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.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is my paycheck so much less than my salary?
Four things come out before you see it. Federal income tax is withheld based on your W-4 and pay frequency. FICA takes 7.65% — 6.2% Social Security up to the annual wage base, plus 1.45% Medicare with no cap. Most states take income tax on top, and a handful of states and cities add local taxes or disability contributions. Pre-tax deductions like 401(k) contributions and health premiums reduce your paycheck further, though they also lower your taxable income. On a typical salary, the combined effect is commonly 20% to 35% of gross.
What is the difference between biweekly and semi-monthly pay?
Biweekly means every other week — 26 paychecks a year, so two months each year contain three paydays. Semi-monthly means twice a month, often the 15th and the last day — 24 paychecks a year, each slightly larger. Annual pay is identical either way; only the per-check amount and timing differ. Biweekly is the more common arrangement for hourly workers because it aligns with weekly timesheets.
Do pre-tax deductions actually save money?
Yes, but they lower your take-home pay at the same time. A dollar contributed to a traditional 401(k) reduces your taxable income by a dollar, so at a 22% marginal rate it costs you about 78 cents of net pay. Health premiums and FSA/HSA contributions made through a Section 125 plan go further — they avoid FICA as well as income tax, so a dollar contributed costs roughly 70 cents. The money is still yours; it is just diverted.
How is overtime pay calculated?
Under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act, non-exempt employees earn 1.5x their regular rate for hours over 40 in a workweek. Some states are more generous: California and Alaska require overtime after 8 hours in a single day, and California adds double time after 12 hours or on a seventh consecutive workday. Where state law is more generous than federal law, the state rule applies.
Does a raise ever push me into a worse position?
Not through tax brackets — that is the most persistent myth in payroll. Brackets are marginal, so a raise only taxes the additional dollars at the higher rate; your existing income is unaffected and your take-home always rises. What can genuinely create a cliff is losing an income-tested benefit — some subsidies and credits phase out at hard thresholds rather than gradually.