Gross Up Calculator
Find the gross pay that leaves an exact take-home amount, for bonuses and regular paychecks, with every tax shown and the common mistake explained.
Built by Toolsque Team · last updated October 15, 2026 · checked against our testing process
Find your federal rate from a pay stub
How to gross up a payment
- Enter the take-home amount the employee should receive.
- Pick the kind of pay. Bonus sets the flat 22% federal rate; Regular paycheck lets you take the rate from a pay stub.
- Add state and local rates if they apply.
- Check the payroll taxes: untick Social Security if the employee has passed this year's limit, and tick Additional Medicare for wages over $200,000.
- Read the gross amount and the breakdown, which shows each tax and confirms the take-home.
What grossing up a payment means
Grossing up means working backwards from the amount someone should take home to the gross amount you have to pay, so that after taxes are withheld they receive exactly the figure you promised. Employers gross up bonuses, relocation payments, awards, gift cards given as prizes and settlement payments, all of which are taxable wages. If you promise a $1,000 bonus and pay $1,000, the employee sees about $700.
The same math answers the question from the employee's side: if I need $3,000 a month in hand, what gross pay does that take? That is a net to gross calculation, and this calculator does both.
The gross-up formula
Gross = net ÷ (1 − total tax rate)
For a $1,000 bonus with 22% federal withholding, 6.2% Social Security and 1.45% Medicare, the total rate is 29.65%, so the gross is $1,000 ÷ 0.7035 = $1,421.47. Withholding 29.65% of that leaves $1,000.
The common mistake is adding the rate on top: $1,000 plus 29.65% is $1,296.50, but tax is taken from the whole $1,296.50, which leaves $912.09. The tax is charged on the tax money too, which is why dividing is right and adding is $87.91 short. The calculator shows this check under every result.
| Take-home wanted | Bonus, no state tax (29.65%) | Bonus with 5% state tax (34.65%) |
|---|---|---|
| $500 | $710.74 | $765.12 |
| $1,000 | $1,421.47 | $1,530.23 |
| $2,500 | $3,553.67 | $3,825.56 |
| $5,000 | $7,107.33 | $7,651.11 |
Tax rates on bonuses and other supplemental pay
- Federal income tax: employers usually withhold a flat 22% on bonuses, commissions and other one-time pay. Once an employee's supplemental pay for the year passes $1 million, the part above it must be withheld at 37%. An employer can instead add the bonus to a regular paycheck and withhold on the total, which gives a different figure, so check which method your payroll uses.
- Social Security: 6.2%, until the employee's wages for the year reach the 2026 limit of $184,500. After that, none is withheld, so untick it for high earners late in the year.
- Medicare: 1.45% on all wages, plus an extra 0.9% withheld on wages above $200,000 in the year.
- State income tax: rules vary. Some states set their own flat rate for supplemental pay; California, for example, withholds 10.23% on bonuses. Nine states have no tax on wages: Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington and Wyoming.
- Local tax: a few cities and counties, such as New York City and many in Ohio and Pennsylvania, add their own.
Net to gross for a regular paycheck
Regular paychecks are not withheld at one flat rate. Federal withholding depends on the employee's W-4, filing status and pay frequency, so the honest way to gross up a normal paycheck is to use the rate actually being withheld. Open a recent pay stub, divide the federal tax withheld by the gross pay, and use that percentage. The pay stub option in the calculator does that division and fills in the rate for you: $240 withheld on $2,500 of gross pay is 9.6%.
401(k) and other pre-tax deductions
A traditional 401(k) contribution comes out before income tax but not before Social Security and Medicare. So if the employee contributes a percentage of every check, a gross-up has to cover the contribution as well as the taxes. Enter the percentage in the 401(k) box and the formula becomes gross = net ÷ (1 − 401(k) − (1 − 401(k)) × income tax rate − payroll tax rate). Health insurance and other pre-tax benefits usually come out before payroll taxes too, so for those, ask your payroll provider which taxes they skip.
Withholding is not the final tax bill
Everything here is withholding: money held back and sent to the IRS and the state as a prepayment. The employee's real tax on the bonus is settled on their annual return, where it is added to the rest of their income. Someone in the 12% bracket may get part of a 22% withholding back, and someone in the 35% bracket may owe more. A gross-up guarantees the cash in hand on payday, not the final tax outcome. This calculator gives estimates for planning; payroll should confirm the exact figures before a payment goes out.
For related pay math, see the day rate to hourly calculator, the overtime pay calculator and, for contractors paid without withholding, the 1099 tax calculator.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I gross up a bonus?
Divide the net amount by 1 minus the total withholding rate. With 22% federal, 6.2% Social Security and 1.45% Medicare, a $1,000 net bonus needs a gross of $1,421.47.
How do I calculate gross pay from net pay?
Add up the tax rates withheld from the pay, subtract the total from 1, and divide the net pay by the result. For a regular paycheck, take the federal rate from a recent pay stub.
Why can I not just add the tax percentage to the net amount?
Because tax is also taken from the extra money you add. Adding 29.65% to $1,000 gives $1,296.50, which leaves only $912.09 after the same 29.65% is withheld.
What is the federal tax rate on bonuses?
Employers usually withhold a flat 22% on supplemental pay such as bonuses, and 37% on the part of a year's supplemental pay above $1 million.
Does a gross-up include Social Security and Medicare?
Yes. Both are withheld from bonuses: 6.2% Social Security up to the yearly wage limit, and 1.45% Medicare, plus 0.9% on wages over $200,000.
Is the gross-up the employee's actual tax?
No. It covers what is withheld on payday. The employee's final tax on the bonus is worked out on their annual return and may be higher or lower.