Chicago Paycheck Calculator

Gross Pay per Pay Period:

Pay Frequency: Weekly Bi-Weekly Semi-Monthly Monthly

Federal Filing Status: Single Married Filing Jointly Head of Household

Pre-Tax 401(k) Contribution per Pay Period ($):

Health Insurance Premium per Pay Period ($):

Other Pre-Tax Deductions per Pay Period ($):

Understanding Your Chicago Paycheck

Navigating your paycheck can be complex, especially with various federal, state, and local deductions. This Chicago Paycheck Calculator helps you estimate your net pay by factoring in common taxes and pre-tax deductions relevant to residents working in Chicago, Illinois.

How Your Paycheck is Calculated

Your gross pay is the total amount you earn before any deductions. From this, several amounts are subtracted to arrive at your net pay (the amount you actually take home).

1. Pre-Tax Deductions

These are deductions taken from your gross pay before taxes are calculated. Common examples include:

401(k) Contributions: Money you contribute to a retirement plan.
Health Insurance Premiums: Your share of the cost for health coverage.
Other Pre-Tax Deductions: This can include Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs), Health Savings Accounts (HSAs), or certain commuter benefits.

Pre-tax deductions reduce your taxable income, meaning you pay less in federal and state income taxes.

2. Federal Income Tax

This is a progressive tax, meaning higher earners pay a larger percentage of their income in taxes. The amount withheld depends on your annual taxable income, filing status (Single, Married Filing Jointly, Head of Household), and the current tax brackets set by the IRS. The calculator uses standard deduction amounts based on your filing status to determine your federal taxable income.

3. FICA Taxes (Social Security & Medicare)

FICA stands for Federal Insurance Contributions Act. These are mandatory contributions that fund Social Security and Medicare programs:

Social Security: As of 2024, this is 6.2% of your gross wages up to an annual limit of $168,600.
Medicare: This is 1.45% of all your gross wages, with no income limit.

These taxes are generally not affected by pre-tax deductions or your filing status.

4. Illinois State Income Tax

Illinois has a flat income tax rate. As of 2024, the rate is 4.95% of your adjusted gross income (AGI). Your AGI for state tax purposes is generally your gross pay minus pre-tax deductions. Unlike federal tax, Illinois does not have a standard deduction based on filing status.

5. Chicago City Income Tax?

It's important to note that Chicago does not have a city income tax. This simplifies paycheck calculations for Chicago residents compared to some other major U.S. cities.

How the Calculator Works

The calculator takes your gross pay per period, pay frequency, federal filing status, and pre-tax deductions to estimate your annual income. It then applies the relevant federal, FICA, and Illinois state tax rates and deductions to determine your net pay for each pay period.

Please remember that this calculator provides an estimate. Actual withholdings may vary based on additional deductions, credits, or specific adjustments on your W-4 form.

.calculator-container { font-family: 'Segoe UI', Tahoma, Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; background-color: #f9f9f9; padding: 25px; border-radius: 10px; box-shadow: 0 4px 12px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1); max-width: 800px; margin: 30px auto; border: 1px solid #e0e0e0; } .calculator-container h2 { color: #2c3e50; text-align: center; margin-bottom: 25px; font-size: 28px; } .calculator-content { display: grid; grid-template-columns: 1fr 1fr; gap: 15px 30px; margin-bottom: 25px; } .input-group { display: flex; flex-direction: column; } .input-group label { margin-bottom: 8px; font-weight: bold; color: #34495e; font-size: 15px; } .input-group input[type="number"], .input-group select { padding: 10px 12px; border: 1px solid #ccc; border-radius: 6px; font-size: 16px; color: #333; width: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; transition: border-color 0.3s ease; } .input-group input[type="number"]:focus, .input-group select:focus { border-color: #007bff; outline: none; box-shadow: 0 0 0 3px rgba(0, 123, 255, 0.25); } button { grid-column: 1 / -1; padding: 12px 25px; background-color: #28a745; color: white; border: none; border-radius: 6px; font-size: 18px; font-weight: bold; cursor: pointer; transition: background-color 0.3s ease, transform 0.2s ease; margin-top: 15px; width: auto; justify-self: center; } button:hover { background-color: #218838; transform: translateY(-2px); } button:active { transform: translateY(0); } .calculator-result { grid-column: 1 / -1; background-color: #e9f7ef; border: 1px solid #d4edda; border-radius: 8px; padding: 20px; margin-top: 25px; font-size: 18px; color: #155724; text-align: center; line-height: 1.6; font-weight: bold; } .calculator-result p { margin: 8px 0; } .calculator-result strong { color: #0a3622; } .calculator-article { grid-column: 1 / -1; margin-top: 30px; padding-top: 25px; border-top: 1px solid #e0e0e0; color: #34495e; line-height: 1.7; } .calculator-article h3, .calculator-article h4, .calculator-article h5 { color: #2c3e50; margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 15px; font-size: 22px; } .calculator-article h4 { font-size: 20px; } .calculator-article h5 { font-size: 18px; } .calculator-article p { margin-bottom: 15px; } .calculator-article ul { list-style-type: disc; margin-left: 20px; margin-bottom: 15px; } .calculator-article ul li { margin-bottom: 8px; } @media (max-width: 600px) { .calculator-content { grid-template-columns: 1fr; } } function calculatePaycheck() { var grossPay = parseFloat(document.getElementById("grossPay").value); var payFrequencyMultiplier = parseFloat(document.getElementById("payFrequency").value); var filingStatus = document.getElementById("filingStatus").value; var preTax401k = parseFloat(document.getElementById("preTax401k").value); var healthInsurance = parseFloat(document.getElementById("healthInsurance").value); var otherDeductions = parseFloat(document.getElementById("otherDeductions").value); if (isNaN(grossPay) || grossPay < 0 || isNaN(preTax401k) || preTax401k < 0 || isNaN(healthInsurance) || healthInsurance < 0 || isNaN(otherDeductions) || otherDeductions < 0) { document.getElementById("result").innerHTML = "Please enter valid positive numbers for all input fields."; return; } // Annual Calculations var annualGrossPay = grossPay * payFrequencyMultiplier; var annualPreTaxDeductions = (preTax401k + healthInsurance + otherDeductions) * payFrequencyMultiplier; // — Federal Income Tax Calculation — var standardDeduction; if (filingStatus === "single") { standardDeduction = 14600; // 2024 Single } else if (filingStatus === "married") { standardDeduction = 29200; // 2024 Married Filing Jointly } else if (filingStatus === "hoh") { standardDeduction = 21900; // 2024 Head of Household } var federalTaxableIncome = annualGrossPay – annualPreTaxDeductions – standardDeduction; if (federalTaxableIncome < 0) { federalTaxableIncome = 0; } var annualFederalIncomeTax = 0; var brackets; // 2024 Federal Income Tax Brackets if (filingStatus === "single") { brackets = [ { rate: 0.10, limit: 11600 }, { rate: 0.12, limit: 47150 }, { rate: 0.22, limit: 100525 }, { rate: 0.24, limit: 191950 }, { rate: 0.32, limit: 243725 }, { rate: 0.35, limit: 609350 }, { rate: 0.37, limit: Infinity } ]; } else if (filingStatus === "married") { brackets = [ { rate: 0.10, limit: 23200 }, { rate: 0.12, limit: 94300 }, { rate: 0.22, limit: 201050 }, { rate: 0.24, limit: 383900 }, { rate: 0.32, limit: 487450 }, { rate: 0.35, limit: 731200 }, { rate: 0.37, limit: Infinity } ]; } else if (filingStatus === "hoh") { brackets = [ { rate: 0.10, limit: 16550 }, { rate: 0.12, limit: 63100 }, { rate: 0.22, limit: 100500 }, { rate: 0.24, limit: 191950 }, { rate: 0.32, limit: 243700 }, { rate: 0.35, limit: 609350 }, { rate: 0.37, limit: Infinity } ]; } var remainingTaxable = federalTaxableIncome; var previousLimit = 0; for (var i = 0; i 0) { annualFederalIncomeTax += taxableInBracket * bracket.rate; remainingTaxable -= taxableInBracket; } if (remainingTaxable <= 0) { break; } previousLimit = bracket.limit; } // — FICA Tax Calculation — var socialSecurityLimit = 168600; // 2024 Social Security wage base limit var socialSecurityTaxable = Math.min(annualGrossPay, socialSecurityLimit); var annualSocialSecurityTax = socialSecurityTaxable * 0.062; var annualMedicareTax = annualGrossPay * 0.0145; var annualFicaTax = annualSocialSecurityTax + annualMedicareTax; // — Illinois State Income Tax Calculation — var illinoisTaxableIncome = annualGrossPay – annualPreTaxDeductions; if (illinoisTaxableIncome < 0) { illinoisTaxableIncome = 0; } var annualIllinoisStateTax = illinoisTaxableIncome * 0.0495; // 4.95% flat rate // — Per Pay Period Calculations — var totalPreTaxDeductionsPerPeriod = preTax401k + healthInsurance + otherDeductions; var federalTaxPerPeriod = annualFederalIncomeTax / payFrequencyMultiplier; var ficaTaxPerPeriod = annualFicaTax / payFrequencyMultiplier; var illinoisTaxPerPeriod = annualIllinoisStateTax / payFrequencyMultiplier; var netPayPerPeriod = grossPay – totalPreTaxDeductionsPerPeriod – federalTaxPerPeriod – ficaTaxPerPeriod – illinoisTaxPerPeriod; // Display Results var resultDiv = document.getElementById("result"); resultDiv.innerHTML = "Gross Pay per Period: $" + grossPay.toFixed(2) + "" + "Total Pre-Tax Deductions per Period: $" + totalPreTaxDeductionsPerPeriod.toFixed(2) + "" + "Estimated Federal Income Tax per Period: $" + federalTaxPerPeriod.toFixed(2) + "" + "Estimated FICA Tax per Period: $" + ficaTaxPerPeriod.toFixed(2) + "" + "Estimated Illinois State Tax per Period: $" + illinoisTaxPerPeriod.toFixed(2) + "" + "Estimated Net Pay per Period: $" + netPayPerPeriod.toFixed(2) + ""; }