Paycheck Calculator

A paycheck calculator answers one practical question: after taxes, FICA, and deductions, what actually hits your bank account? FreePayrollCalc is built for workers in all 50 U.S. states who need a clear take-home salary calculator — not a spreadsheet, and not a payroll portal that requires an account. Enter your gross pay (annual salary or hourly rate), pick a state and filing status, and the tool breaks down federal withholding, Social Security, Medicare, and state income tax for each pay period.

What goes into every estimate

Each result starts with gross pay for the period, then applies the IRS percentage method for federal income tax based on your W-4 choices (filing status, dependents, extra withholding). FICA is always explicit: Social Security at 6.2% up to the annual wage base, Medicare at 1.45% on all wages (plus the 0.9% additional Medicare tax for high earners). If your state levies an income tax, progressive brackets, flat rates, or zero-tax rules are applied on top. Pre-tax benefits such as 401(k) contributions and health premiums reduce taxable wages before withholding — which is why the advanced panel matters if you want a realistic net figure rather than a rough ballpark.

Hourly paycheck calculator mode

Salaried workers can type an annual wage; hourly workers switch topaycheck calculator hourly mode. Enter your rate, regular hours per week, and optional overtime hours with the correct multiplier (typically 1.5× under the FLSA). The tool annualizes that schedule, runs the same tax stack, then divides by your pay frequency — weekly, bi-weekly, semi-monthly, or monthly. That makes it easy to compare “$28/hr with overtime” against a salaried offer, or to check whether a part-time schedule still covers fixed bills after withholding. Pair the result with our hourly to salary converterwhen you need the reverse conversion for budgeting or offer letters.

Florida, Texas, and California paycheck calculators

State rules change take-home pay more than most people expect on the same gross salary. AFlorida paycheck calculator shows why the Sunshine State is popular with remote workers: there is no individual income tax, so only federal withholding and FICA reduce the check. ATexas paycheck calculator (and Texas salary calculator workflow) works the same way — no personal income tax, with FICA and federal rules still in play. High-tax states move the needle in the other direction: aCalifornia paycheck calculator has to stack progressive brackets up to 13.3%, plus SDI, so net pay can trail a no-tax state by thousands of dollars per year at the same wage. Use the homepage tool as a California salary calculator check, then open thestate tax comparison to see Florida, Texas, California, and every other state side by side.

A free payroll portal that stays on your device

Employers use commercial payroll software to file taxes and print pay stubs; employees often just need to preview a paycheck. FreePayrollCalc fills that gap as a lightweightpayroll portal for estimates: printable stub layout, copyable breakdowns, shareable links, and tax-year toggle (2025 or 2026) — all calculated in your browser. Nothing is uploaded to a server, so Social Security numbers, benefit elections, and wage details never leave your machine. It is ideal for offer-letter comparisons, new-hire onboarding conversations, side-hustle planning, and quick “what if I move to Texas?” scenarios without installing HR software.

Who gets the most out of this take-home salary calculator

Job seekers comparing two offers in different states; hourly employees verifying overtime math; freelancers converting 1099 invoices into W-2-style net pay; couples modeling a move from a high-tax state to Florida or Texas; and anyone who has ever stared at a pay stub wondering where 20–30% of gross went. If you need deeper context, the paycheck and tax guideexplains withholding, FICA, and W-4 steps in plain English, while thepaycheck calculator FAQ covers accuracy, bi-weekly vs semi-monthly timing, remote-work multi-state rules, and how much to save from each check. Start with your state and salary above — the full breakdown is free and takes less than a minute.