Form W-4 was revised in 2020 and the new form has a five-step process and a new Publication 15-T (Federal Income Tax Withholding Methods) for determining employee withholdings. It no longer uses withholding allowances.
For employees hired in 2019 or prior, you can continue to use the information they provided on the old form W-4. It includes a worksheet that allows your employees to calculate withholding allowances for dependents and children. Some employees may want to fill out a new W-4 if they work a second job, get married, have a child, or get divorced, but you cannot require existing employees to complete a new one.
Employees can also elect to have additional tax withheld or request to be exempt from federal income tax withholding. The new form W-4 provides detailed instructions on how to do this.
Make sure the employee signs the W-4, but don’t send it to the IRS unless requested. Retain it in your employee’s personnel file for a minimum of 4 years after the date of the employee’s latest tax return.
State W-4 (as applicable)
Some states have their own withholding forms. For states that don’t, the Form W-4 will often be used as the basis for calculating state and/or local income tax withholding. A complete list of applicable state tax forms can be found at the Federation of Tax Administrators website.
Direct Deposit Authorization Form
As an employer, you can pay your employees several different ways: paper check, direct deposit, prepaid debit card, or cash. Direct deposit is often the easiest and most secure way to deliver paychecks, which is why it is by far the most popular. In fact, more than 90% of US workers are now being paid by direct deposit.
An employee who chooses to be paid by direct deposit must fill out a direct deposit authorization form, complete with bank routing numbers and account numbers. The form acts as a permission slip for you to deposit the employee’s net pay electronically into their bank account.
As part of the verification process, many employers will ask for a voided blank check to confirm the accuracy of the bank account information provided by the employee. If the employee’s bank information changes, they can fill out a new direct deposit form and give the employer a new voided check with the new bank information. Learn more about setting direct deposit for your employees.
Form I-9: Employment Eligibility Verification
New employees need to fill out a Form I-9 to certify that they are legally permitted to work in the United States (i.e. as a citizen, permanent resident, work visa holder, etc.). They can prove their work status by either providing you their US passport or both their driver’s license and Social Security card.
You are required by law to obtain a signed Form I-9 from your employee before employment commences. You’ll need to complete Section 2 of the form within three business days of the employee’s first day of employment. You should retain the completed form and any supporting documents in your employee’s personnel file.
Best practice
You might also want to have new employees acknowledge their receipt of the company handbook, code of conduct, and any other formal policies at this time. While the acknowledgment isn’t necessary for payroll calculations, it’s a best practice to have your new employees complete all required company forms at the same time. HR software can make it easy to manage all these tasks.
How to calculate payroll taxes: Key figures to think about
In a nutshell, payroll taxes are simply calculated by taking an employee’s gross pay and multiplying it by each tax rate (i.e. Social Security, Medicare, FUTA, and SUTA). We’ll go into the details below, as well as a step-by-step process for how to calculate them, but here is the gist:
- Social Security tax formula: Employee Income × 6.2% = Social Security Tax
- Medicare tax formula: Employee Income × 1.45% = Medicare Tax
- FUTA tax formula: Employee Income × (FUTA Tax Rate – State Credit Reduction) = FUTA Tax
- SUTA tax formula: Employee Income × State SUTA Tax Rate = SUTA Tax
Once you’ve calculated each of the taxes, all you have to do is pay the employer portion (50% of FICA and 100% of FUTA and SUTA), and withhold the employee portion from the employee’s paychecks (50% of FICA) and pay it, and you’re done! Read on below to learn more and see the full calculations broken down. And don’t worry, it’s easier than it might seem.
What is the formula for calculating payroll?
There are a few different ways to calculate payroll depending on the employee, how they’re paid, if they receive benefits, if they pay expenses on behalf of the employer, and whether they’re reimbursed for those expenses. But a simple payroll tax formula that’s easy to follow looks like this: Gross Pay – Gross Deductions = Net Pay. Let’s dive a little deeper on this formula below:
What is gross pay? Gross pay includes the following payments to employees:
- Base salary or hourly wages
- Performance bonuses
- Cost of living stipends for housing, food, travel, etc.
- Gifts given to the employee by the employer
- Allowances for non-work-related expenses
What are gross deductions? Gross deductions include the following deductions from the employee’s pay:
- Payroll taxes: FICA, FUTA and SUTA
- Insurance: employee’s state insurance and health insurance
- Income tax withholdings
- Adjustments related to paid or unpaid leave
- One-time deductions for expenses, loans, etc.
Now that you know what is included in gross pay and gross deductions, you can easily calculate your employee’s net pay. Simply add up all the relevant gross pay items and then subtract all the relevant gross deduction items.
In the next section, we’ll dive a little deeper into payroll tax by breaking down the five steps to calculating employee payroll taxes.
How to calculate payroll taxes in 5 steps
Once your employees are set up (and your business is set up, too), you’re ready to figure out the wages the employee has earned and the amount of taxes that need to be withheld. And, if necessary, making deductions for things like health insurance, retirement benefits, or garnishments, as well as adding back expense reimbursements.
In technical terms, this is called going from gross pay to net pay.
If you’re trying to figure out a specific step, feel free to skip to the one you’re looking for:
- Step 1: Calculate gross pay
- Step 2: Calculate employee tax withholdings
- 2019 or prior
- 2020 or later
- Step 4: Add on any expense reimbursements
- Step 5: Total it all up
Step 1: Calculating gross pay
Gross pay is the original amount an employee earns before any taxes are withheld.
For hourly employees, gross pay is the number of hours worked during the pay period multiplied by the hourly rate. For example, if your receptionist worked 40 hours a week at a rate of $20 an hour, his gross pay for the week would be 40 x $20, or $800.
Don’t forget to include any overtime pay, which is typically 1.5 times the normal pay rate when an hourly employee works more than 8 hours a day or 40 hours a week. In this example, your receptionist would earn $20 for each of the first 40 hours worked, plus $30 for the 41st and any additional hours during the week.
For salaried employees, who are exempt from the overtime rules, gross pay will generally remain unchanged each pay period. Simply divide their salary by the number of pay periods in a year. For example, if a manager earns an annual salary of $55,000 and receives a paycheck twice a month, gross pay each pay period is $2,291.67 ($55,000/12 months/2 monthly pay periods).
In addition to wages, gross pay includes any commissions, tips, and bonuses the employee earns.
Step 2: Calculate employee tax withholdings
Once you’ve calculated an employee’s gross pay, use the information on the employee’s W-4 to determine how much income taxes need to be withheld from their wages. In most states, you’ll need to withhold for both federal and state taxes and FICA taxes from each paycheck.
In our example, we will look at a Florida employee who claims a single marital status and two dependents on their W-4. The employee earns a $55,000 annual salary and is paid twice per month (semi-monthly). Her gross pay per period is $2,291.67.
Is payroll tax the same as withholding?
Payroll taxes and withholdings may sound similar, but they’re two different things. Payroll taxes are the taxes that are owed by the employee and/or employer, while withholdings are the amount of pay that an employer withholds from their employee’s paycheck to cover the employee portion of payroll taxes. The payroll taxes that are withheld from employees’ paychecks are FICA taxes, which include both Social Security taxes and Medicare taxes.
Federal Income Tax (FIT): 2019 or prior
Federal Income Tax (FIT) is calculated using the information from an employee’s completed W-4, their taxable wages, and their pay frequency. Based on Publication 15-T (2026), Federal Income Tax Withholding Methods, you can use either the Wage Bracket Method or the Percentage Method to calculate FIT.
We will use the Percentage Method in our example, looking at tables found in the 2026 IRS Publication 15-T PDF file. You can open the file to follow our calculations below.
Using Worksheet 1a on page 10, we will determine how much federal income tax to withhold per pay period.
Step 1. Adjust the employee’s wage amount
1a) This is the same as gross wages: $2,291.67.
1b) Our employee is paid semi-monthly or 24 times per year.
1c) This should equal your employee’s annual salary: $2,291.67 x 24 =$55,000
Because we are using the 2019 W-4 form, we now skip to step 1j:
1j) Our employee has claimed 2 allowances
1k) $4,300 x 2 = $8,600
1l) $55,000 – $8,600 = $46,400
To continue, you will need to refer to the tax tables on page 11.
Step 2: Figure the tentative withholding amount
2a) This amount is from line 1l, $46,400
2b) We are referring to the table labeled “Single or Married Filing Separately” on the left (the form is from 2019 or earlier). Our employee’s adjusted annual wage amount ($46,400) is greater than $19,900 and less than $57,900. So, we would enter an amount of $19,900 (the amount from column A).
2c) The amount in column C is $1,240.
2d) The percentage from column D is 12%.
2e) $46,400 – $19,900 = $26,500
2f) $26,500 x 12% = $3,180
2g) $1,240 + $3,180 = $4,420
2h) $4,420 / 24 = $184.17
Step 3: Account for tax credits
3a) $0
3b) $0
3c) $184.17 – $0 = $184.17
Step 4: Figure the final amount to withhold
4a) $0 (there are no additional withholdings in this case)
4b) $184.17 + $0 = $184.17
There you have it. You will withhold $184.17 of federal income tax for this employee using the W-4 from 2019 and earlier.
Federal Income Tax (FIT): 2026 method
Federal Income Tax (FIT) is calculated using information from the employee’s completed Form W-4, their taxable wages, and their pay frequency. The IRS publishes updated withholding tables each year in Publication 15-T.
For this example, we’ll use the 2026 IRS Publication 15-T Percentage Method tables.
Assumptions:
- Filing status: Single
- Annual salary: $55,000
- Paid semi-monthly (24 pay periods per year)
- No dependents
- No additional withholding
- Step 2 box on Form W-4 not checked
Using Worksheet 1a on page 10, we will determine how much federal income tax to withhold per pay period.
Step 1. Adjust the employee’s wage amount (Worksheet 1A)
1a) Enter the employee’s total taxable wages this payroll period: $2,291.67
1b) Enter the number of pay periods per year: 24
1c) $2,291.67 × 24 = $55,000
Because this is a 2020 or later Form W-4, complete lines 1d–1i:
1d) Enter the amount from Step 4(a) of Form W-4 (other income): $0
1e) $55,000 + $0 = $55,000
1f) Enter the amount from Step 4(b) of Form W-4 (deductions): $0
1g) Step 2 box not checked. Single filer worksheet amount: $8,600
1h) $0 + $8,600 = $8,600
1i) $55,000 − $8,600 = $46,400
The adjusted annual wage amount is $46,400.
To continue, you will need to refer to the tax tables on page 11.
Step 2: Figure the tentative withholding amount
2a) Enter adjusted amount from line 1i, $46,400
2b) Using the “Single or Married Filing Separately” table (the 2020 W-4 and the box in step 2 is not checked), our employee’s adjusted annual wage amount ($46,400) is greater than $19,900 but and less than $57,900.
Enter $19,900 (the amount from column A).
2c) The amount in column C is $1,240
2d) The percentage from column D is 12%.
2e) $46,400 – $19,900 = $26,500
2f) $26,500 x 12% =$3,180
2g) $1,240 + $3,180 = $4,420
2h) $4,420 / 24 = $184.17
The tentative withholding amount per pay period is $184.17
Step 3: Account for tax credits
3a) Our employee is claiming two dependents, each worth $2,000. $2,000 x 2 = $4,000
3b) Divide the total credit by the number of pay periods: $4,000 / 24 = $166.67
3c) $184.17 – $166.67 = $17.50
Step 4: Figure the final amount to withhold
4a) $0 (there are no additional withholdings in this case)
4b) $17.50 + $0 = $17.50
There you have it. You will withhold $17.50 of federal income tax for this employee based on the new Form W-4.
This is a significant difference from the 2019 W-4 withholding amount of $184.17 but is designed to help your employees have a more accurate amount of tax withheld from each paycheck. The difference is largely due to how the new Form W-4 directly accounts for dependent tax credits in the withholding calculation, rather than using withholding allowances.
FICA Taxes
The Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) taxes are Social Security and Medicare, which must be withheld from all employees unless otherwise exempt.
- Social Security is a flat 6.2% withholding tax for wages up to $184,500 for the 2026 tax year. Any annual wages above $184,500 are exempt, which means that the cumulative annual Social Security withholding cannot exceed $11,439 ($184,500 x 6.2%). For our example employee, we’d take their gross wage of $2,291.67, multiply it by 6.2%, and withhold $142.08 from their paycheck.
- Medicare is also a flat tax, at a rate of 1.45%. There is no annual limit for Medicare taxes, but employees who earn more than $200,000 a year are subject to what’s called the Additional Medicare Tax of 0.9%. We multiply our employee’s gross wage of $2,291.67 by 1.45% and arrive at $33.22 for Medicare tax.
Our employee’s FICA tax per pay period is thus $142.08 + $32.23 = $175.31.
Keep in mind that the other half of FICA taxes must be paid by employers (in this case, you!). That means that you’re responsible for paying $175.31 in Social Security and Medicare taxes every time you withhold $175.31 from your employee’s paycheck.
State and local taxes
Some states (like Florida) have no state income taxes, so you may be off the hook. But if you’re required to pay state taxes (see state-by-state tax info here), you’ll want to make sure your calculations are done right.
Different states apply payroll taxes in different ways, but once you know how to calculate the FIT and FICA taxes, calculating state taxes is a similar exercise.
Also, be sure to check whether your state imposes local taxes that are paid on top of federal and state taxes.
Step 3: Take care of deductions
In addition to withholding for payroll taxes, calculating your employees’ paycheck also means taking out any applicable deductions.
There are voluntary pre and post-tax deductions like health insurance premiums, 401(k) plans, or health savings account contributions. Some employees also have involuntary deductions that may need to be considered for items like child support or wage garnishments (you’ll know if you need to withhold these things because you’ll receive an order from a judge, the IRS, or the state).
Be careful here, because pre-tax deductions like 401(k) are taken out of gross income in Step 1, which means that the tax withholding calculation in Step 2 will be lower. Post-tax deductions are taken out after Step 2. Pre-tax deductions will save the employee more taxes.
Step 4: Add on any expense reimbursements
If your employee paid for any company expenses out of their own pocket, they expect to be reimbursed. Employers can either pay reimbursements separately from payroll or combine it with payroll.
Remember that expense reimbursements are not part of gross wages, and thus not subject to tax withholding. Any expenses you reimburse to employees should be made in full and added on to net pay at the end of your calculation.
Step 5: Total it all up
Once you’ve done all the math to figure out gross pay, tax withholdings, deductions, and reimbursements, you’ll have what you need to calculate the paycheck:
- Start with gross pay
- Subtract employee tax withholdings (federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare, and any state taxes)
- Subtract pre-tax and post-tax deductions
- Add on any expense reimbursements
- And you get net pay!
Now you know exactly how much money you will send your employee on payday!
Let’s review our example using the 2019 W-4 or prior:
- Our employee earns $55,000 a year, or $2,291.67 of gross pay per semi-monthly pay period.
- Our employee’s federal income tax withholding is $184.17 using the old W-4.
- Social Security tax is $142.08, and Medicare tax is $33.23. The total combined FICA tax is $175.31.
- Since our employee lives in Florida, there is no state income tax withholding.
- There were no deductions or expense reimbursements.
Net pay:
- $2,291.67 − $359.48 = $1,932.19
Let’s review our example using the 2020 W-4 or after:
- Our employee earns $55,000 per year, or $2,291.67 in gross pay per semi-monthly pay period.
- Federal income tax withholding (FIT): $184.17
- Social Security tax: $142.08
- Medicare tax: $33.23
- Total FICA tax: $175.31
- Total federal taxes withheld: $184.17 + $175.31 = $359.48
- Because our employee lives in Florida, there is no state income tax withholding.
- There were no additional deductions or expense reimbursements.
Net pay:
- $2,291.67 − $359.48 = $1,932.19
From time to time, you may need to add items such as bonuses or reimbursements, or subtract items like wage garnishments or benefit deductions. When those adjustments are factored in, the overall payroll calculation process remains the same
