Paylocity Paycheck Estimator
Use this calculator to estimate your net pay per pay period, taking into account gross earnings, pre-tax deductions, various taxes, and post-tax deductions. This tool provides an estimate similar to what you might see in a payroll system like Paylocity.
Paycheck Summary
Enter your details and click "Calculate Paycheck" to see your estimated earnings.
Understanding Your Paycheck with the Paylocity Paycheck Estimator
Navigating your paycheck can sometimes feel like deciphering a complex code. Our Paylocity Paycheck Estimator is designed to help you understand how your gross earnings transform into your net take-home pay, much like a real payroll system would present it. While this calculator provides a close estimate, remember that actual payroll calculations can vary based on specific company policies, state laws, and individual tax situations.
What is a Paycheck Calculator?
A paycheck calculator is a tool that helps employees estimate their net pay (the amount they actually take home) after all deductions and taxes have been applied to their gross pay (their total earnings before any deductions). It's an invaluable resource for budgeting, financial planning, and understanding the impact of various deductions on your income.
Key Components of Your Paycheck
Every paycheck, whether you view it through a portal like Paylocity or receive a physical stub, breaks down into several core components:
- Gross Pay: This is your total earnings before any taxes or deductions are taken out. It's calculated based on your hourly rate and hours worked, or your annual salary divided by your pay periods.
- Pre-tax Deductions: These are amounts taken out of your gross pay before taxes are calculated. Common examples include contributions to a 401(k) or 403(b) retirement plan, health insurance premiums, and Flexible Spending Account (FSA) contributions. Because they reduce your taxable income, they can lower your overall tax liability.
- Taxes: A significant portion of your gross pay goes towards various taxes. These typically include:
- Federal Income Tax (FIT): Withheld by the IRS based on your W-4 form, filing status, and dependents.
- Social Security Tax: Part of FICA (Federal Insurance Contributions Act) taxes, funding retirement, disability, and survivor benefits.
- Medicare Tax: The other part of FICA, funding hospital insurance for the elderly and disabled.
- State Income Tax: Varies by state; some states have no income tax, while others have flat or progressive rates.
- Local Income Tax: Some cities or counties levy their own income taxes.
- Post-tax Deductions: These are deductions taken out of your pay *after* taxes have been calculated. Examples include Roth 401(k) contributions, union dues, garnishments, or certain charitable contributions. They do not reduce your taxable income.
- Net Pay: This is the "take-home pay" – the amount remaining after all pre-tax deductions, taxes, and post-tax deductions have been subtracted from your gross pay.
How to Use This Calculator
- Select Pay Frequency: Choose how often you get paid (e.g., Bi-weekly, Monthly).
- Enter Gross Pay: Input your hourly rate and hours worked, or your annual salary.
- Provide Tax Information: Select your Federal Filing Status and the number of Federal Dependents. Enter your estimated State and Local Income Tax Rates (as percentages).
- Add Deductions: Input any pre-tax deductions (like 401(k) or health insurance) and post-tax deductions per pay period.
- Calculate: Click the "Calculate Paycheck" button to see a detailed breakdown of your estimated net pay.
Example Calculation:
Let's consider an example for a bi-weekly pay period:
- Pay Frequency: Bi-weekly (26 pay periods/year)
- Hourly Rate: $25.00
- Hours Worked per Pay Period: 80 hours
- Federal Filing Status: Single
- Number of Federal Dependents: 0
- State Income Tax Rate: 3.5%
- Local Income Tax Rate: 0%
- 401(k) Contribution: $100.00 per pay period (pre-tax)
- Health Insurance Premium: $50.00 per pay period (pre-tax)
- Other Post-tax Deductions: $0.00
Based on these inputs, the calculator would estimate:
- Gross Pay: $2,000.00
- Total Pre-tax Deductions: $150.00
- Taxable Gross: $1,850.00
- Federal Income Tax: ~$277.50 (estimated)
- Social Security Tax: $114.70
- Medicare Tax: $26.83
- State Income Tax: $64.75
- Local Income Tax: $0.00
- Total Taxes: ~$483.78
- Total Post-tax Deductions: $0.00
- Net Pay: ~$1,366.22
(Note: Federal Income Tax is an estimate based on simplified rates for this calculator.)
Disclaimer:
This Paylocity Paycheck Estimator is for informational purposes only and provides an approximation of your net pay. It does not account for all possible deductions, tax credits, or specific state/local tax nuances. Actual payroll calculations performed by your employer's payroll system (like Paylocity) may differ. Always refer to your official pay stubs and consult with a financial advisor or tax professional for personalized advice.
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function toggleGrossPayInputs() {
var hourlyInputs = document.getElementById('hourlyInputs');
var salaryInputs = document.getElementById('salaryInputs');
var grossPayTypeHourly = document.getElementById('grossPayTypeHourly');
if (grossPayTypeHourly.checked) {
hourlyInputs.style.display = 'block';
salaryInputs.style.display = 'none';
} else {
hourlyInputs.style.display = 'none';
salaryInputs.style.display = 'block';
}
}
function calculatePaycheck() {
// Constants (for 2024, simplified for calculator)
var SS_WAGE_BASE_LIMIT = 168600; // Social Security wage base limit
var SS_RATE = 0.062; // Social Security tax rate
var MEDICARE_RATE = 0.0145; // Medicare tax rate
// Simplified Federal Income Tax Rates (very rough estimates for a calculator)
var FEDERAL_BASE_RATE_SINGLE = 0.15;
var FEDERAL_BASE_RATE_MARRIED = 0.12;
var FEDERAL_BASE_RATE_HOH = 0.14;
var FEDERAL_ALLOWANCE_CREDIT_ANNUAL = 1300; // Simplified annual allowance value
// Get Input Values
var payFrequency = parseFloat(document.getElementById('payFrequency').value);
var grossPayTypeHourly = document.getElementById('grossPayTypeHourly').checked;
var hourlyRate = parseFloat(document.getElementById('hourlyRate').value) || 0;
var hoursWorked = parseFloat(document.getElementById('hoursWorked').value) || 0;
var annualSalary = parseFloat(document.getElementById('annualSalary').value) || 0;
var federalFilingStatus = document.getElementById('federalFilingStatus').value;
var federalDependents = parseInt(document.getElementById('federalDependents').value) || 0;
var stateTaxRate = parseFloat(document.getElementById('stateTaxRate').value) || 0;
var localTaxRate = parseFloat(document.getElementById('localTaxRate').value) || 0;
var preTax401k = parseFloat(document.getElementById('preTax401k').value) || 0;
var preTaxHealth = parseFloat(document.getElementById('preTaxHealth').value) || 0;
var postTaxDeductions = parseFloat(document.getElementById('postTaxDeductions').value) || 0;
// Validate inputs
if (isNaN(payFrequency) || payFrequency <= 0) {
document.getElementById('result').innerHTML = 'Please select a valid Pay Frequency.';
return;
}
if (grossPayTypeHourly && (isNaN(hourlyRate) || hourlyRate < 0 || isNaN(hoursWorked) || hoursWorked < 0)) {
document.getElementById('result').innerHTML = 'Please enter valid Hourly Rate and Hours Worked.';
return;
}
if (!grossPayTypeHourly && (isNaN(annualSalary) || annualSalary < 0)) {
document.getElementById('result').innerHTML = 'Please enter a valid Annual Salary.';
return;
}
if (isNaN(federalDependents) || federalDependents < 0) {
document.getElementById('result').innerHTML = 'Please enter a valid number for Federal Dependents.';
return;
}
if (isNaN(stateTaxRate) || stateTaxRate < 0 || isNaN(localTaxRate) || localTaxRate < 0) {
document.getElementById('result').innerHTML = 'Please enter valid tax rates.';
return;
}
if (isNaN(preTax401k) || preTax401k < 0 || isNaN(preTaxHealth) || preTaxHealth < 0 || isNaN(postTaxDeductions) || postTaxDeductions grossPayPerPeriod) {
totalPreTaxDeductions = grossPayPerPeriod; // Cannot deduct more than gross pay
}
// 3. Calculate Taxable Gross (for Federal, State, Local)
var taxableGross = grossPayPerPeriod – totalPreTaxDeductions;
if (taxableGross < 0) taxableGross = 0;
// 4. Calculate FICA Taxes (Social Security & Medicare)
var socialSecurityTax = 0;
var medicareTax = 0;
// Social Security (up to wage base limit)
var ssTaxableIncomePerPeriod = Math.min(taxableGross, SS_WAGE_BASE_LIMIT / payFrequency);
socialSecurityTax = ssTaxableIncomePerPeriod * SS_RATE;
// Medicare (no wage base limit)
medicareTax = taxableGross * MEDICARE_RATE;
// 5. Calculate Federal Income Tax (Simplified)
var federalBaseRate;
switch (federalFilingStatus) {
case 'single':
federalBaseRate = FEDERAL_BASE_RATE_SINGLE;
break;
case 'married':
federalBaseRate = FEDERAL_BASE_RATE_MARRIED;
break;
case 'hoh':
federalBaseRate = FEDERAL_BASE_RATE_HOH;
break;
default:
federalBaseRate = FEDERAL_BASE_RATE_SINGLE; // Default
}
var federalAllowanceCreditPerPeriod = (FEDERAL_ALLOWANCE_CREDIT_ANNUAL / payFrequency) * federalDependents;
var federalTax = (taxableGross * federalBaseRate) – federalAllowanceCreditPerPeriod;
if (federalTax < 0) federalTax = 0; // Federal tax cannot be negative
// 6. Calculate State Income Tax
var stateIncomeTax = taxableGross * (stateTaxRate / 100);
if (stateIncomeTax < 0) stateIncomeTax = 0;
// 7. Calculate Local Income Tax
var localIncomeTax = taxableGross * (localTaxRate / 100);
if (localIncomeTax < 0) localIncomeTax = 0;
// 8. Total Taxes
var totalTaxes = federalTax + socialSecurityTax + medicareTax + stateIncomeTax + localIncomeTax;
// 9. Calculate Net Pay
var netPay = grossPayPerPeriod – totalPreTaxDeductions – totalTaxes – postTaxDeductions;
if (netPay < 0) netPay = 0; // Net pay cannot be negative
// Display Results
var resultsHtml = '
Estimated Paycheck Breakdown
';
resultsHtml += '
Gross Pay: $' + grossPayPerPeriod.toFixed(2) + ";
resultsHtml += '
Total Pre-tax Deductions: $' + totalPreTaxDeductions.toFixed(2) + ";
resultsHtml += '
Taxable Gross: $' + taxableGross.toFixed(2) + ";
resultsHtml += '
';
resultsHtml += '
Federal Income Tax: $' + federalTax.toFixed(2) + ";
resultsHtml += '
Social Security Tax: $' + socialSecurityTax.toFixed(2) + ";
resultsHtml += '
Medicare Tax: $' + medicareTax.toFixed(2) + ";
resultsHtml += '
State Income Tax: $' + stateIncomeTax.toFixed(2) + ";
resultsHtml += '
Local Income Tax: $' + localIncomeTax.toFixed(2) + ";
resultsHtml += '
Total Taxes: $' + totalTaxes.toFixed(2) + ";
resultsHtml += '
';
resultsHtml += '
Total Post-tax Deductions: $' + postTaxDeductions.toFixed(2) + ";
resultsHtml += '
';
resultsHtml += '
Net Pay (Take-Home): $' + netPay.toFixed(2) + '
';
document.getElementById('result').innerHTML = resultsHtml;
}
// Initial call to set up the correct input display and calculate on load
window.onload = function() {
toggleGrossPayInputs();
calculatePaycheck();
};