Commission Paycheck Calculator
Calculate how much of a commission check you'll take home after federal, state and FICA taxes, whether it's paid on its own or with your regular pay.
Your commission take-home
$3,123
from $5,000 commissionFor a $5,000 commission · California · single
Estimate based on 2026 federal and California tax rules updated Oct 2026 How we calculate
Your details
Taxation method
Most common when paid on its own: a flat 22% federal rate is withheld.
More options Base salary
Your details
Commission Amount
Enter the commission on this check
Taxation Method
Choose how your commission is taxed
A commission paid on its own check usually has a flat 22% federal rate withheld.
More options Base salary (for graduated states and the marginal method)
Base Salary
Optional: needed only to estimate state withholding in states with graduated rates
Location
Where you work
Filing Status
Your tax filing status
Your commission take-home
$3,123
from $5,000 commission
For a $5,000 commission · California · single
Tax breakdown
You keep
62¢of every dollar
Your average dollar keeps 62¢.
Tax rates
Estimate based on 2026 federal and California tax rules updated Oct 2026 How we calculate
How your commission is taxed
Commissions are wages, so they are taxed like the rest of your pay. What changes is how much is withheld from the check.
- Federal supplemental rate: A commission paid separately from your regular pay usually has a flat 22% federal income tax withheld, or 37% on supplemental pay over $1 million in a year.
- Paid with your regular check: Your employer may instead add the commission to a regular paycheck and withhold on the total as if you earned that much every pay period, which often takes out more.
- State taxes: Each state sets its own rule. California withholds 6.6% on commissions, not the 10.23% it uses for bonuses, and Maryland's flat bonus rate does not cover commissions at all.
- FICA taxes: Social Security (6.2% up to the wage base) and Medicare (1.45% base, plus 0.9% for high earners) apply to commissions like any other wages.
Withholding is a prepayment, not your final tax. The tax you owe on a commission depends on your total income for the year, and any difference is settled when you file.
Frequently Asked Questions
Commissions are taxed as wages. When your employer pays a commission separately from your regular wages, it usually withholds a flat 22% federal income tax (37% on supplemental pay over $1 million in a year), plus Social Security, Medicare and any state income tax. When the commission is added to a regular paycheck, the whole check is withheld as if it were your normal pay.
If your commission was paid with your regular pay, payroll withholds on the combined check as if you earned that much every pay period, which puts it in a higher bracket for that one check. That is withholding, not your final tax: if too much comes out over the year, you get it back as a refund when you file.
Most states that publish a flat supplemental rate use the same rate for commissions as for bonuses, such as 11.7% in New York and 8% in Oregon. California is the exception: it withholds 6.6% on commissions but 10.23% on bonuses. States without a flat rate withhold commissions as part of your regular pay, and nine states have no wage income tax.
If commissions are your regular pay rather than an extra on top of a salary, they are withheld like any paycheck, using your W-4 and the regular withholding tables. The take-home pay calculator estimates that kind of paycheck.
Related Tools
- Bonus Tax Calculator: Estimate take-home pay from a bonus
- Take-Home Pay Calculator: Calculate a regular paycheck, including commission-only pay
- Severance Pay Tax Calculator: See what a severance check pays after taxes
Got a bonus instead?
Federal withholding is the same 22% for bonuses and commissions, but some states set a different bonus rate. California withholds 10.23% on a bonus.