Best Free Paycheck Calculator (2026)
The free paycheck calculator market has four serious players: NetPayGuide, PaycheckCity, SmartAsset, and ADP. They all do the same basic math — federal brackets, FICA, state withholding — and they all hit the same numbers within rounding when the inputs are identical. Where they differ is everything around the math: state coverage, pre-tax handling, privacy, and how aggressively they try to monetize you afterward.
This is an honest comparison from one of the four (us). We've tried to be fair where competitors are stronger — PaycheckCity has more state coverage than we do today, and SmartAsset has higher domain authority. Decide for yourself.
| Feature | NetPayGuide | PaycheckCity ↗ | SmartAsset ↗ | ADP ↗ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Federal income tax | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| State income tax coverage | Few (growing) | All 50 | All 50 | All 50 |
| FICA (Social Security + Medicare) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Pre-tax deductions (401k, HSA, FSA) | Yes | Yes | Limited | Yes |
| Overtime calculator | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| Bonus / supplemental wages | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| Dedicated per-state landing pages | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Privacy (account requirement) | No account | No account | No account | No account |
| Displays ads | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Affiliate / lead-gen links in result | No | Yes | Yes | No |
| API or embeddable widget | No | Yes | No | No |
| Pricing | Free | Free, with paid Premium API | Free (advisor matching lead-gen) | Free (ADP product upsell) |
Which one should you use?
Use NetPayGuide if…
You want a fast, ad-supported answer with no account, no lead-gen forms, and a transparent methodology page showing exactly which IRS publication and state tax table each number comes from. Best for CA, TX, FL, NY, and IL today; more states shipping.
Use PaycheckCity if…
You need all 50 states today, you want an API or embed for your own site, or you're comparing the same scenario across many states at once. PaycheckCity has been doing this since 1999 and the state coverage is genuinely complete.
Use SmartAsset if…
You also want neighborhood-level cost-of-living context or you're shopping for a financial advisor (their main business). The calculator is solid; the page is dense with cross-sell modules.
Use ADP if…
You want a brand name behind the number for a screenshot in a board deck or salary negotiation. ADP runs payroll for ~17% of US employees, so the figure carries weight even though the calculator itself isn't more accurate than the other three.
A note on accuracy
All four calculators implement the same statutory rates from the same primary sources (IRS Pub 15-T, SSA wage base, state revenue departments). If you plug identical inputs into all four and the answers disagree by more than $5–$10 per pay period, something is wrong — usually either a stale rate that hasn't been updated for the new tax year, or a difference in how pre-tax deductions are treated for state purposes.
NetPayGuide's update cadence and source list lives on the methodology page. The other three publish similar disclosures buried in their footers.
Last reviewed: 2026-05-17. Feature notes verified against each product's live website; pricing accurate as of the publication date. We'll re-verify quarterly — if you spot a stale entry, email [email protected].