Washington paycheck calculator for hourly and salary pay 2025

Calculating paycheck in Washington

Here’s a step-by-step guide to walk you through the paycheck calculator:

1. Fill in the employee’s details 

This includes just two items: their name and the state where they live. This will help the tool calculate some of the employee’s local taxes.

2. Add the employee’s pay information

You should see fields that say pay type, pay rate, hours worked, pay date, and pay period. Start with “pay type” and select hourly or salary from the dropdown menu. 

If the employee is hourly, input their hourly wage under “pay rate” and fill in the number of hours they worked that pay period. If the employee worked more than 40 hours and thus accrued overtime, record 40 here and save the rest for “additional pay.”

If the employee is salaried, both the “pay rate” and “hours worked” fields will disappear. Instead, you’ll need to know how much the employee makes each pay period. You’ll put that into the field labeled “amount.” 

Then, select the pay date and the employee’s pay frequency—for example, if you pay them weekly or every two weeks. 

3. Input any additional pay the employee receives

If the employee is salaried, you will only see two fields: bonus and commission. Fill in those amounts, if applicable.

If the employee is hourly, you should see four fields: overtime worked, bonus, commission, and salary. This is your opportunity to add any additional pay they should receive this pay period. If the employee earned overtime, input the number of overtime hours they worked. The tool calculates overtime pay using time and a half.

4. Fill in the employee’s federal tax information

This includes the employee’s filing status, number of allowances, and additional withholdings. This is information you should be able to glean from the employee’s W-4 form. If you don’t yet have the employee’s W-4, the payroll calculator can fill in tax rates to help you create a semi-accurate paycheck estimate.

5. Fill in the employee’s state tax information

Here, you’ll enter the same information on allowances, filing status, and additional withholdings. However, since Washington has no state income tax, this section will not affect net pay.

6. Calculate the employee’s paycheck

To see an estimate of the employee’s earnings for the pay period, select “calculate check.”

Washington state income tax rate

Washington is one of seven U.S. states that doesn’t tax individual income at all. There are also no local county or municipal income taxes in the state of Washington. Washington makes most of its money from high sales taxes and high excise taxes on gasoline.

However, even without state withholdings, businesses need to learn how to do payroll because other deductions influence workers’ net pay. 

Washington state tax withholdings

Although Washington does not have a state personal income tax, it does have several other state payroll taxes:

• Washington State Unemployment tax is paid by the employer on employees’ gross wages up to the taxable wage base of $68,500. Rates range between 0.27% and 6.03% in 2024.
• Employers and employees share the cost of Washington Family Leave Insurance (FLI). The FLI rate for 2024 is 0.74% on a taxable wage base of $168,600. Employers pay 28.57% of the total contribution, and employees pay the remaining 71.43%.
• The state of Washington also has a mandatory Long-term Care insurance program, paid for through withholdings from employee wages. The employee contribution rate is 0.58%. Employer contributions are not required.

For specific information on state unemployment insurance taxes in Washington and how and where to register your business, consult our payroll tax map.

Also, even though Washington has no state income tax, employers still have to consider all federal tax withholdings. Money taken out for federal taxes goes toward federal income taxes, Social Security, and Medicare. An employee’s tax bracket depends on their gross income, excluding pre-tax deductions.

Employers are also responsible for making FUTA (Federal Unemployment Tax Act) payments. This is a federal unemployment tax and is separate from Washington’s state unemployment tax. It’s based on the wages you pay to employees but is NOT deducted from employees’ wages. It must be paid by the business itself.

Opportunities for deductions on Washington paychecks

Aside from standard federal deductions, there are other common payroll deductions that you may need to apply if you offer benefits. Since employers subtract this income before taxes, these deductions can move employees to a lower tax bracket. 

Some common pre-tax deductions include: 

• Health insurance 
• Dental and vision benefits 
• Health savings account (HSA) 
• Wellness benefits
• Disability insurance 
• Life insurance 
• 401(k) contributions 
• Court-ordered garnishments, including child support, alimony, back taxes, and overdue loans 
• Commuter benefits

Note: Our paycheck calculator only accounts for federal and state deductions. Pre-tax deductions do not factor into our paycheck estimates. If you have questions about these deductions, talk to an accountant or payroll specialist. 

Frequently asked questions 

What are payroll taxes?

Payroll taxes are taxes levied on employers and employees to fund various state and federal programs, including Social Security, Medicare, unemployment benefits, education, defense, construction, and infrastructure maintenance such as roads, parks, and first responder services. Employers must deduct employee contributions from their paychecks and send tax funds to the proper authorities.

How do I calculate taxes from my paycheck in Washington? 

Even though Washington has no state income tax, follow the steps carefully in Calculating Paycheck in Washington to make sure your calculation reflects all the relevant factors. (Also, if you’re an employee with a new pay rate, you can use this tool as a take-home pay calculator to estimate how much money you’ll actually be depositing each pay period.)

How can QuickBooks make Washington payroll easier?

QuickBooks has multiple features to make Washington payroll easier:

• Automation reduces tedious manual entries and frees up your time.
• QuickBooks calculates, files, and pays your payroll taxes for you — 100% accurate tax calculations guaranteed.
• With tax penalty protection, you’re covered up to $25,000 if you receive a penalty for any reason.
• Your team can get paid fast with same-day direct deposit while you hold onto your cash longer.
• Time tracking can improve timesheet accuracy and streamline approvals.
• Seamless integration of processes can save you hours every week.
• With the Quickbooks Workforce app, your team can track their own hours and view their pay info and W-2s.

Flexible payroll plans for your business

QuickBooks offers flexible payroll plans tailored to your business needs. Whether you want to streamline payday, accurately track time, manage HR tasks, or provide benefits to your team, there's a payroll solution for your Washington state business. 

Existing QuickBooks users can easily add payroll functionalities and leverage the QuickBooks Workforce app for enhanced employee management. Plus, with seamless time tracking and invoicing features, QuickBooks empowers you to stay organized and efficient. Explore QuickBooks payroll today.