Estimate your net pay from gross earnings, considering taxes and deductions.
Understanding Your Hourly Paycheck Calculation
This calculator provides an estimate of your net pay (take-home pay) based on your hourly rate, hours worked, and various tax and deduction percentages. It's designed to give you a clear picture of how your gross earnings are transformed into your final paycheck amount.
How it Works:
The calculation follows these general steps:
Gross Weekly Pay: Your hourly rate multiplied by the number of hours you worked in a week.
Gross Pay per Pay Period: Your gross weekly pay divided by your pay frequency (e.g., if paid bi-weekly, divide by 26 pay periods per year).
Deductions:
Federal Income Tax: Calculated as a percentage of your gross pay per pay period.
State Income Tax: Calculated as a percentage of your gross pay per pay period (if applicable).
Social Security Tax: Typically 6.20% of your gross pay per pay period (up to an annual limit, which this simplified calculator doesn't account for).
Medicare Tax: Typically 1.45% of your gross pay per pay period (no annual limit).
Other Deductions: Fixed amounts for things like health insurance premiums, retirement contributions (401k), etc.
Total Deductions: The sum of all calculated taxes and other specified deductions for that pay period.
Net Pay (Take-Home Pay): Gross Pay per Pay Period minus Total Deductions.
Key Inputs Explained:
Hourly Rate: The amount you earn per hour of work.
Hours Worked (per week): The total number of hours you completed in the current work week.
Pay Periods per Year: How many times you are paid annually. Common examples are 52 for weekly pay and 26 for bi-weekly pay.
Federal Tax Withholding (%): The percentage of your income that your employer withholds for federal income taxes. This is often based on your W-4 form.
State Tax Withholding (%): The percentage withheld for state income taxes. This varies significantly by state and may be 0% in some states.
Medicare Withholding (%): A mandatory federal tax covering hospital insurance.
Social Security Withholding (%): A mandatory federal tax funding retirement, disability, and survivor benefits.
Other Deductions: Any additional amounts subtracted from your pay, such as 401(k) contributions, health insurance premiums, union dues, etc.
Important Considerations:
This is an estimation tool. Actual net pay can vary due to specific payroll software, local taxes, overtime calculations, annual earning limits for Social Security, pre-tax deductions (like 401k or certain health premiums), and other factors not included in this simplified model.
Always refer to your official pay stub for the most accurate breakdown of your earnings and deductions.
Tax laws and percentages can change. Consult a tax professional for personalized advice.
function calculatePay() {
var hourlyRate = parseFloat(document.getElementById("hourlyRate").value);
var hoursWorked = parseFloat(document.getElementById("hoursWorked").value);
var payFrequency = parseFloat(document.getElementById("payFrequency").value);
var federalTaxRate = parseFloat(document.getElementById("federalTaxRate").value) / 100;
var stateTaxRate = parseFloat(document.getElementById("stateTaxRate").value) / 100;
var medicareRate = parseFloat(document.getElementById("medicareRate").value) / 100;
var socialSecurityRate = parseFloat(document.getElementById("socialSecurityRate").value) / 100;
var otherDeductions = parseFloat(document.getElementById("otherDeductions").value);
var resultDiv = document.getElementById("result");
resultDiv.innerHTML = ""; // Clear previous results
// — Input Validation —
if (isNaN(hourlyRate) || hourlyRate < 0 ||
isNaN(hoursWorked) || hoursWorked < 0 ||
isNaN(payFrequency) || payFrequency <= 0 ||
isNaN(federalTaxRate) || federalTaxRate < 0 ||
isNaN(stateTaxRate) || stateTaxRate < 0 ||
isNaN(medicareRate) || medicareRate < 0 ||
isNaN(socialSecurityRate) || socialSecurityRate < 0 ||
isNaN(otherDeductions) || otherDeductions < 0) {
resultDiv.innerHTML = "Please enter valid positive numbers for all fields.";
return;
}
// — Calculations —
var grossWeeklyPay = hourlyRate * hoursWorked;
var grossPayPerPeriod = grossWeeklyPay / payFrequency;
var federalTaxAmount = grossPayPerPeriod * federalTaxRate;
var stateTaxAmount = grossPayPerPeriod * stateTaxRate;
var medicareAmount = grossPayPerPeriod * medicareRate;
var socialSecurityAmount = grossPayPerPeriod * socialSecurityRate;
var totalDeductions = federalTaxAmount + stateTaxAmount + medicareAmount + socialSecurityAmount + otherDeductions;
var netPay = grossPayPerPeriod – totalDeductions;
// Ensure net pay is not negative
if (netPay < 0) {
netPay = 0;
}
// — Display Results —
resultDiv.innerHTML = "$" + netPay.toFixed(2) +
"Estimated Net Pay Per Paycheck";
}