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Free calculator · 2026 payroll tax rates

What does this employee really cost?

Pay is only the start. Add employer payroll taxes, unemployment, workers' comp, and benefits, and see the cost per hour someone is actually working.

Guidance, not legal advice. Uses 2026 federal rates: Social Security 6.2% up to $184,500, Medicare 1.45%, and FUTA 0.6% on the first $7,000. Your state unemployment and workers' comp rates come from your own notices. Everything runs in your browser. Nothing you enter is uploaded, and your answers are saved only on this device so you can come back to them.

Workers' comp rates vary widely by job class. Office roles are often well under $1 per $100. Construction and trades can run much higher. Check your policy.

Your total appears here.

Sources: SSA contribution and benefit base · IRS Topic 751 · IRS Form 940 · Florida reemployment tax