Multi-Employee Payroll Total Calculator
Add each worker and a pay frequency to see your team's combined gross, employer taxes (FICA, FUTA, SUTA), and total payroll cost, plus a per-employee breakdown.
Multi-Employee Payroll Total Calculator
Payroll settings
SUTA rates and wage bases are assigned per employer per state. The 2.7% default is a representative new-employer rate. Enter your state DOL rate notice figures for an exact number.
Employee withholding estimate (optional)
A flat blended federal, state, and employee FICA figure used only for the take-home estimate. It is not exact per-person withholding.
Employees
Per-employee breakdown
| Employee | Gross | Employer FICA | FUTA | SUTA | Employer taxes | Employer cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Totals | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
Social Security, Medicare, FUTA, and SUTA are exact given your inputs. The withholding and take-home figures are flat-percentage estimates. FUTA and SUTA caps apply on the annual basis, then divide by pay periods, so per-period amounts are a level estimate rather than the front-loaded real-world schedule.
What goes into your total payroll cost
The wage on the offer letter is only the start. Your real total payroll cost is gross wages plus the employer share of payroll taxes: the FICA match (6.2% Social Security plus 1.45% Medicare), federal FUTA at an effective 0.6%, and state SUTA at your assigned rate. Add benefits and overhead on top of that and the total typically lands around 1.25 to 1.4 times wages.
That gap matters when you budget for a team. Each worker carries their own FICA, FUTA, and SUTA, so the combined number grows faster than gross alone. This calculator sums the employer taxes for every row so you see what actually leaves your account, not just the wage total.
Employer payroll tax rates for 2026
Here are the 2026 rates this calculator uses:
- Social Security: 6.2% on wages up to the $184,500 wage base, then nothing above it.
- Medicare: 1.45% on all wages, no cap. The 0.9% Additional Medicare surtax is employee-only.
- FUTA: 0.6% effective rate on the first $7,000 of wages, a maximum of $42 per employee per year.
- SUTA: your state-assigned rate times the state taxable wage base, both of which vary widely.
One caveat: California and the US Virgin Islands carry 2026 FUTA credit reductions, so employers there pay an effective rate above 0.6%. If that applies to you, the real FUTA per employee runs a bit higher than this tool shows.
How to run a multi-employee payroll total
Add a row for each worker, enter their gross wage for the pay period, and pick their work state. Set the global pay frequency with the chips, then your SUTA rate and wage base. The combined totals card sums the team gross, employer FICA, FUTA, SUTA, and the total payroll cost, while the breakdown table shows each employee line by line. Toggle between per-period and annual views at any time.
The employee withholding and take-home figures are flat-percentage estimates, clearly labeled, since exact income-tax withholding depends on each worker W-4 and state filing. Treat those two lines as a rough guide, not a paystub.
When to move from a calculator to the app
A web tool is great for a quick team total, but it cannot track year-to-date wages, truncate the SUTA and FUTA wage bases as the year fills up, or compute exact per-employee withholding. The WorkLogs44 Payroll Calculator app handles all of that: precise per-employee W-4 and state withholding, YTD wage-base tracking, saved and named payrolls, and exact net pay across all 50 states plus DC. Use this page to plan, then run the real payroll in the app.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about multi-employee payroll total calculator
How much does an employer pay in payroll taxes per employee?
On top of wages, employers pay 6.2% Social Security (up to the 2026 wage base of $184,500) plus 1.45% Medicare, for a 7.65% FICA match, plus about 0.6% FUTA (capped at $42 per year) and a state SUTA rate that varies. As a rule of thumb, total employer cost runs about 1.25 to 1.4 times base pay once benefits are added.
What is the employer FICA match rate for 2026?
7.65% total: 6.2% Social Security on wages up to $184,500 and 1.45% Medicare with no wage cap. Employers match exactly what the employee pays.
What is the 2026 Social Security wage base?
The 2026 Social Security wage base is $184,500, up from $176,100 in 2025. Employer Social Security tax stops once an employee annual wages pass that cap, while Medicare keeps applying with no cap.
How much FUTA tax does an employer pay?
FUTA is 6% on the first $7,000 of each employee wages, but most employers get a 5.4% state credit, dropping the effective rate to 0.6%, for a maximum of $42 per employee per year. A few credit-reduction states (such as California and the US Virgin Islands in 2026) pay a higher effective rate.
What is the SUTA rate and does it differ by state?
Yes. Each state assigns your State Unemployment (SUTA) rate based on your experience rating and sets its own taxable wage base. New employers often start around 2.7%, but rates and wage bases vary widely, so enter your state-assigned rate for an accurate figure.
Does the employer pay the 0.9% Additional Medicare tax?
No. The 0.9% Additional Medicare surtax on high earners is withheld from the employee only. The employer Medicare match stays at a flat 1.45% on all wages.
What's the difference between gross pay and total payroll cost?
Gross pay is what the employee earns before withholding. Total payroll cost is what leaves the employer bank account: gross pay plus the employer share of FICA, FUTA, SUTA, and any benefits or workers comp.
Can I calculate payroll for multiple employees at once?
Yes. Add a row per worker with their gross wage and state, pick one pay frequency, and this tool sums the team gross, employer taxes, and total payroll cost while showing a per-employee breakdown. For exact per-person federal and state withholding, W-4 settings, and saved payrolls, use the Payroll Calculator app.