About PaycheckPlain

PaycheckPlain is an independent site that shows how a paycheck is worked out, in plain words, with every figure tied to an official source.

Review

Every figure comes from IRS, Social Security and state publications listed on our methodology page. Before each update, an automated test suite rebuilds our tax tables from the law and re-runs worked examples calculated from the IRS worksheet, and the results are cross-checked against the official publications with AI-assisted review.

To be plain about it: no certified tax professional (CPA or enrolled agent) has reviewed these calculators. They follow the IRS's published method exactly, but they are estimates — check important decisions with your employer's payroll team or a tax professional.

Found a mistake?

If a result doesn't match your pay stub by more than a few cents, write to hello@paycheckplain.com with your inputs (no names or account numbers, please). We fix confirmed errors and date the change.

Not advice

Results are estimates for information. See our disclaimer.