What's in a paycheck
Every paycheck is split between gross pay (what you earn) and net pay (what hits your account). The gap comes from federal income tax withholding, Social Security (6.2%), Medicare (1.45%), state income tax, and — in 11 states — mandatory disability or paid-leave contributions. Pre-tax deductions like 401(k) contributions and health insurance premiums shrink your taxable income before any of those are applied, so two coworkers earning the same gross can take home very different amounts.
How to use these calculators
Start with the Paycheck Calculator to see take-home pay for your actual situation — pick your state, filing status, pay frequency, and any pre-tax deductions, and you'll get a per-paycheck breakdown of every withholding line. Use the Overtime Calculator when you need to project time-and-a-half or double-time pay for a specific week or pay period under FLSA rules.
Hourly vs. salary
The Hourly to Salary and Salary to Hourly calculators are two views of the same income. Use hourly→salary when comparing a contract or part-time offer against a full-time salaried role, and salary→hourly to back out an effective hourly rate from a job listing — useful when you're trying to figure out whether a role pays well for the hours it actually demands.
Per-state details to watch for
State income tax behavior varies more than most people realize. Nine states (AK, FL, NV, NH, SD, TN, TX, WA, WY) have no wage income tax. Nine states use a flat rate applied to all income; the rest use progressive brackets similar to federal tax. Eleven states plus D.C. require employee SDI or paid-family-leave contributions, which shrink take-home before income tax is even calculated. A handful of cities — NYC, Philadelphia, Detroit, San Francisco — also impose a local income tax. The state pages above reflect these rules where they apply.
Related categories
Income and self-employment tax — calculated for the year, not the paycheck — live under Tax Calculators. Long-term retirement and savings projections, including the 401(k) Calculator, are in Savings & Investing. For everyday personal-finance tools like debt payoff and net worth tracking, see Personal Finance Calculators.