How to Calculate Hours Worked and What They Actually Pay
October 12, 2026
Paycheck and Payroll Tax Blog
Plain-English articles on how US payroll withholding works, written so you can check them against your own pay stub.
A calculator gives you a number. These articles explain where that number came from, which is what you need when the figure on your pay stub does not match what you expected. Each one is written from IRS Publication 15-T and from the withholding guides each state publishes, and each links to the calculator it relates to.
If you are starting from the beginning, read how paycheck withholding works, then how to read your pay stub. Between them they answer the two questions behind almost every payroll problem: what should have come out of your pay, and what actually did.
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Check your gross pay, pre-tax deductions, FICA, federal and state tax. See the real numbers, step by step.
By State
States With No Income Tax
Nine states take nothing from wages. What they charge instead, what is still withheld, and whether moving is actually worth it.
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What Changed for Your Paycheck in 2026
The federal figures that moved for 2026, what they do to a paycheck, and which states changed their rates.
These figures are estimates for informational purposes and are not tax advice. Actual withholding depends on your employer’s payroll system, your year-to-date wages and your specific W-4. Federal rates come from IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32 and the SSA 2026 announcement; state rates come from each state’s own withholding guide, with the source and verification date published on every state page. Read the methodology, or see who maintains this data.