Payroll Tax Calculator (US)

This payroll tax calculator estimates US payroll taxes, Social Security, Medicare, federal withholding, and net pay using simplified assumptions. It helps employees and employers understand how gross pay turns into take-home pay.

Payroll tax is not one single tax. A paycheck may include federal income tax withholding, Social Security tax, Medicare tax, additional Medicare tax for higher earners, state taxes, local taxes, and pre-tax or post-tax deductions.

If gross pay is $5,000 for the month, payroll deductions can include federal withholding plus Social Security and Medicare. The net pay is what remains after those taxes and any benefits or retirement deductions.

This distinction matters when budgeting. A salary offer or hourly wage is not the same as spendable income after payroll taxes and deductions.

Use payroll estimates when comparing job offers, checking a new paycheck, planning benefits elections, or estimating the impact of a raise.

For exact payroll, confirm with your employer's payroll system, current IRS tables, state rules, and benefit deductions.

Gross pay is useful for comparing offers, but spendable pay is what supports rent, bills, savings, and everyday spending. The gap can be large once tax, benefits, and retirement contributions are included.

When reviewing a paycheck, separate mandatory taxes from voluntary deductions. Increasing retirement contributions may lower take-home pay now while improving long-term savings.

Use this calculator for a simplified paycheck view: gross pay for a selected frequency, federal withholding rate, optional FICA, estimated net pay, and annualized income.

The component does not calculate withholding from Form W-4, tax brackets, state tax, local tax, benefits, retirement deductions, HSA contributions, or employer-side payroll costs.

Use tax withholding when you need to compare annual federal tax owed with withholding already paid or expected.

Use social security tax and medicare tax when you want the FICA components isolated.

Label saved scenarios with pay frequency and federal withholding rate so a weekly estimate is not compared with a monthly one by accident.

Treating the federal withholding rate as if the calculator derived it from current IRS tables.

Expecting state, local, retirement, benefit, or garnishment deductions to be included.

Using this page for contractor or self-employed income. Use self-employment tax when net profit and SE tax matter.

Assuming optional FICA handles every wage-base or Additional Medicare edge case.

Comparing net pay across jobs without matching pay frequency and gross pay period.

Example: enter $5,000 gross pay, choose monthly pay frequency, enter a 12% federal withholding rate, and leave FICA enabled.

The calculator estimates federal withholding, Social Security, Medicare, net pay for the selected period, and annualized income.

Change federal withholding rate if a payslip or payroll setup suggests a different effective rate.

Toggle FICA only when you intentionally want to isolate federal withholding from the Social Security and Medicare components.

Use tax withholding after this page when you need to know whether withholding is too high or too low for the year.

Use social security tax if the wage base or employee versus self-employment Social Security share is the main question.

Use medicare tax if Additional Medicare Tax is the main question.

Use bonus tax for supplemental wage withholding rather than regular payroll.

Check whether gross pay is entered for the selected pay period, not annual salary unless annual frequency is selected.

Check whether the federal withholding rate reflects your actual paycheck or a rough planning rate.

Check whether benefits, retirement contributions, state tax, local tax, and other deductions explain any gap from a real payslip.

Rerun this payroll tax calculator when gross pay, pay frequency, federal withholding rate, or FICA inclusion changes.

Recheck after a raise, new job, payroll election change, or benefit enrollment period.

If this estimate differs from payroll software, trace federal withholding, Social Security, Medicare, and non-tax deductions separately.