Estimate what your last paycheck should be after you quit, retire or are laid off. This calculator adds unpaid wages, unused PTO payout, commissions and bonuses owed, applies the correct FICA and supplemental withholding, and accounts for an outstanding 401(k) loan offset — the four pieces that decide whether your final check is bigger or smaller than you expect.
Termination details — these change which deductions are legal on a final paycheck.
Employers may offset an outstanding 401(k) loan balance against the final paycheck once you separate. They may not deduct for tools, uniforms, or breakage in most states.
Situation: Salary of $72,000 ($34.62/hr), quitting mid-period with 2 weeks of accrued vacation unused. California treats accrued vacation as earned wages that must be paid out at separation.
Calculation: Unpaid wages $2,884.62 + PTO 76 hrs × $27.50 = $2,090.00. Gross $4,974.62. FICA $380.56, federal withholding (22% supplemental) $1,094.42.
Situation: You separate owing $6,000 on a 401(k) loan. The plan must offset the balance within the plan's correction window or the unpaid amount is treated as a taxable distribution plus a 10% early-withdrawal penalty if you are under 59½.
Calculation: Gross final pay $6,974.62 taken down by the $6,000 loan offset. Only $974.62 remains subject to FICA and withholding, which is why the net check is unexpectedly small.
Situation: You resign in Texas, which follows the employer's written policy. Your handbook states accrued vacation is forfeited on resignation, so the unused 76 hours pay nothing — but the wages you actually worked are still due by the next regular payday.
Calculation: PTO payout = $0. Gross = unpaid wages + any bonus owed. Only $2,884.62 gross, FICA $220.66, federal withholding $634.62.
Gross = unpaid regular wages + PTO payout + commission/bonus owed + severance
PTO payout = unused hours × hourly payout rate (state-dependent)
FICA = 6.2% Social Security (up to the wage base) + 1.45% Medicare (uncapped)
Federal withholding = 22% flat supplemental rate, or the aggregate method
State tax = varies; six states levy no wage income tax at all
A final paycheck is not one payment — it is up to four legally distinct buckets, and each has its own deadline and its own rules about what the employer may deduct. Confusing them is the single most common reason departing employees under-estimate what they are owed.
| Component | Legally required? | Typical deadline |
|---|---|---|
| Wages worked through last day | Yes — FLSA, all states | Next regular payday |
| Accrued vacation / PTO payout | Only in 8+ states or if policy promises it | CA: at separation; others vary |
| Earned commission / bonus | Yes if fully earned under the plan | Per plan document |
| Severance | No — only if contracted or policy | Per agreement |
| 401(k) loan offset | Employer is permitted, not required | Plan correction window |
The practical upshot: if you want to know what your last check should be, you must check your state's payout rule and your employee handbook. A handbook promise to pay out PTO is enforceable in most states even where no statute requires it.
Whether unused vacation turns into cash at separation is a state question, and the answer splits the country roughly in half. Use the state selector in the calculator above to switch the PTO payout on or off.
California, Colorado, Illinois, Massachusetts, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota and Rhode Island. In these states accrued vacation is treated as earned wages, so it must be paid on the same schedule as the final wages.
The majority of states, including Texas, Florida, New York and Ohio, defer to the employer's written policy. If the handbook is silent, forfeiture is usually legal.
Some handbooks contain a "use it or lose it" clause. That clause is void in the eight payout states above, but enforceable elsewhere.
Most payout statutes cover vacation only. Paid sick leave is generally not payable at separation unless the policy says so — this is the most commonly mis-assumed component.
Final pay is taxed like any other wage income, but the timing of the withholding can surprise people. If your last check bundles regular wages with a PTO payout and a bonus, the IRS treats the supplemental portion under one of two methods:
FICA is not optional and is not affected by the method you choose: 6.2% Social Security up to the $176,100 wage base for 2025 and 1.45% Medicare on every dollar, plus the 0.9% Additional Medicare surtax above $200,000 of wages. Your employer matches those amounts separately.
The final paycheck is the most heavily regulated paycheck you will ever receive, because it is the last chance an employer has to recover money from you. Federal and state law draw a bright line:
| Deduction | Usually allowed? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Outstanding 401(k) loan balance | Yes, at separation | Shortfall becomes a taxable distribution |
| Overpaid wages, with notice | Often | Some states require written consent |
| Cash shortages / breakage | Rarely | Illegal in most states, capped in others |
| Tools, uniforms, equipment | Rarely | Cannot push pay below minimum wage |
| Unreturned company laptop | Usually not | Employer must sue, not self-help |
| Wage garnishment | Yes, court-ordered | Federal cap: 25% of disposable earnings |
If the pay you receive looks short, request an itemised wage statement — required in most states — and compare each line to the buckets above. Unpaid final wages commonly carry waiting-time penalties that accrue per day, which can exceed the wages themselves.
⚠️ Important Disclaimer: This calculator produces an estimate of a final paycheck using the 2025 federal rules — the $176,100 Social Security wage base, 6.2% / 1.45% FICA rates and the 22% flat supplemental withholding rate. It does not know your state's withholding tables, your local taxes, your employer's specific PTO policy or any pre-tax deductions you carry. PTO payout, final-wage deadlines and permitted deductions vary substantially by state and by employer, and severance terms come from your agreement rather than any statute. Treat the result as a planning figure and confirm the exact amount with your payroll department or a qualified employment attorney. This is general information, not tax or legal advice.