Last updated: July 2026
NetToGross.com solves a specific problem that most payroll calculators ignore: working backwards from the take-home pay an employee expects to the gross wage an employer has to put on the paycheck. Almost every other free calculator runs in the opposite direction.
The problem shows up constantly in small businesses — restaurants, salons, contractors, family-run shops — where an offer is negotiated in take-home terms. Solving it by hand requires iteration, because the tax owed depends on the gross you are trying to find. This tool does that iteration.
The site is built and maintained by a payroll and tax professional working in public accounting in Ohio, with day-to-day responsibility for client payroll, filings and compliance. The Ohio focus of the main calculator is deliberate: Ohio's layered municipal and school district income taxes are handled poorly by national tools, and getting them right requires knowing how the state actually works.
Federal income tax brackets, standard deduction amounts and FICA wage bases follow published IRS figures for tax year 2026. Ohio state income tax follows the Ohio Department of Taxation's schedule. FUTA is estimated at the standard 0.6% net rate on the first $7,000 of wages. Ohio SUTA defaults to the 2.85% new-employer rate on the first $9,000.
Municipal rates are deliberately not hard-coded. Ohio has hundreds of taxing municipalities and rates change; rather than ship a table that silently goes stale, the calculator links directly to The Finder, Ohio's official rate lookup, and asks you to enter the rate you find. The state-by-state salary tables are generated from the same underlying tax engine.
The calculator assumes the first payroll of the calendar year, standard deduction only, W-2 wages, and no pre-tax benefits. It does not handle 401(k) contributions, Section 125 health premiums, garnishments, multi-state withholding, or reciprocity agreements. It is an estimating tool for planning conversations, not a substitute for payroll software or a licensed professional's review.
The calculator is free and will stay free. Costs are covered by display advertising and by affiliate commissions from payroll software providers. Neither affects the numbers the calculator produces.
If you find a figure that looks wrong, please say so — specific reports are genuinely useful and get fixed. Contact us.