Estimate your take-home pay after federal taxes and FICA deductions.
Single
Married Filing Jointly
Head of Household
Gross Earnings:$0.00
FICA (Social Security + Medicare):-$0.00
Estimated Federal Tax:-$0.00
Net Pay (Take-Home):$0.00
How Does an Hourly Paycheck Calculation Work?
Calculating your hourly paycheck involves more than just multiplying your rate by your hours. While your Gross Pay is the starting point, several mandatory deductions reduce that amount before it reaches your bank account. These include Federal Income Tax, Social Security, and Medicare (collectively known as FICA).
Key Components of Your Hourly Pay
Gross Pay: This is the total amount earned. For hourly employees, this includes regular hours plus any overtime (usually calculated at 1.5 times the base rate).
FICA Tax: The Federal Insurance Contributions Act requires a deduction of 6.2% for Social Security and 1.45% for Medicare from every paycheck.
Federal Income Tax: This is a progressive tax based on your annual earnings and filing status. Those who earn more generally fall into higher tax brackets.
Net Pay: Often called "take-home pay," this is the final amount you receive after all taxes and deductions are removed.
Example Calculation
If you work 40 hours a week at a rate of $20.00 per hour, your weekly gross pay is $800.00.
Gross Pay: $800.00
FICA (7.65%): $61.20
Estimated Federal Tax (approx 10% for this bracket): $80.00
Estimated Net Pay: $658.80
Note: This calculator provides an estimate based on simplified federal tax brackets. State taxes, local taxes, health insurance premiums, and 401(k) contributions are not included in this basic calculation but will further reduce your final net pay.
Why Filing Status Matters
Your filing status (Single, Married, or Head of Household) determines your standard deduction and the tax brackets applied to your income. Generally, "Married Filing Jointly" results in lower tax withholding per paycheck compared to "Single" status for the same amount of gross income.
function calculateHourlyPay() {
var hourlyRate = parseFloat(document.getElementById('hourlyRate').value);
var hoursWorked = parseFloat(document.getElementById('hoursWorked').value);
var overtimeHours = parseFloat(document.getElementById('overtimeHours').value) || 0;
var filingStatus = document.getElementById('filingStatus').value;
if (isNaN(hourlyRate) || isNaN(hoursWorked) || hourlyRate <= 0 || hoursWorked < 0) {
alert("Please enter valid positive numbers for rate and hours.");
return;
}
// Calculate Gross
var regularPay = hourlyRate * hoursWorked;
var overtimePay = (hourlyRate * 1.5) * overtimeHours;
var grossPay = regularPay + overtimePay;
// FICA Calculation (Social Security 6.2% + Medicare 1.45% = 7.65%)
var ficaRate = 0.0765;
var ficaDeduction = grossPay * ficaRate;
// Simplified Federal Tax Estimation (Annualized logic)
// Note: Real payroll uses complex W-4 logic; this is an SEO-optimized estimation.
var estimatedTaxRate = 0;
var weeklyEquivalent = grossPay; // Assuming the input represents a weekly/bi-weekly period roughly
// Simple bracket logic based on gross pay volume
if (filingStatus === "single") {
if (grossPay < 250) estimatedTaxRate = 0.05;
else if (grossPay < 800) estimatedTaxRate = 0.10;
else if (grossPay < 1800) estimatedTaxRate = 0.15;
else estimatedTaxRate = 0.22;
} else if (filingStatus === "married") {
if (grossPay < 500) estimatedTaxRate = 0.03;
else if (grossPay < 1500) estimatedTaxRate = 0.08;
else if (grossPay < 3000) estimatedTaxRate = 0.12;
else estimatedTaxRate = 0.18;
} else {
// Head of Household
if (grossPay < 400) estimatedTaxRate = 0.04;
else if (grossPay < 1200) estimatedTaxRate = 0.09;
else estimatedTaxRate = 0.16;
}
var fedTaxDeduction = grossPay * estimatedTaxRate;
var netPay = grossPay – ficaDeduction – fedTaxDeduction;
// Display Results
document.getElementById('resGross').innerText = "$" + grossPay.toLocaleString(undefined, {minimumFractionDigits: 2, maximumFractionDigits: 2});
document.getElementById('resFica').innerText = "-$" + ficaDeduction.toLocaleString(undefined, {minimumFractionDigits: 2, maximumFractionDigits: 2});
document.getElementById('resFedTax').innerText = "-$" + fedTaxDeduction.toLocaleString(undefined, {minimumFractionDigits: 2, maximumFractionDigits: 2});
document.getElementById('resNetPay').innerText = "$" + netPay.toLocaleString(undefined, {minimumFractionDigits: 2, maximumFractionDigits: 2});
document.getElementById('paycheck-results').style.display = 'block';
}