Freelance
Salary / Paycheck Calculator
Estimate gross-to-net salary outcomes with annual/hourly conversion, overtime effects, and side-by-side offer comparison.
Result
2026 federal income tax and employee FICA only; state and local taxes are not included.
Income waterfall
Gross pay, what comes out of it, and estimated net.
Paycheck view
Gross and net per paycheck period.
How to use it
- Choose annual or hourly mode, then enter salary or hourly rate, hours, weeks, overtime, filing status, pre-tax deductions, other income, and an optional comparison salary. These inputs shape taxable income and show how much of a pay change survives federal taxes and deductions.
- Read estimated annual take-home, net monthly pay, the effective tax rate, and the take-home delta against the comparison salary; in annual mode you also get the salary's hourly equivalent. The charts break gross pay into federal tax, employee FICA, pre-tax deductions, and net, and show gross and net per monthly and biweekly paycheck. Treat it as a 2026 federal-planning model: state and local taxes, credits, and itemized deductions are excluded.
- Base job or comp decisions on take-home delta instead of gross delta. A $10,000 gross increase often converts into only part of that after tax, and overtime-heavy earnings are less reliable than the same income in base pay.
- Use the output to compare offers, decide how much 401(k) or other pre-tax deductions you can afford, and identify the minimum gross salary required to hit a target monthly take-home. If the comparison delta is small, negotiate remote flexibility or benefits instead of only chasing headline pay.
- Re-run when withholding assumptions, deductions, overtime, or offer terms change, and again when federal brackets update. Compare the model to real paystubs a few times per year so your planning assumptions stay anchored to reality.
Questions people usually ask
Is this exact tax filing output?
No. It is a planning estimate that simplifies federal tax logic and excludes many individual variables.
Does it include state and local taxes?
No. This version focuses on simplified federal estimation to keep it deterministic and transparent.
Can I compare two salaries?
Yes. Enter an alternative annual salary to see take-home delta quickly.
How is overtime handled?
Overtime is modeled from overtime hours and multiplier and added to annual gross pay.
Is this tool free and private to use?
Yes. AI Biz Hub tools are free, no-signup browser tools. Inputs stay in your browser unless you choose to share a URL.
Is this professional advice?
No. Outputs are business planning estimates — not legal, tax, or accounting advice.
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Background on the Salary / Paycheck Calculator
- Formula Employee Cost Formula
Discover the 'Fully Loaded Employee Cost' formula to accurately budget for new hires. Understand salary, taxes, benefits, and overhead to make informed.
- Examples Salary Examples
Demystify freelance earnings with practical salary examples. Learn to set competitive rates, understand project-based income, and strategize.
- Examples Contractor Vs Employee Examples
Contractor vs Employee examples: practical scenarios showing the tax, benefit, and compliance cost differences between independent contractors and full employees.
- Examples Employee Cost Examples
Uncover the true expenses of hiring with our employee cost examples. Learn to factor in hidden costs, benefits, and turnover for smart business decisions.
- Statistics 15 Hiring Statistics
Hiring statistics on cost-per-hire, time-to-fill, benefit loads, and labor-market turnover, each taken from a named primary source: SHRM, the BLS JOLTS and ECEC programs, and the SBA.
Articles
- 11 min read Hiring Calculus: When a $90k FTE Beats a $120k
Hiring Calculus: When a $90k FTE Beats a $120k: the total cost of an employee vs a contractor isn't salary alone. Benefits, taxes, equipment, productivity.
- 7 min read How to Decide: Hire or Contract?
How to decide: Hire or Contract: IRS 20-factor test, loaded-cost comparison, and scope stability — a decision framework backed by federal tax guidance, not.
- 6 min read Total Cost to Company: True Cost of an Employee
Total cost to company runs 1.25-1.4x base in the US: a $100k hire really costs $125-140k. Build the fully loaded number from BLS Employer Costs data.
More in Freelance to founder
Set rates, protect margins, and plan the transition from client work to product.
- Freelance Rate + Capacity Planner
- Consulting Day Rate Calculator
- Project Pricing Calculator
- Freelance Tax Estimator
Use it from code
The same calculation as a JavaScript module you can import. It runs where you import it, with no request, key or rate limit.
import { compute } from "https://aibizhub.io/engines/salary-calculator.js"; Input and output contract, TypeScript types and the guide for agents.