About StatePaycheckCalc
Who Built This Site
My name is Robert Finley. I've spent twelve years working in payroll and compensation. I started as a payroll specialist processing weekly runs for a mid-sized manufacturing company, worked my way up to payroll manager overseeing multi-state payroll for 400+ employees, and spent my most recent four years as a compensation analyst at a regional healthcare organization — a sector where payroll complexity runs high, with shift differentials, overtime rules, and benefit deduction structures that vary significantly across employee classes.
In 2019, I earned the Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) credential from the American Payroll Association, which requires passing a comprehensive exam covering federal and state withholding law, FICA regulations, garnishments, fringe benefits, and payroll systems. It's the professional standard in the field.
I built StatePaycheckCalc because I was frustrated by what I found when I went looking for free paycheck estimator tools. Most of them fell into one of three failure modes: they used the wrong state tax brackets (either outdated tables or a flat-rate approximation instead of the actual progressive bracket structure), they didn't update their withholding tables when the IRS and state agencies published new rates each January, or they produced a net pay figure with no explanation of what any of the deductions were. A tool that gives you a number without helping you understand it isn't actually useful. This site is built to do better on all three counts.
What This Site Covers
StatePaycheckCalc provides paycheck estimation tools and payroll education resources for employees and employers across the United States:
Paycheck Calculators for All 50 States — Each state calculator applies the correct state income tax brackets (or notes when a state has no income tax), standard federal withholding, and FICA deductions. Federal Withholding Guide — A plain-English explanation of how federal income tax withholding is calculated from your W-4 elections, including the 2020+ W-4 form changes. Overtime Rules by State — Federal FLSA overtime rules plus state-specific overtime laws where states have enacted stricter standards. FICA Explainer — What Social Security and Medicare taxes are, how the rates apply, and where the annual wage base caps come from. Pre-Tax Deductions Guide — How 401(k) contributions, health insurance premiums, FSA elections, and other pre-tax deductions reduce your taxable income and affect your take-home pay. No-Income-Tax States Comparison — A side-by-side look at the nine states with no state income tax and what that means for residents. Salary to Hourly Converter — Convert annual salary to effective hourly rate accounting for standard work hours and paid time off.
Data Sources and Update Policy
The accuracy of a paycheck calculator lives or dies by the quality and timeliness of its underlying tax data. Here's exactly where the numbers on this site come from:
Federal income tax withholding is calculated using the percentage method tables from IRS Publication 15-T (Employer's Tax Guide), which the IRS publishes each December for the following tax year. State income tax brackets and withholding methods are sourced directly from each state's Department of Revenue or equivalent tax agency — the same publications that employers use to configure their payroll systems. Where states publish withholding tables separately from bracket schedules, I use the withholding tables. FICA rates and the Social Security wage base come from official Social Security Administration (SSA) announcements, published each October for the following year.
I update all 50 state calculators and the federal calculator each January, after the new withholding tables take effect. The update date is displayed on each calculator page. If you're using the site in November or December, be aware that the following year's tables may not yet be final — I note this on the relevant pages when applicable.
Important Disclaimer
The figures produced by StatePaycheckCalc are estimates. They are based on standard withholding assumptions and the data sources described above. Your actual paycheck will depend on factors that vary by individual and employer that this tool cannot account for:
Pre-tax deductions — 401(k) contributions, health insurance premiums, HSA/FSA elections, commuter benefits, and similar deductions reduce your federal and often state taxable income in ways that are specific to your benefit elections. Local income taxes — Some cities and counties levy their own income taxes (New York City, Philadelphia, and Portland, OR are prominent examples). These are not included in the state-level calculations. Wage garnishments — Court-ordered garnishments for child support, student loans, or creditor judgments reduce net pay and are not reflected here. Employer-specific configurations — Supplemental wage rates, tipped employee calculations, and non-standard pay frequencies can affect withholding in ways the standard calculator doesn't model.
This site provides financial education, not tax advice. For questions about your specific tax situation, consult a qualified tax professional or your employer's payroll department.
Get in Touch
If you've found a calculation that looks wrong — a state bracket that seems outdated, a FICA figure that doesn't match what you expected, or a scenario the calculator doesn't handle correctly — please let me know. Payroll tax law changes every year across 50 states, and while I make every effort to keep the data current, errors happen. User reports are one of the most reliable ways I find them.
I'm also happy to answer general questions about how withholding works, explain a deduction you're not sure about, or take suggestions for new tools or guides. Use the contact form to reach me directly.
Contact Robert →