{
  "slug": "paycheck",
  "title": "Paycheck Calculator",
  "heading": "Paycheck Calculator",
  "category": "financial",
  "url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/paycheck",
  "summary": "Hourly pay to net paycheck, overtime included.",
  "description": "For hourly workers: regular hours, overtime at time and a half, and the withholding that comes off the top. Overtime is taxed at the same rate as everything else — it only looks worse because it can nudge you into a higher bracket.",
  "formula": "Gross = (Regular hours × Rate) + (Overtime hours × Rate × 1.5), less taxes and deductions.",
  "dateModified": "2026-09-30",
  "run_url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/api/public/calc?tool=paycheck",
  "inputs": [
    {
      "id": "rate",
      "label": "Hourly rate",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 28,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "hours",
      "label": "Regular hours per week",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 40,
      "unit": null,
      "min": 0,
      "max": 80
    },
    {
      "id": "otHours",
      "label": "Overtime hours per week",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 5,
      "unit": null,
      "min": 0,
      "max": 60
    },
    {
      "id": "status",
      "label": "Filing status",
      "kind": "select",
      "hint": null,
      "default": "single",
      "options": [
        {
          "value": "single",
          "label": "Single"
        },
        {
          "value": "married",
          "label": "Married filing jointly"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "stateRate",
      "label": "State income tax rate",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 5,
      "unit": "%",
      "min": 0,
      "max": 15
    }
  ],
  "outputs": [
    {
      "id": "weeklyNet",
      "label": "Weekly take-home",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": true
    },
    {
      "id": "grossWeekly",
      "label": "Weekly gross",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "annual",
      "label": "Annual gross",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "net",
      "label": "Annual take-home",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "otPay",
      "label": "Annual overtime pay",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    }
  ],
  "worked_example": {
    "inputs": [
      "Hourly rate: 28 $",
      "Regular hours per week: 40",
      "Overtime hours per week: 5",
      "Filing status: Single",
      "State income tax rate: 5 %"
    ],
    "outputs": [
      "Weekly take-home: $1,030.42",
      "Weekly gross: $1,330.00",
      "Annual gross: $69,160.00",
      "Annual take-home: $53,582.06",
      "Annual overtime pay: $10,920.00"
    ]
  },
  "how_to": {
    "title": "How to use this",
    "steps": [
      "Enter hourly rate ($).",
      "Enter regular hours per week.",
      "Enter overtime hours per week.",
      "Enter filing status.",
      "Enter state income tax rate (%).",
      "Read your weekly take-home on the right — it updates as you type.",
      "Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone."
    ]
  },
  "scenarios": [
    {
      "name": "Conservative",
      "description": "Lower-end numbers — what if things land soft?",
      "values": {
        "rate": 28,
        "hours": 24,
        "otHours": 3,
        "status": "single",
        "stateRate": 3
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Typical",
      "description": "Defaults — the most common real-world setup.",
      "values": {
        "rate": 28,
        "hours": 40,
        "otHours": 5,
        "status": "single",
        "stateRate": 5
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Ambitious",
      "description": "Higher-end numbers — what if things really pop?",
      "values": {
        "rate": 28,
        "hours": 64,
        "otHours": 8,
        "status": "single",
        "stateRate": 8
      }
    }
  ],
  "limitations": [
    "Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them.",
    "Rates are treated as fixed for the whole period — variable-rate products will drift from this projection.",
    "This is educational maths, not financial advice. Check anything contractual with the lender or your accountant."
  ],
  "faq": [
    {
      "q": "How does the paycheck calculator work?",
      "a": "For hourly workers: regular hours, overtime at time and a half, and the withholding that comes off the top. Overtime is taxed at the same rate as everything else — it only looks worse because it can nudge you into a higher bracket. The underlying maths is: Gross = (Regular hours × Rate) + (Overtime hours × Rate × 1.5), less taxes and deductions."
    },
    {
      "q": "What do I need to enter?",
      "a": "5 values: hourly rate, regular hours per week, overtime hours per week, filing status, and state income tax rate. Each field starts with a sensible default, so you can change one number at a time and watch the result move."
    },
    {
      "q": "What does the weekly take-home result mean?",
      "a": "It is returned as a money amount in US dollars and updates live as you edit the inputs, so you can compare two or three versions of a scenario in a few seconds."
    },
    {
      "q": "Is this calculator free, and do I need an account?",
      "a": "Yes, it's free, and no account is required. Nothing you type is stored on our servers — the maths runs entirely in your browser."
    },
    {
      "q": "How accurate is the result?",
      "a": "It applies the standard formula exactly, so the arithmetic is precise. Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them."
    },
    {
      "q": "Who is this tool for?",
      "a": "It's built for anyone comparing money scenarios before committing — budgeting a payment, sanity-checking a quote, or seeing what a change in rate or term actually costs."
    }
  ],
  "related": [
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/take-home-pay",
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/overtime-pay",
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/hourly-to-salary"
  ],
  "license": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "citation": "RevenueLab — Paycheck Calculator (https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/paycheck)"
}