Why your bonus check looks so small — and whether that 22% withholding means a refund or a surprise bill come April.
Your regular pay sets the tax bracket the bonus stacks on top of — that’s your real rate, not the flat 22% withheld.
A flat rate applied to the bonus. Set to 0 for no-income-tax states (TX, FL, WA…).
Used only for the Social Security cap. Leave at 0 to see the bonus on its own.
| Federal (22% supplemental) | |
| Social Security (6.2%) | |
| Medicare (1.45%) | |
| State & local | |
| Total withheld |
This bonus tax calculator separates two numbers most people confuse: the flat 22% the IRS supplemental-wage method withholds from your bonus check, and the tax the bonus actually adds to your return at your real marginal rate. The gap is what shows up as a bigger refund or a balance due come April.
Employers withhold a flat 22% from bonuses under the IRS supplemental-wage method (37% on amounts over $1 million), plus Social Security, Medicare, and state tax. But your bonus is really taxed at your marginal rate once stacked on your salary. The calculator computes both — what's withheld now versus what the bonus actually adds to your tax bill — and the gap that becomes a refund or a balance due.
It isn't taxed at 22% — it's withheld at 22%. The IRS lets employers withhold a flat 22% on supplemental wages like bonuses (37% on amounts over $1 million). Your actual tax depends on your total income and marginal bracket, and the difference is reconciled on your return.
Possibly. If your real marginal rate is below 22%, the extra withheld comes back as a larger refund. If your rate is above 22%, you were under-withheld and will owe the difference at tax time.
After the 22% federal withholding plus Social Security, Medicare, and any state tax, most people see a little over two-thirds of a bonus on the check. The calculator shows the exact take-home for your numbers.
No — it's withheld at a flat 22%, but taxed at your normal marginal rate like any income. If your rate is below 22% you'll get the difference back; if it's above, you'll owe more at filing.
Withholding choices don't change what you ultimately owe, only the timing. To reduce the actual tax, contributing the bonus to a pre-tax 401(k) or HSA lowers your taxable income for the year.
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