The IRS lookback period rule determines monthly vs semi-weekly. This calculator applies it automatically based on your prior-year liability.
Payroll Compliance
Payroll tax deposit calculator that tells you when and how much to deposit.
Enter your payroll amounts, pay frequency, prior-year tax liability, and withholding breakdowns to determine your deposit schedule (monthly vs semi-weekly) and calculate the exact payroll tax deposit due for each pay period.
Direct answerYour payroll tax deposit equals the sum of federal income tax withheld plus employee and employer shares of Social Security and Medicare taxes. If your prior-year liability was $50,000 or less you deposit monthly; above $50,000 you deposit semi-weekly. This calculator shows your schedule and exact deposit amount.
Monthly vs semi-weekly logic$100K next-day rule checkEFTPS-ready amounts
1. Enter your details
CalculatorEnter your payroll amounts, withholding figures, and prior-year liability to determine your deposit schedule and total deposit amount.
Enter your payroll details or load a sample scenario to calculate your deposit schedule and amount.
Live Tool
Payroll Tax Deposit Calculator in the browser
Enter your payroll details to determine your deposit schedule and calculate the exact amount due.
Privacy-first workflow
This page runs in the browser. No payroll data is sent to any server.
What this payroll tax deposit calculator solves
Payroll tax deposits have strict schedules and penalties. This calculator determines your deposit frequency and calculates the exact amount due for each pay period.
Federal withholding plus employee and employer FICA taxes must be totaled correctly. One missed component means an underpayment.
If your tax liability reaches $100,000 in a single day, the next-day deposit rule triggers immediately.
Key signals
Deposit schedule, total deposit amount, FICA breakdown, and next-day rule status.
Decision support
Deposit timing guidance and penalty avoidance insights.
Detailed breakdown
Component-by-component deposit amount detail.
Uses the IRS lookback period threshold ($50,000) to classify you as a monthly or semi-weekly depositor.
Calculates employee and employer shares of Social Security (6.2%) and Medicare (1.45%) separately.
Flags when a single-day liability hits $100,000 and the next-business-day deposit rule kicks in.
Estimates your full-year payroll tax liability to help plan cash flow and avoid surprises.
Guide Below The Tool
How to use the payroll tax deposit calculator well
Key concepts, practical steps, and guidance for staying compliant with IRS deposit rules.
A payroll tax deposit calculator determines your federal payroll tax deposit schedule based on the IRS lookback period rule and calculates the total deposit amount by summing federal income tax withholding, employee Social Security and Medicare, and employer Social Security and Medicare for each pay period.
Small business owners running payroll, bookkeepers and payroll administrators responsible for tax deposits, accountants verifying deposit calculations, and anyone transitioning from a payroll service who needs to understand the deposit mechanics.
Deposit timing is non-negotiable. The IRS imposes escalating penalties for late deposits starting at 2% and climbing to 15%. Your prior-year liability determines your schedule, and the $100,000 next-day rule can change your obligations mid-year.
Workflow
Four practical steps
Use this calculator to verify your deposit schedule, confirm your deposit amount, and build a reliable payroll tax payment routine.
1
Check your prior-year tax liability.Pull the total tax liability from your prior-year Form 941 filings (the lookback period covers July 1 through June 30 two years back). This determines monthly vs semi-weekly.
2
Enter your current payroll figures.Input total payroll per period, federal withholding, and employee and employer shares of Social Security and Medicare taxes.
3
Review your deposit schedule and amount.The calculator shows whether you deposit monthly (by the 15th of the following month) or semi-weekly (Wednesday or Friday depending on payday).
4
Schedule EFTPS payments proactively.Use the calculated amount to schedule payments in EFTPS ahead of the deadline. Build a calendar reminder for every pay cycle.
Review Checklist
What to validate first
Key assumptions and details that affect your payroll tax deposit accuracy.
The lookback period is not the calendar year. It runs July 1 through June 30, two years before the current year. Verify you are using the correct period.
Social Security tax (6.2%) only applies to wages up to the annual wage base ($176,100 for 2026). Verify that high earners are not over-withheld.
Employees earning over $200,000 owe an additional 0.9% Medicare tax. This is employee-only and does not affect the employer share.
This calculator covers federal payroll tax deposits only. State withholding, SUTA, and other state taxes have separate deposit schedules.
If your total tax liability for the quarter is less than $2,500, you may pay with your Form 941 instead of making deposits. Verify whether you qualify.
Deposits 1-5 days late incur a 2% penalty. 6-15 days late is 5%. Over 15 days is 10%. More than 10 days after an IRS notice is 15%. Timeliness matters.
Why This Page Exists
Built to eliminate payroll tax deposit guesswork and penalty risk
Payroll tax deposits are one of the most penalty-prone areas of small business compliance. This page gives you a clear schedule and exact amounts.
Stop guessing whether you are monthly or semi-weekly. The lookback period rule is applied automatically based on your prior-year liability.
Federal withholding plus both halves of FICA, calculated correctly every pay period so your EFTPS payments match.
Ledger Summit can build payroll compliance tools for accounting firms and payroll providers. This page delivers value right now.
FAQ
Payroll tax deposit questions, answered directly
Short answers for searchers and answer engines.
Your deposit schedule is based on your lookback period tax liability. If you reported $50,000 or less during the lookback period (July 1 through June 30, two years prior), you are a monthly depositor. Above $50,000, you are semi-weekly. New employers default to monthly.
Semi-weekly depositors deposit by Wednesday for paydays on Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday, and by Friday for paydays on Saturday, Sunday, Monday, or Tuesday. You have three banking days after the semi-weekly period ends.
You must deposit federal income tax withheld, the employee share of Social Security and Medicare, and the employer share of Social Security and Medicare. These are reported on Form 941 and deposited via EFTPS.
If you accumulate $100,000 or more in tax liability on any single day, you must deposit by the next business day. This applies regardless of your normal schedule and switches monthly depositors to semi-weekly for the rest of the year.
The IRS imposes penalties from 2% (1-5 days late) up to 15% (more than 10 days after an IRS notice). Interest also accrues on the unpaid amount. Using EFTPS with calendar reminders helps avoid these costly penalties.
Next Step
Need payroll compliance tools for your firm or practice?
Use the free calculator for payroll tax deposit planning. If you need automated deposit scheduling or multi-client payroll tools, Ledger Summit can build the next layer.
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