Net Pay Calculator

Use this calculator to estimate your take-home pay after various deductions, including federal and state taxes, Social Security, Medicare, and other pre-tax and post-tax contributions.

Gross Annual Salary ($):

Pay Frequency: Annually Monthly (12x) Semi-monthly (24x) Bi-weekly (26x) Weekly (52x)

Federal Income Tax Withholding: Percentage (%) Flat Amount ($)

State Income Tax Withholding: Percentage (%) Flat Amount ($)

Pre-tax Deductions per Pay Period ($): e.g., 401k contributions, health insurance premiums

Post-tax Deductions per Pay Period ($): e.g., Roth 401k, union dues, garnishments

Understanding Your Net Pay

Your net pay, often referred to as your take-home pay, is the amount of money you actually receive after all deductions have been subtracted from your gross pay. While your gross pay is the total amount you earn before any deductions, your net pay is what hits your bank account or appears on your paycheck.

Gross Pay vs. Net Pay

Gross Pay: This is your total earnings before any taxes or other deductions are taken out. It's the salary or hourly wage multiplied by the hours or periods worked.

Net Pay: This is your gross pay minus all mandatory and voluntary deductions. It's the actual amount you have available to spend or save.

Common Deductions Explained

Deductions can be broadly categorized into mandatory and voluntary, and further into pre-tax and post-tax.

Mandatory Deductions:

Federal Income Tax: This is withheld from your paycheck and sent to the federal government to fund various public services. The amount depends on your income, filing status, and the allowances you claim on your W-4 form.
State Income Tax: Similar to federal tax, but collected by your state government. Not all states have state income tax.
Social Security Tax (FICA): This funds retirement, disability, and survivor benefits. As of 2024, the employee contribution rate is 6.2% of your gross wages, up to an annual wage base limit ($168,600 for 2024).
Medicare Tax (FICA): This funds hospital insurance for the elderly and disabled. The employee contribution rate is 1.45% of all gross wages, with no wage base limit. An additional Medicare tax of 0.9% applies to wages above certain thresholds ($200,000 for single filers, $250,000 for married filing jointly).

Voluntary Deductions:

Pre-tax Deductions: These are taken out of your gross pay before income taxes are calculated, effectively reducing your taxable income. Common examples include contributions to a 401(k) or 403(b) retirement plan, health insurance premiums, Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs), and Health Savings Accounts (HSAs).
Post-tax Deductions: These are taken out after income taxes have been calculated. Examples include Roth 401(k) contributions, union dues, charitable contributions, or wage garnishments.

How the Calculator Works

Our Net Pay Calculator helps you estimate your take-home pay by factoring in your gross annual salary, pay frequency, and various deductions. It first determines your gross pay per period, then subtracts estimated FICA taxes (Social Security and Medicare), federal and state income taxes (based on your input percentage or flat amount), and any pre-tax or post-tax deductions you specify. The result is your estimated net pay per pay period.

Example Calculation:

Let's use the default values in the calculator:

Gross Annual Salary: $70,000
Pay Frequency: Bi-weekly (26 pay periods per year)
Federal Income Tax Withholding: 15%
State Income Tax Withholding: 5%
Pre-tax Deductions per Pay Period: $200
Post-tax Deductions per Pay Period: $50

Step 1: Calculate Gross Pay per Period
$70,000 / 26 = $2,692.31

Step 2: Calculate FICA Taxes per Period
Social Security (6.2%): $2,692.31 * 0.062 = $166.92
Medicare (1.45%): $2,692.31 * 0.0145 = $39.04
Total FICA: $166.92 + $39.04 = $205.96

Step 3: Calculate Taxable Income per Period
Gross Pay – Pre-tax Deductions = $2,692.31 – $200.00 = $2,492.31

Step 4: Calculate Federal Income Tax per Period
$2,492.31 * 0.15 = $373.85

Step 5: Calculate State Income Tax per Period
$2,492.31 * 0.05 = $124.62

Step 6: Calculate Total Deductions per Period
FICA + Federal Tax + State Tax + Pre-tax Deductions + Post-tax Deductions
$205.96 + $373.85 + $124.62 + $200.00 + $50.00 = $954.43

Step 7: Calculate Net Pay per Period
Gross Pay per Period – Total Deductions = $2,692.31 – $954.43 = $1,737.88

This example demonstrates how various deductions impact your final take-home pay. Remember that actual tax withholdings can vary based on your specific tax situation, deductions, and credits.

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} .calculator-form .form-group small { margin-left: 0; } } function calculateNetPay() { // Input values var grossAnnualSalary = parseFloat(document.getElementById('grossAnnualSalary').value); var payFrequency = document.getElementById('payFrequency').value; var federalTaxType = document.getElementById('federalTaxType').value; var federalTaxValue = parseFloat(document.getElementById('federalTaxValue').value); var stateTaxType = document.getElementById('stateTaxType').value; var stateTaxValue = parseFloat(document.getElementById('stateTaxValue').value); var preTaxDeductions = parseFloat(document.getElementById('preTaxDeductions').value); var postTaxDeductions = parseFloat(document.getElementById('postTaxDeductions').value); // Validate inputs if (isNaN(grossAnnualSalary) || grossAnnualSalary < 0) { alert("Please enter a valid Gross Annual Salary."); return; } if (isNaN(federalTaxValue) || federalTaxValue < 0) { federalTaxValue = 0; // Default to 0 if invalid } if (isNaN(stateTaxValue) || stateTaxValue < 0) { stateTaxValue = 0; // Default to 0 if invalid } if (isNaN(preTaxDeductions) || preTaxDeductions < 0) { preTaxDeductions = 0; // Default to 0 if invalid } if (isNaN(postTaxDeductions) || postTaxDeductions < 0) { postTaxDeductions = 0; // Default to 0 if invalid } // Determine pay periods per year var payPeriodsPerYear; if (payFrequency === 'Annually') { payPeriodsPerYear = 1; } else if (payFrequency === 'Monthly') { payPeriodsPerYear = 12; } else if (payFrequency === 'Semi-monthly') { payPeriodsPerYear = 24; } else if (payFrequency === 'Bi-weekly') { payPeriodsPerYear = 26; } else if (payFrequency === 'Weekly') { payPeriodsPerYear = 52; } else { payPeriodsPerYear = 1; // Default to annually if something goes wrong } // Calculate Gross Pay per Period var grossPayPerPeriod = grossAnnualSalary / payPeriodsPerYear; // FICA Taxes (Social Security & Medicare) // For simplicity, applying to full gross pay per period without annual cap for SS in calculator. // The article explains the SS cap. var socialSecurityTaxRate = 0.062; // 6.2% var medicareTaxRate = 0.0145; // 1.45% var ssTax = grossPayPerPeriod * socialSecurityTaxRate; var medicareTax = grossPayPerPeriod * medicareTaxRate; var ficaTax = ssTax + medicareTax; // Pre-tax Deductions var preTaxDeductionsPerPeriod = preTaxDeductions; // Already per period from input // Taxable Income (for Federal and State Income Tax) var taxableIncome = grossPayPerPeriod – preTaxDeductionsPerPeriod; if (taxableIncome < 0) { taxableIncome = 0; // Taxable income cannot be negative } // Federal Income Tax var federalTaxAmount; if (federalTaxType === 'Percentage') { federalTaxAmount = taxableIncome * (federalTaxValue / 100); } else { // Flat Amount federalTaxAmount = federalTaxValue; } if (federalTaxAmount < 0) { federalTaxAmount = 0; // Tax cannot be negative } // State Income Tax var stateTaxAmount; if (stateTaxType === 'Percentage') { stateTaxAmount = taxableIncome * (stateTaxValue / 100); } else { // Flat Amount stateTaxAmount = stateTaxValue; } if (stateTaxAmount < 0) { stateTaxAmount = 0; // Tax cannot be negative } // Post-tax Deductions var postTaxDeductionsPerPeriod = postTaxDeductions; // Already per period from input // Total Deductions var totalDeductions = ficaTax + federalTaxAmount + stateTaxAmount + preTaxDeductionsPerPeriod + postTaxDeductionsPerPeriod; // Net Pay var netPayPerPeriod = grossPayPerPeriod – totalDeductions; // Format results as currency var formatter = new Intl.NumberFormat('en-US', { style: 'currency', currency: 'USD', minimumFractionDigits: 2, maximumFractionDigits: 2, }); // Display results var resultDiv = document.getElementById('netPayResult'); resultDiv.innerHTML = `

Estimated Net Pay per Pay Period

Gross Pay per Period: ${formatter.format(grossPayPerPeriod)} — Deductions — Social Security Tax: ${formatter.format(ssTax)} Medicare Tax: ${formatter.format(medicareTax)} Federal Income Tax: ${formatter.format(federalTaxAmount)} State Income Tax: ${formatter.format(stateTaxAmount)} Pre-tax Deductions: ${formatter.format(preTaxDeductionsPerPeriod)} Post-tax Deductions: ${formatter.format(postTaxDeductionsPerPeriod)} Total Deductions: ${formatter.format(totalDeductions)} Net Pay per Period: ${formatter.format(netPayPerPeriod)} `; } // Run calculation on page load with default values window.onload = function() { calculateNetPay(); };