Weekly
Bi-Weekly (Every 2 Weeks)
Semi-Monthly (Twice a Month)
Monthly
Understanding Your Alabama Paycheck
This calculator helps you estimate your net pay after taxes for work performed in Alabama. It takes into account your gross earnings based on your hourly wage and hours worked, and then deducts estimated federal income tax, Alabama state income tax, and FICA taxes (Social Security and Medicare).
How it Works:
The calculation follows these steps:
Gross Pay: This is your total earnings before any deductions. It's calculated by multiplying your hourly wage by the number of hours you've worked in a given period.
Weekly Gross Pay = Hourly Wage × Hours Per Week
FICA Taxes: These are federal taxes that fund Social Security and Medicare. The rate is fixed at 7.65% (6.2% for Social Security up to an annual limit, and 1.45% for Medicare with no limit).
FICA Tax Amount = Gross Pay × (FICA Rate / 100)
Federal Income Tax: This is an estimated tax based on the percentage you provide. The actual federal tax can vary significantly based on your filing status, deductions, credits, and other income sources. This calculator uses a simplified percentage for estimation.
Alabama State Income Tax: Alabama has a state income tax, which is applied to your taxable income. This calculator uses a simplified percentage provided by the user. Note that Alabama's tax system is progressive, so the actual rate may vary.
Net Pay (Take-Home Pay): This is the amount of money you actually receive after all estimated taxes have been deducted from your gross pay.
Net Pay = Gross Pay – FICA Tax Amount – Federal Tax Amount – Alabama Tax Amount
Pay Frequency Considerations:
The 'Pay Frequency' option adjusts the final displayed paycheck amount based on how often you are paid.
Weekly: Your calculated net pay is for one week.
Bi-Weekly: Your calculated net pay is for two weeks.
Semi-Monthly: Your calculated net pay is for approximately half a month (paid twice a month).
Monthly: Your calculated net pay is for one month.
The calculator determines the appropriate gross pay per period based on your input and the selected frequency. For example, if you enter 40 hours per week and select "Bi-Weekly", the gross pay used for deductions will be for 80 hours.
Important Disclaimers:
This calculator provides an estimation only. It does not account for:
Other potential deductions such as health insurance premiums, retirement contributions (401k, etc.), union dues, garnishments, or other voluntary/involuntary withholdings.
Federal Social Security tax limits, which may affect high earners.
Specific tax credits or deductions you may be eligible for.
Variations in state tax calculations based on specific income types or deductions.
Overtime pay rates.
For precise figures, please consult your official pay stubs or a qualified tax professional. This tool is intended for informational purposes to provide a general understanding of potential take-home pay in Alabama.
function calculateAlabamaPay() {
var hourlyWage = parseFloat(document.getElementById("hourlyWage").value);
var hoursPerWeek = parseFloat(document.getElementById("hoursPerWeek").value);
var payFrequency = document.getElementById("payFrequency").value;
var federalTaxRate = parseFloat(document.getElementById("federalTaxRate").value);
var stateTaxRate = parseFloat(document.getElementById("stateTaxRate").value);
var ficaRates = parseFloat(document.getElementById("ficaRates").value);
var resultDiv = document.getElementById("result");
resultDiv.innerHTML = "; // Clear previous results
// — Input Validation —
if (isNaN(hourlyWage) || hourlyWage <= 0) {
resultDiv.innerHTML = "Please enter a valid hourly wage.";
return;
}
if (isNaN(hoursPerWeek) || hoursPerWeek <= 0) {
resultDiv.innerHTML = "Please enter a valid number of hours worked per week.";
return;
}
if (isNaN(federalTaxRate) || federalTaxRate 100) {
resultDiv.innerHTML = "Please enter a valid Federal Tax Rate (0-100%).";
return;
}
if (isNaN(stateTaxRate) || stateTaxRate 100) {
resultDiv.innerHTML = "Please enter a valid Alabama State Tax Rate (0-100%).";
return;
}
if (isNaN(ficaRates) || ficaRates 100) {
resultDiv.innerHTML = "Please enter a valid FICA Tax Rate (0-100%).";
return;
}
// — Calculation Logic —
var grossPayPerPeriod = 0;
var periodLabel = "";
if (payFrequency === "weekly") {
grossPayPerPeriod = hourlyWage * hoursPerWeek;
periodLabel = "Weekly";
} else if (payFrequency === "bi-weekly") {
grossPayPerPeriod = hourlyWage * hoursPerWeek * 2;
periodLabel = "Bi-Weekly";
} else if (payFrequency === "semi-monthly") {
// Approximation: 26 pay periods per year / 12 months = 2.1667 periods per month
// For simplicity and common understanding, semi-monthly often implies 24 periods/year.
// Let's calculate based on average per period (26 periods/year). A more precise method would be days worked.
// A common simpler method is 26 periods, meaning approx 2.17 weeks per period.
grossPayPerPeriod = (hourlyWage * hoursPerWeek * 52) / 24; // Approx. 24 periods per year
periodLabel = "Semi-Monthly";
} else if (payFrequency === "monthly") {
grossPayPerPeriod = (hourlyWage * hoursPerWeek * 52) / 12; // Approx. 12 periods per year
periodLabel = "Monthly";
}
var ficaTaxAmount = grossPayPerPeriod * (ficaRates / 100);
var federalTaxAmount = grossPayPerPeriod * (federalTaxRate / 100);
var stateTaxAmount = grossPayPerPeriod * (stateTaxRate / 100);
var netPay = grossPayPerPeriod – ficaTaxAmount – federalTaxAmount – stateTaxAmount;
// Ensure net pay is not negative due to extreme tax rates
if (netPay < 0) {
netPay = 0;
}
// — Display Results —
var formattedGrossPay = grossPayPerPeriod.toFixed(2);
var formattedFicaTax = ficaTaxAmount.toFixed(2);
var formattedFederalTax = federalTaxAmount.toFixed(2);
var formattedStateTax = stateTaxAmount.toFixed(2);
var formattedNetPay = netPay.toFixed(2);
resultDiv.innerHTML =
'' + periodLabel + ' Paycheck Estimate' +
'Gross Pay: $' + formattedGrossPay + " +
'FICA Taxes (' + ficaRates + '%): -$' + formattedFicaTax + " +
'Federal Tax (' + federalTaxRate + '%): -$' + formattedFederalTax + " +
'Alabama State Tax (' + stateTaxRate + '%): -$' + formattedStateTax + " +
'' +
'Estimated Net Pay: $' + formattedNetPay + '' +
'Based on your inputs. Other deductions may apply.';
}