semimonthly has 24, monthly has 12, and annual is just one lump sum. The annual total is the same; the per-paycheck amount changes. For example, a $52,000 annual salary is $1,000 weekly, $2,000 biweekly, about $2,167 semimonthly, or about $4,333 monthly.
Worked example
Hourly rate $25, 40 hours per week, no overtime, biweekly paycheck, 12% federal withholding, 5% state and local withholding, no pre-tax or post-tax deductions.
- Weekly gross: 25 × 40 = $1,000
- Annual gross: 1,000 × 52 = $52,000
- Biweekly gross: 52,000 ÷ 26 = $2,000
- Taxable pay: 2,000 − 0 = $2,000
- Federal withholding: 2,000 × 12% = $240
- State and local withholding: 2,000 × 5% = $100
- Net pay: 2,000 − 240 − 100 − 0 = $1,660 per paycheck
- Annual net (estimate) = 1,660 × 26 = $43,160
Common mistakes
- Using the federal income tax bracket percent as the withholding percent. Real withholding is closer to the effective rate, not the marginal bracket.
- Forgetting that biweekly is 26 paychecks, not 24. Semimonthly is 24.
- Entering monthly health insurance or 401(k) contributions in the deduction field while the pay frequency is set to weekly. Match the deduction amount to the pay frequency.
- Treating gross pay as take home pay when budgeting. Always budget against net pay.
- Comparing two offers by gross pay alone. Different employers offer different benefits, retirement matches, and pre-tax deductions that change net pay.
Related tools
- Time card calculator for shift-by-shift hours and breaks.
- Overtime calculator for a closer look at regular vs overtime pay.
- Percentage increase calculator for comparing raises and offers.
- Sales tax calculator for tax on a purchase amount.
Disclaimer. This calculator is an estimate for general planning. Actual paycheck amounts can vary based on federal, state, and local tax rules, filing status, credits, deductions, benefits, payroll policies, and employer withholding settings. It is not legal, payroll, or tax advice.
Frequently asked questions
Start with gross pay. For hourly workers, gross is hourly rate times hours per week plus any overtime, then multiplied by the number of weeks in a pay period. For salary workers, gross per paycheck is the annual salary divided by the number of pay periods per year. From gross, subtract pre-tax deductions to get taxable pay, then subtract estimated federal and state withholdings and any post-tax deductions to get net pay.
Gross pay is what you earn before any taxes or deductions. Net pay (also called take home pay) is what actually lands in your bank account after federal, state, and local taxes plus any deductions like retirement contributions, health insurance, and similar items.
An hourly paycheck pays the worker for the hours actually worked in a pay period. Weekly gross is hourly rate times hours, plus overtime (typically 1.5 times the rate for hours over 40 in a week in the U.S.). The hourly weekly gross gets converted to a per-paycheck amount based on the chosen pay frequency.
A salaried worker is paid a fixed annual amount, split into equal paychecks across the year. Biweekly paychecks divide the annual salary by 26; semimonthly divides by 24; monthly divides by 12. The size of each paycheck does not vary with the number of hours worked.
Pay frequency is how often you get paid. Weekly means every week (52 paychecks per year). Biweekly means every two weeks (26). Semimonthly means twice per month, usually the 15th and the last day (24). Monthly is once a month (12). Annual is once per year (1). The frequency affects the size of each paycheck but not your annual total.
Pre-tax deductions come out of gross pay before federal and state taxes are calculated, so they reduce your taxable income. Common examples include traditional 401(k) contributions, HSA contributions, and many employer health insurance premiums. Post-tax deductions come out after taxes have been calculated. Roth 401(k) contributions, garnishments, and union dues are common examples.
Real paychecks use exact federal, state, and local tax tables, your specific filing status, allowances, credits, and employer-specific benefits and withholding settings. This calculator uses a single percentage for federal and a single percentage for state and local, which is fine for a planning estimate but not a substitute for your payroll system.
No. It is a basic paycheck estimator for general planning. It does not handle FICA breakdown, state-specific tax brackets, filing status, allowances, credits, tax tables, or employer-specific payroll rules. For exact paycheck amounts, use your employer's payroll system or a dedicated payroll tool.
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