Paystub Estimator
A paystub is a document provided by an employer to an employee that details the employee's earnings and deductions for a specific pay period. It's a crucial record for understanding how your gross pay is calculated and what deductions are taken out before you receive your net pay. This Paystub Estimator helps you understand the breakdown of your potential earnings and common deductions.
Understanding Your Paystub
Your paystub typically includes several key components:
- Gross Pay: This is your total earnings before any deductions are taken out. It's calculated based on your hourly wage and hours worked, or your annual salary.
- Pre-Tax Deductions: These are deductions taken from your gross pay before taxes are calculated. Common examples include contributions to a 401(k) or health insurance premiums. These deductions reduce your taxable income.
- Federal Income Tax: The amount withheld for federal income tax, based on your W-4 form (filing status and dependents).
- State Income Tax: If applicable in your state, this is the amount withheld for state income tax.
- FICA Taxes: This includes Social Security (6.2%) and Medicare (1.45%) taxes, which fund federal programs. These are generally calculated on your gross pay before pre-tax deductions.
- Post-Tax Deductions: These are deductions taken after taxes have been calculated. Examples include Roth 401(k) contributions, union dues, or garnishments.
- Net Pay: Also known as "take-home pay," this is the amount you actually receive after all deductions have been subtracted from your gross pay.
Using this estimator, you can input your wage, hours, and potential deductions to get an idea of your net pay. Please note that this is an estimate, and actual tax withholdings can vary based on specific tax laws, additional deductions, and your W-4 elections.
function calculatePaystub() {
var hourlyWage = parseFloat(document.getElementById('hourlyWage').value);
var hoursPerWeek = parseFloat(document.getElementById('hoursPerWeek').value);
var payFrequencyValue = parseFloat(document.getElementById('payFrequency').value); // This is pay periods per year
var federalFilingStatus = document.getElementById('federalFilingStatus').value;
var preTaxDeduction = parseFloat(document.getElementById('preTaxDeduction').value);
var postTaxDeduction = parseFloat(document.getElementById('postTaxDeduction').value);
var stateTaxRate = parseFloat(document.getElementById('stateTaxRate').value);
var errorDiv = document.getElementById('calculatorError');
errorDiv.textContent = "; // Clear previous errors
if (isNaN(hourlyWage) || hourlyWage < 0 ||
isNaN(hoursPerWeek) || hoursPerWeek < 0 ||
isNaN(preTaxDeduction) || preTaxDeduction < 0 ||
isNaN(postTaxDeduction) || postTaxDeduction < 0 ||
isNaN(stateTaxRate) || stateTaxRate < 0) {
errorDiv.textContent = 'Please enter valid positive numbers for all input fields.';
return;
}
if (payFrequencyValue <= 0) {
errorDiv.textContent = 'Pay frequency must be a positive value.';
return;
}
var payPeriodsPerYear = payFrequencyValue;
var weeksPerYear = 52;
var weeksPerPayPeriod = weeksPerYear / payPeriodsPerYear;
// 1. Gross Pay per period
var grossPayPerPeriod = hourlyWage * hoursPerWeek * weeksPerPayPeriod;
// 2. Annual Gross Pay
var annualGrossPay = grossPayPerPeriod * payPeriodsPerYear;
// 3. FICA Taxes (Social Security & Medicare) – calculated on gross pay before pre-tax deductions
var socialSecurityRate = 0.062;
var medicareRate = 0.0145;
var socialSecurityLimit = 160200; // 2023 limit for SS
var socialSecurityTax = Math.min(grossPayPerPeriod, socialSecurityLimit / payPeriodsPerYear) * socialSecurityRate;
var medicareTax = grossPayPerPeriod * medicareRate;
// 4. Taxable Gross for Federal/State (Gross Pay – Pre-Tax Deductions)
var taxableGrossFederalStatePerPeriod = grossPayPerPeriod – preTaxDeduction;
if (taxableGrossFederalStatePerPeriod < 0) taxableGrossFederalStatePerPeriod = 0; // Cannot be negative
var taxableAnnualGrossFederalState = taxableGrossFederalStatePerPeriod * payPeriodsPerYear;
// 5. Federal Income Tax (Simplified progressive brackets)
var annualFederalTax = 0;
var standardDeduction = 0;
var brackets = [];
if (federalFilingStatus === 'single') {
standardDeduction = 13850; // 2023 Single Standard Deduction
brackets = [
{ limit: 11000, rate: 0.10 },
{ limit: 44725, rate: 0.12 },
{ limit: 95375, rate: 0.22 },
{ limit: 182100, rate: 0.24 },
{ limit: 231250, rate: 0.32 },
{ limit: 578125, rate: 0.35 },
{ limit: Infinity, rate: 0.37 }
];
} else { // Married Filing Jointly
standardDeduction = 27700; // 2023 MFJ Standard Deduction
brackets = [
{ limit: 22000, rate: 0.10 },
{ limit: 89450, rate: 0.12 },
{ limit: 190750, rate: 0.22 },
{ limit: 364200, rate: 0.24 },
{ limit: 462500, rate: 0.32 },
{ limit: 693750, rate: 0.35 },
{ limit: Infinity, rate: 0.37 }
];
}
var taxableIncomeAfterStandardDeduction = taxableAnnualGrossFederalState – standardDeduction;
if (taxableIncomeAfterStandardDeduction < 0) taxableIncomeAfterStandardDeduction = 0;
var remainingTaxable = taxableIncomeAfterStandardDeduction;
var previousLimit = 0;
for (var i = 0; i 0) {
var taxedInThisBracket = Math.min(remainingTaxable, bracketAmount);
annualFederalTax += taxedInThisBracket * bracket.rate;
remainingTaxable -= taxedInThisBracket;
}
previousLimit = bracket.limit;
if (remainingTaxable <= 0) break;
}
var federalTaxPerPeriod = annualFederalTax / payPeriodsPerYear;
// 6. State Income Tax
var stateTaxPerPeriod = taxableGrossFederalStatePerPeriod * (stateTaxRate / 100);
// 7. Net Pay
var netPayPerPeriod = grossPayPerPeriod – federalTaxPerPeriod – stateTaxPerPeriod – socialSecurityTax – medicareTax – preTaxDeduction – postTaxDeduction;
// Display Results
document.getElementById('grossPayResult').textContent = '$' + grossPayPerPeriod.toFixed(2);
document.getElementById('federalTaxResult').textContent = '$' + federalTaxPerPeriod.toFixed(2);
document.getElementById('stateTaxResult').textContent = '$' + stateTaxPerPeriod.toFixed(2);
document.getElementById('socialSecurityResult').textContent = '$' + socialSecurityTax.toFixed(2);
document.getElementById('medicareResult').textContent = '$' + medicareTax.toFixed(2);
document.getElementById('preTaxDeductionResult').textContent = '$' + preTaxDeduction.toFixed(2);
document.getElementById('postTaxDeductionResult').textContent = '$' + postTaxDeduction.toFixed(2);
document.getElementById('netPayResult').textContent = '$' + netPayPerPeriod.toFixed(2);
}
// Run calculation on page load with default values
window.onload = calculatePaystub;