Disclaimer

PaycheckCals provides estimates for general information. It is not tax, legal, accounting or financial advice, and using it does not create a professional relationship.

Withholding is not your tax bill

A paycheck calculator estimates what your employer will withhold. Withholding is a prepayment toward your annual liability, and the two rarely match exactly. Tax credits, itemised deductions, other household income, investment income and self-employment earnings all change your final position and none of them pass through payroll.

Why your stub may differ

Employers use different but equally valid withholding methods — the wage bracket tables instead of the percentage method, for example. Benefit elections that start mid-year, retroactive pay, a bonus processed with a regular check, year-to-date wages crossing the Social Security wage base, and rounding at each step all produce small differences. Larger differences usually mean a Form W-4 or state equivalent that no longer reflects your situation.

State and local coverage

Local income tax coverage is representative. Several states have hundreds or thousands of taxing jurisdictions, and rates are set by local ordinance and change frequently. Where your specific city or school district is not listed, use a comparable rate and treat the result as an approximation.

When to get advice

Talk to a qualified professional before acting on anything with real consequences: a multi-state move, equity compensation, a large bonus, a change in filing status, or a notice from a tax authority.