Ridiculously easy
paycheck calculator

How much are your employees’ wages after taxes? It’s a simple question with a complex answer. Now, you can use this powerful online payroll calculator tool from Roll to perform gross-to-net calculations to estimate take-home pay in all 50 states.

Simply fill out the fields below to the best of your knowledge and get your earnings estimate. Just give us the data and our gross income calculator will do the math for you. If you get stuck, visit our handy paycheck calculator guide to learn more.

Important note on the salary paycheck calculator: The calculator on this page is provided through the ADP Employer Resource Center and is designed to provide general guidance and estimates. It should not be relied upon to calculate exact taxes, payroll or other financial data. These calculators are not intended to provide tax or legal advice and do not represent any ADP service or solution. You should refer to a professional advisor or accountant regarding any specific requirements or concerns.

Skip crunching numbers and see how Roll
runs payroll for you

Learn More

Salary paycheck calculator guide

Sure, our salary paycheck calculator does a lot of heavy lifting—but it still may be helpful to take a closer look at a few of the calculations that are essential to payroll.

Anatomy of a paycheck

While most paychecks may look largely the same, their delivery schedules can change from business to business. Numerous variables can dictate how often paychecks are disbursed, including applicable state laws and regulations, and even your own preference as an employer. Additionally, business-specific requirements, such as collective bargaining agreements that cover your unionized employees, can also change the rate at which paychecks go out.

Paycheck essentials

Regardless of their frequency, all paychecks should contain the same basic information.

Check number
Employer’s name and address
Employee’s name and address
Check date
Payment amount
Employer’s bank account and routing numbers
Check memo (optional)

Pay stub basics

Most states require you to provide each employee with a pay stub as well. These typically come with paychecks and list details such as:

Pay period start and end date
Hours worked
Gross pay
Net or take home pay
Federal and state income taxes
Local taxes
Medicare and Social Security taxes
Deductions for benefits
Wage garnishments
Year-to-date totals
Paid time off (PTO) balances

The Roll dictionary for complex payroll terms

While our annual salary calculator does everything for you automatically, it’s always good to be familiar with the various deductions affecting how much money your employees are actually bringing home. To help you calculate as accurately as possible, we’ve put together this brief guide of important terms.

Benefit deductions: If your business offers health insurance, dental insurance, retirement savings plans and other benefits, you’ll often share those costs with your employees and withhold it from their pay. Depending on the type of benefit and the regulations that apply to it, the deduction may be pretax or post-tax. Pretax is more advantageous to workers because it lowers the individual’s taxable income. One additional advantage to offering employees benefits is that businesses then become eligible for certain tax credits, reducing the overall amount of taxes owed.
Wage garnishments: Outside factors can also play a part in take-home pay. For instance, you may need to deduct garnishments from employee wages if they receive a court order to do so. This can occur if an employee defaults on a loan, has unpaid taxes or is required to pay child support or alimony.
Federal income tax withholding: Employers withhold federal income tax from workers’ pay based on current tax rates, Form W-4, and Employee Withholding Certificates. When finishing this form, workers should add their filing status and note if they are claiming any dependents, are employed at multiple places or have a spouse who also works (for married filing jointly purposes), or need any other necessary adjustments.
FICA withholding: FICA (Federal Insurance Contributions Act) is a two-part tax. Both employees and employers pay 1.45% for Medicare and 6.2% for Social Security. The latter has a wage base limit of $147,000, which means that after employees earn that much, the tax is no longer deducted from their earnings for the rest of the year. Those with high income may also be subject to Additional Medicare tax, which is 0.9%, paid for only by the employee, not the employer.
State and local tax withholding: State and local taxes vary depending on where you or your employees live. Make sure to keep in mind:

State and local income tax
State unemployment tax (SUTA)
Short-term disability
Paid family medical leave

Use Roll's annual income calculator to calculate an employee's yearly income after federal, state, and local taxes are deducted. You can also use the net pay calculator to get an accurate hourly, weekly or monthly pay estimate.

Frequently asked questions

How do you calculate annual income?: A simple method is to multiply the total income (before tax deductions) by the number of pay periods in a year to find the annual salary. For example, if a worker earns $2,500 bi-weekly, their pre-tax annual income would be 1,500 x 26 = $39,000. However, this doesn’t include taxes, deductions and other variables. Roll’s income calculator takes this headache out of the equation, accounting for the various factors that can affect someone’s pay.
Is a pay stub the same as a paycheck?: Close, but not quite. Although the two are generally packaged together, they are two separate things. A paycheck signals to a financial institution to transfer funds from employer to employee, while a pay stub has no inherent monetary value, and is used largely for record-keeping purposes.
What should a pay stub look like?: Pay stubs typically contain information like hours worked during a particular period, income accrued during that time, taxes withheld, the employee’s voluntary deductions, other benefits received, and more. [See above for a full list.] Additional information may be present on the stub depending on state or local requirements.
What should you do with your paycheck stub?: Pay stubs are most often used to verify payment accuracy, so they might be needed to settle wage or hour disputes. It’s always a good idea for employees to hang on to their pay stubs, though they are by no means required to do so.
What should you do if you don't receive your paycheck or your paycheck is late?: First, check with your employer’s HR department to see if the cause was a simple honest mistake. From there, depending on the reason for the missed or late paycheck, you can chart out your next course of action.
What should you do if you don't receive your paycheck or your paycheck is late?: Order check stock from an office supply store or the bank that has the business payroll account and print the checks yourself each pay period.

Work with a payroll provider to automate tasks for you. Some offer packages that include check signing and stuffing done on the employer’s behalf.

Ready for Roll to do the calculating for you?

Our take-home pay calculator is designed to make your job easier so you can focus on more important things — like running your business. Ready to get started? Here’s how it works.