YTD income calculator
Type the year-to-date gross from your latest pay stub and its date; get the annual income it projects to, and what that means per paycheck.
Check the dates: the pay date must fall after the start date and within one year.
Reading the YTD column on a pay stub
Most stubs have two money columns: Current (this pay period) and YTD (everything since the payroll year began). Use the YTD figure on the gross pay or total earnings line, not “net pay” and not “federal taxable wages”, which is lower by your 401(k) and health deductions. Not sure what a line means? The pay stub decoder explains the codes.
Checking whether you are withholding enough for the year? Put the YTD federal income tax from the same stub into the W-4 withholding calculator.
Questions people ask
What does YTD mean on a pay stub?
Year to date: the running total from January 1 (or your employer’s payroll year start) through the current pay date. Pay stubs show YTD gross pay and YTD amounts for each tax and deduction, so YTD gross on your last stub of December equals Box 1-style wages before pre-tax adjustments.
How do I calculate YTD income?
Add up the gross pay of every paycheck received this year, or read the YTD gross figure on your most recent pay stub. YTD = previous YTD + this period’s gross pay.
How do I annualize year-to-date income?
Divide YTD gross by the number of days from January 1 to your last pay date, then multiply by 365. Example: $42,000 earned through June 30 (181 days) annualizes to $42,000 ÷ 181 × 365 = $84,696. Lenders and landlords use the same method to check a stated salary.
Why does my annualized figure look too high or too low?
A bonus, overtime spike, unpaid leave or a raise mid-year distorts a simple projection. Use the start date box to begin the count at a new job or at your raise date, and leave one-off bonuses out of the YTD figure.