How to use the take home after deduction calculator
- Enter the pay the deduction is based on. Use the figure that your order, plan or payroll names, since different programs define the base differently.
- Choose how often you are paid so the yearly figures use the right number of paychecks.
- List each deduction with a name, a percent of the pay, a fixed dollar amount, or both.
- Read the headline for what is left per paycheck, then the table and the yearly totals.
Formula
each deduction = pay x percent / 100 + fixed amount, rounded to the cent
left = pay - total of the deductions
yearly figure = per-paycheck figure x paychecks per year
Paychecks per year are 52 for weekly, 26 for every two weeks, 24 for twice a month and 12 for monthly. Deductions are all taken from the same base amount you enter, not one after another.
$1,800 with a 15% deduction
15% of $1,800 is $270.00, so $1,800 - $270 leaves $1,530.00 per paycheck. Paid every two weeks, that is 26 paychecks: $7,020 deducted and $39,780 left over a year.
A deduction can also mix a percent and a fixed amount. On $2,500, 7.5% is $187.50 and adding a fixed $50 makes $237.50, leaving $2,262.50. Paid monthly, the deductions come to $2,850 over 12 paychecks.
This page does arithmetic, not the rules
Court orders, wage assignments, benefit plans and agency requirements each define the pay they apply to, and the definitions differ. Some use pay after tax, some a different measure, and some set caps. This page builds in none of that. It applies exactly the percents and amounts you type to exactly the base you type.
If a deduction comes from a legal order, ask the payroll administrator or the agency that issued it which figure to use. Then use this page to see the effect on your paycheck and your year, and to test what a change in the percent would do.
Planning with the yearly view
Seeing the yearly total can help you plan a budget around a smaller paycheck. For where the rest of the money goes, try the Paycheck to Annual Spending Tracker and the Paycheck Savings Split Calculator. For converting an hourly rate to yearly pay first, use the Hourly to Salary Calculator.
Assumptions and limits
- Every deduction is figured on the one base amount you enter, and the amounts are added together.
- Percents may have up to three decimals. A line needs a percent, a fixed amount, or both.
- If the deductions add up to more than the pay, the page refuses the entry and says so.
- No legal limits, tax rules or rates are built in. Results are rounded to the cent, half up.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate net pay after a percent deduction?
Multiply the pay by the percent and subtract the result. For $1,800 and 15%, the deduction is $270 and what is left is $1,530. The page does this for several deductions and shows the yearly effect too.
Which pay amount should the percent apply to?
The one the order or plan names. Programs differ, and some use pay after other deductions. This page cannot know which applies to you, so enter the base your payroll administrator confirms.
Does this calculator know the legal limit on a deduction?
No. It builds in no limits and no rates. It only applies the percent and fixed amount you enter, so use it to see the result of a figure you have been given, not to find out what is allowed.
How are yearly totals worked out?
The per-paycheck amount is multiplied by the number of paychecks in a year for your pay schedule: 52, 26, 24 or 12. A year with an extra paycheck, such as a 27th biweekly one, is not modeled.