Understanding your take-home pay in Kentucky involves navigating federal, state, and sometimes local taxes, along with various deductions. Our Kentucky Paycheck Calculator helps you estimate your net pay per pay period, giving you a clearer picture of your earnings.
How Your Kentucky Paycheck is Calculated
Your gross pay is the total amount you earn before any deductions. From this, several items are subtracted to arrive at your net pay:
1. Pre-Tax Deductions
These are deductions taken from your gross pay before taxes are calculated. Common examples include contributions to a 401(k) or traditional IRA, health insurance premiums, and Flexible Spending Account (FSA) contributions. These deductions reduce your taxable income, potentially lowering your federal and state income tax liability.
2. Federal Income Tax
The amount of federal income tax withheld depends on your gross pay, filing status (Single, Married Filing Jointly), and any adjustments you've made on your W-4 form. The U.S. uses a progressive tax system, meaning different portions of your income are taxed at different rates (tax brackets).
3. FICA Taxes (Social Security & Medicare)
Social Security: This is a flat tax of 6.2% on your earnings up to an annual wage base limit (e.g., $168,600 for 2024). This funds retirement, disability, and survivor benefits.
Medicare: This is a flat tax of 1.45% on all your earnings, with no wage base limit. It funds hospital insurance for the elderly and disabled.
These taxes are mandatory for most employees.
4. Kentucky State Income Tax
Kentucky has a flat income tax rate. For 2024, the rate is 4.5%. However, your taxable income is reduced by a standard deduction and personal exemptions based on the number of allowances you claim. This means not all of your income is subject to the 4.5% tax.
Kentucky Standard Deduction: For 2024, this is $2,920.
Personal Exemptions: Each allowance claimed on your Kentucky withholding certificate (K-4) reduces your taxable income by $30.
5. Post-Tax Deductions
These deductions are taken from your pay after all taxes have been calculated and withheld. Examples include Roth 401(k) contributions, garnishments, union dues, or certain charitable contributions.
Using the Calculator
Simply enter your gross pay per pay period, select your pay frequency and filing statuses, input any pre-tax or post-tax deductions, and specify your Kentucky allowances. The calculator will then provide an estimate of your net pay and a breakdown of the deductions.
Weekly
Bi-weekly
Semi-monthly
Monthly
Single
Married Filing Jointly
Single
Married Filing Jointly
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function calculatePaycheck() {
// Get input values
var grossPay = parseFloat(document.getElementById('grossPay').value);
var payFrequencyMultiplier = parseFloat(document.getElementById('payFrequency').value);
var federalFilingStatus = document.getElementById('federalFilingStatus').value;
var kyFilingStatus = document.getElementById('kyFilingStatus').value; // Not used in KY tax calculation for 2024, but kept for completeness
var kyAllowances = parseInt(document.getElementById('kyAllowances').value);
var preTaxDeductions = parseFloat(document.getElementById('preTaxDeductions').value);
var postTaxDeductions = parseFloat(document.getElementById('postTaxDeductions').value);
// Validate inputs
if (isNaN(grossPay) || grossPay < 0 ||
isNaN(payFrequencyMultiplier) ||
isNaN(kyAllowances) || kyAllowances < 0 ||
isNaN(preTaxDeductions) || preTaxDeductions < 0 ||
isNaN(postTaxDeductions) || postTaxDeductions < 0) {
document.getElementById('result').innerHTML = 'Please enter valid positive numbers for all fields.';
return;
}
// Annualize values
var annualGrossPay = grossPay * payFrequencyMultiplier;
var annualPreTaxDeductions = preTaxDeductions * payFrequencyMultiplier;
// — FICA Taxes (2024 Rates) —
var socialSecurityRate = 0.062;
var medicareRate = 0.0145;
var socialSecurityWageBase = 168600; // 2024 limit
var annualSocialSecurityTaxable = Math.min(annualGrossPay, socialSecurityWageBase);
var annualSocialSecurityTax = annualSocialSecurityTaxable * socialSecurityRate;
var annualMedicareTax = annualGrossPay * medicareRate;
var totalAnnualFicaTax = annualSocialSecurityTax + annualMedicareTax;
var perPeriodFicaTax = totalAnnualFicaTax / payFrequencyMultiplier;
// — Federal Income Tax (2024 Rates & Standard Deductions) —
var federalStandardDeduction;
var federalTaxBrackets;
if (federalFilingStatus === 'single') {
federalStandardDeduction = 14600;
federalTaxBrackets = [
{ 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 { // Married Filing Jointly
federalStandardDeduction = 29200;
federalTaxBrackets = [
{ 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 }
];
}
var federalTaxableIncome = annualGrossPay – annualPreTaxDeductions – federalStandardDeduction;
federalTaxableIncome = Math.max(0, federalTaxableIncome); // Cannot be negative
var annualFederalTax = 0;
var remainingTaxable = federalTaxableIncome;
for (var i = 0; i 0) ? federalTaxBrackets[i-1].limit : 0;
var taxableInBracket = Math.min(remainingTaxable, bracket.limit – lowerBound);
if (taxableInBracket > 0) {
annualFederalTax += taxableInBracket * bracket.rate;
remainingTaxable -= taxableInBracket;
}
if (remainingTaxable <= 0) break;
}
var perPeriodFederalTax = annualFederalTax / payFrequencyMultiplier;
// — Kentucky State Income Tax (2024 Rates) —
var kyTaxRate = 0.045; // Flat rate
var kyStandardDeduction = 2920; // 2024
var kyPersonalExemptionValue = 30; // 2024 per allowance
var kyTaxableIncome = annualGrossPay – annualPreTaxDeductions – kyStandardDeduction – (kyAllowances * kyPersonalExemptionValue);
kyTaxableIncome = Math.max(0, kyTaxableIncome); // Cannot be negative
var annualKyTax = kyTaxableIncome * kyTaxRate;
var perPeriodKyTax = annualKyTax / payFrequencyMultiplier;
// — Calculate Net Pay —
var totalDeductionsPerPeriod = preTaxDeductions + perPeriodFicaTax + perPeriodFederalTax + perPeriodKyTax + postTaxDeductions;
var netPay = grossPay – totalDeductionsPerPeriod;
// Display results
var resultHtml = '