Withholding Calculator
Use this calculator to estimate your federal income tax, Social Security, and Medicare withholdings per pay period. Understanding your withholding helps ensure you're not overpaying or underpaying taxes throughout the year.
Weekly
Bi-Weekly
Semi-Monthly
Monthly
Single
Married Filing Jointly
Head of Household
Understanding Your Withholding
Withholding is the money that your employer deducts from your paycheck and sends directly to the government on your behalf. This includes federal income tax, Social Security tax, and Medicare tax. The amount withheld depends on several factors, primarily your income, filing status, and the information you provide on your Form W-4.
Why is Withholding Important?
- Pay-as-you-go: It ensures you pay your tax liability throughout the year, rather than owing a large sum at tax time.
- Avoid Penalties: Proper withholding helps you avoid underpayment penalties from the IRS.
- Tax Refund or Balance Due: If too much is withheld, you'll receive a refund. If too little, you'll owe money. Adjusting your W-4 can help you get closer to a "break-even" point.
Factors Affecting Your Withholding
The calculator above takes into account the primary factors that influence your federal withholding:
- Gross Pay: Your total earnings before any deductions.
- Pay Frequency: How often you get paid (e.g., weekly, bi-weekly, monthly). This annualizes your income.
- Filing Status: Your marital status for tax purposes (Single, Married Filing Jointly, Head of Household). This determines your standard deduction and tax bracket thresholds.
- Number of Qualifying Children: Used to estimate the Child Tax Credit, which directly reduces your tax liability.
- Pre-tax Deductions: Contributions to plans like a 401(k) or health insurance premiums reduce your taxable income, thus lowering your federal income tax withholding.
- Additional Withholding: An extra amount you elect to have withheld from each paycheck, often used to cover other income sources or reduce a potential tax bill.
How to Adjust Your Withholding
You can adjust your withholding at any time by submitting a new Form W-4 to your employer. It's a good idea to review your W-4 annually or whenever you experience a major life event, such as:
- Marriage or divorce
- Birth or adoption of a child
- Buying a home
- Significant change in income
- Starting a new job
Disclaimer: This calculator provides estimates based on simplified tax rules and current (2024) FICA rates. It does not account for state or local taxes, specific deductions, or complex tax situations. For accurate tax advice, please consult a qualified tax professional or refer to official IRS resources.
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var dependents = parseInt(document.getElementById("dependents").value); var preTaxDeductions = parseFloat(document.getElementById("preTaxDeductions").value); var additionalWithholding = parseFloat(document.getElementById("additionalWithholding").value); // Validate inputs if (isNaN(grossPay) || grossPay < 0) { alert("Please enter a valid Gross Pay per Pay Period."); return; } if (isNaN(dependents) || dependents < 0) { alert("Please enter a valid number of dependents."); return; } if (isNaN(preTaxDeductions) || preTaxDeductions < 0) { alert("Please enter valid Pre-tax Deductions."); return; } if (isNaN(additionalWithholding) || additionalWithholding < 0) { alert("Please enter valid Additional Withholding."); return; } // Annualize values var annualGrossPay = grossPay * payFrequency; var annualPreTaxDeductions = preTaxDeductions * payFrequency; // — FICA Taxes (Social Security & Medicare) — var socialSecurityRate = 0.062; var medicareRate = 0.0145; var socialSecurityWageBase = 168600; // 2024 limit var annualSocialSecurityTax = Math.min(annualGrossPay, socialSecurityWageBase) * socialSecurityRate; var annualMedicareTax = annualGrossPay * medicareRate; // — Federal Income Tax — var standardDeduction; var taxBrackets; // [ [rate, lower_bound, upper_bound], … ] if (filingStatus === "single") { standardDeduction = 14600; // 2024 simplified taxBrackets = [ { rate: 0.10, min: 0, max: 11600 }, { rate: 0.12, min: 11601, max: 47150 }, { rate: 0.22, min: 47151, max: 100525 }, { rate: 0.24, min: 100526, max: 191950 }, { rate: 0.32, min: 191951, max: 243725 }, { rate: 0.35, min: 243726, max: 609350 }, { rate: 0.37, min: 609351, max: Infinity } ]; } else if (filingStatus === "married") { standardDeduction = 29200; // 2024 simplified taxBrackets = [ { rate: 0.10, min: 0, max: 23200 }, { rate: 0.12, min: 23201, max: 94300 }, { rate: 0.22, min: 94301, max: 201050 }, { rate: 0.24, min: 201051, max: 383900 }, { rate: 0.32, min: 383901, max: 487450 }, { rate: 0.35, min: 487451, max: 731200 }, { rate: 0.37, min: 731201, max: Infinity } ]; } else if (filingStatus === "hoh") { standardDeduction = 21900; // 2024 simplified taxBrackets = [ { rate: 0.10, min: 0, max: 16550 }, { rate: 0.12, min: 16551, max: 63100 }, { rate: 0.22, min: 63101, max: 100500 }, { rate: 0.24, min: 100501, max: 191950 }, { rate: 0.32, min: 191951, max: 243700 }, { rate: 0.35, min: 243701, max: 609350 }, { rate: 0.37, min: 609351, max: Infinity } ]; } var taxableIncome = annualGrossPay – annualPreTaxDeductions – standardDeduction; if (taxableIncome < 0) { taxableIncome = 0; } var annualFederalIncomeTax = 0; var remainingTaxable = taxableIncome; for (var i = 0; i 0) { annualFederalIncomeTax += bracketTaxableAmount * bracket.rate; remainingTaxable -= bracketTaxableAmount; } if (remainingTaxable <= 0) { break; } } // Child Tax Credit (simplified) var childTaxCredit = dependents * 2000; // $2000 per child, no phase-out for simplicity annualFederalIncomeTax -= childTaxCredit; if (annualFederalIncomeTax < 0) { annualFederalIncomeTax = 0; } // — Total Annual Withholding — var totalAnnualWithholding = annualFederalIncomeTax + annualSocialSecurityTax + annualMedicareTax + (additionalWithholding * payFrequency); // — Per Pay Period Withholding — var federalIncomeTaxPerPeriod = annualFederalIncomeTax / payFrequency; var socialSecurityTaxPerPeriod = annualSocialSecurityTax / payFrequency; var medicareTaxPerPeriod = annualMedicareTax / payFrequency; var totalWithholdingPerPeriod = totalAnnualWithholding / payFrequency; // Display results var resultDiv = document.getElementById("withholdingResult"); resultDiv.innerHTML = "