Paycheck Calculator Missouri - MO

(Tax Year 2023: Last Updated on May 28, 2023)

The paycheck for Missouri residents is calculated using this calculator. You only need to provide the necessary data, such as your marital status, federal and state withholding allowances, check date, and name. After clicking "calculate paycheck," the result is shown. Missouri's state income tax rate is progressive, ranging from 0% to 5.40%, while the two cities impose an additional local income tax of 1%.

Income Information

Federal Withholding

State Withholding


Additional Information

About the Author

Nauman is a Digital Marketing Specialist and owner of several online tools like DrEmployee. He believes in helping common people by providing a free online solution to day to day tasks. This project is one of them to offer free financial tools and tips.


Missouri - MO Paycheck Calculator: Hourly and Salary

Missouri, also known as "Mother of the West," is a Midwestern state in the United States of America. It is the 21st largest state by land size, with an area of 69,704 square miles and the 18th most populous state with 6.13 million residents. The Mother of the West has a lot to share with its residents and tourists, including delicious food like Kansas City barbecue, natural wonders like the Lake of the Ozarks. Moreover, it is also home to famous folks like Chuck Berry, Dick Van Dyke, and Sheryl Crowe.

Got several jobs offers to compare in Missouri? Or are you planning to move to this state to start a new life and business? It is essential to know everything about moving to this state, the ways to compare different jobs or businesses, and to choose the best one in terms of take-home income. Wherefore, DrEmployee is here to help you with this Missouri Paycheck Calculator and Informative Guide, which would answer almost all of the questions regarding MO.

Why is Paycheck Calculation necessary?

Paycheck calculation can help you in many ways; some of them are as follow:

  • It can help you deduce your take-home pay for the job you have joined in Missouri.
  • It can help you compare several job offers in terms of take-home pay so that you can easily choose the most beneficial one.
  • It can help small business employers to calculate the Paycheck amount of their employees while complying with all federal and state payroll laws.
  • It can also help you to deduce the employment cost of different businesses so that you can choose the most profitable one.

So let’s get started!

Thing You Must Know Before Moving to Missouri

No matter how attractive your job offer is or how high the amount of paycheck you are offered, there are several other factors one must know before starting a new career in a new state. For Missouri, the following are some of the essential elements you must be aware of:

Cost of Living:

Luckily, the living cost in Missouri is not too high. It is 89.1 points to be exact, which is 10.9 points lower than the national average of 100 points. Housing is one of the significant factors for cheaper living, whereas other factors like grocery, utilities, transportation, healthcare, etc. are almost equal to the nationwide cost.

Housing:

The state is ranked as one of the Top 10 cheapest states to purchase a house in 2023. As we have stated earlier, the housing cost in Missouri is significantly lower than the national average, with the median house value of $153,800 and a median rent of $998/month. The rent is relatively more economical in cities like St. Louis and Kansas City.

Weather:

Missouri experiences a Hot & humid summer with plenty of rain, for which its resident nicknamed the state as "Misery" that pronounces similar to "Missouri." Moreover, winters here are not any less, as the temperature drops to freezing, with ample snow and several severe ice storms, making the state’s overall climate unfavorable for the residents.

Education:

Missouri has the 6th highest high-school graduation rate of 89% across the nation and is ranked as 31st spot for states with the best schools by USA Today. Moreover, the state also houses some of the top institutions for higher education, including Washington University in St. Louis, Saint Louis University (St. Louis), and Saint Louis University (St. Louis).


Outdoor Activities:

Missouri is full of delicious foods, including the BBQ and the world's largest bowl of pasta, which you can enjoy with your friends and family on weekends and vacations. Moreover, the Show-Me State has plenty much more to see and do like Defiance RoadHouse, Mark Twain Cave, BoatHenge, Jesse James Home Museum, and Wonders of Wildlife Museum as well as plenty of state parks, museums, zoos, and lakes.


Job and Business Opportunities:

As we are done with most of the Missouri Pros and Cons, it's time to jump to our main topic of "Job and Business Opportunities" and "paycheck Calculation."

The median household income in Missouri is $29,438, with the current unemployment rate of 3.1%, which is slightly lower than the national unemployment rate of 3.6%. The current economy of the state is on the rise, with growing job and business opportunities, especially in cities like St. Louis.

The fastest-growing jobs in the state are as an occupational therapist, operations analyst, home health aid, and millwright. Moreover, anesthesiologists, surgeons, and psychiatrists are among the highest-paid.

Healthcare, Retail, education, manufacturing, and hospitality are the top industries worth looking for job and business opportunities.


After State Facts, let's discuss some of the Missouri Payroll Facts that would give you are a better idea to decide whether to work here or not and which job offer would be more profitable to you.


Missouri Payroll Facts:

  • Employers in Missouri are required by federal law to withhold Federal Income Tax from the employee’s paycheck, at the rate range between 0% and 37%, distributed in 7 tax brackets depending on Income Level and Filing Status.
  • Employers are also required to pay and also withhold an equal amount of FICA tax from the employee's paycheck. This tax consist of Social Security Tax (12.4%) and Medicare of (2.9%), which is to be divided equally among the employee and employer.
  • The Missouri State law also requires the employers to withhold State Income Tax from the employee’s paycheck at the rate range between 0% and 5.4%, distributed in 10 tax brackets depending on Income Level, regardless of filing status. The Supplemental Wages can be taxed at a flat rate of 5.4%.
  • Besides, federal and state income tax, employees are also required to pay Local income tax, if they work in Kansas City or St. Louis.
  • The Federal Minimum wage rate is $7.25 per hour, whereas the Missouri Minimum Wage rate is $9.45 for non-exempted employees. The State Cash Minimum wage rate for Tipped Employees is $4.73, with a maximum tip credit of $4.73.
  • The State doesn’t charge any State Disability Insurance (SDI) Tax. However, the employers are required to pay State Unemployment Insurance (SUI) Tax, at the rate range between 0% and 5.4%, on the first $11,500 earned in wages annually by each employee. However, New employers are only required to pay a flat rate of 376%, and if the new employer runs a non-profit organization, then the rate is reduced further to 1%.
  • Missouri doesn't have a Reciprocal Agreement with any other state. Therefore, all non-residents workers in Missouri are required to pay taxes.
  • Both Federal and State require the employer to pay overtime to their non-exempted employees at times and half of the regular hourly rate, for each excess hour worked after 40 hours in a workweek.
  • The Livable Wage in Missouri for a single adult is $11.14, and for a couple (both working) with two children is $15.13, according to Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
  • According to the US Census Bureau, the average annual salary for Male working in Missouri is $63351, and for a female is $46,612.
  • The Median Household income in Missouri is $53,560, according to United States Census Bureau.

As we are done with relocation to Missouri and its payroll facts, now it's time to calculate paycheck. This paycheck calculation can help you compare different job offers, your take-home pay from your job in Missouri, or your employment cost as an employer.


Step 1 - Calculating Gross Pay:

The very first step to calculating the paycheck amount is to determine Gross Pay. It is a wage that an employee earned in the last pay period.

Gross Pay is calculated differently for both hourly and salary-based employees, which is discussed in detail as follow:

Gross Pay for Hourly Employee

Hourly Employees are paid at a mutually agreed pay rate for each hour they work in a pay period. Usually Pay periods for Hourly employees are Hourly, Daily, Weekly, and Bi-Weekly. However, the Federal, State, and Local Wage law requires the employers to set the pay rate equals to or more than the defined Minimum Wage Law for the non-exempted employees.

Hourly employees are also entitled to receive overtime, for each excess hour worked after regular hours in a workday or a workweek. Remember, like Minimum wage, the employers are also required to follow Overtime wage law provided by the federal, state, or local authorities.


Note: All the relevant laws are discussed in detail ahead.


To calculate gross wage for an hourly employee:

  1. Calculate total hours worked in a Pay Period using the data from Timesheet or Timecard.
  2. Multiply Total Hours worked with the Hourly Rate (Pay Rate).
  3. Add overtime hours (if any) worked by the employee.

Quick Tip: You can also use our Timecard with overtime Calculator to calculate Gross Wage for Hourly Employee instantly.


Gross Pay for Salaried Employee

Salaried Employees are paid at the flat amount rather than on an hourly basis. The amount is usually mutually agreed as an Annual Salary, which is then paid in Semi-monthly or Monthly Pay periods.

Salaried employees are mostly exempted from overtime law. However, their salaries must be according to Federal and State Minimum Wage law.

To calculate Gross Pay for Salaried Employees:

  • Divide the "employee's salary" by "number of pay periods." For example: If the employee's annual salary is $25000 and is paid on a semi-monthly pay period, then the employee's Gross Pay would be: $25000 / 24 = $1042.

Don’t forget that Supplemental Wages like Bonuses, commissions, tips, paid leaves, fringe benefits, or other taxable wages earned by the employee must be added into the Gross wages.


Step 2 – Subtracting Pre-Tax Deductions (If Any):

Once you are done with Gross Wages, it’s time to subtract any Pre-Tax deductions from the gross wage to get taxable wages as Pre-tax deductions are not taxable for federal payroll taxes.

Pre-tax deductions are offered to the employees as benefits like fringe benefits, HSA plans, etc., to reduce their taxable income, hence, increasing their take-home pay amount. Remember, not all benefits are exempted from taxes, so choose the pre-tax deductions wisely.

Some of the common pre-tax deductible benefits are:

  • FSA - Flexible Spending Accounts
  • HSA - Health Savings Accounts
  • Retirement savings accounts like a traditional 401(k)
  • Some of the Fringe Benefits
  • health insurance
  • accident insurance
  • dental and vision insurance
  • Commuter Benefits
  • Short-Term Disability

Note: Pre-Tax deduction rate, contribution limits, special tax withholding rules change from year to year, according to inflation and costs of living by the federal government. Therefore, you must keep yourself updated with all rates before making any deductions.


Many Taxpayers find it hard to itemize their deductions to calculate taxable wages, for which they go for standard deductions, that varies according to the filing status, as shown in the table below:

All Filers(Updated 2023)
Filing Status Standard Deduction Amount
Single Filers $12,200
Married, Filing Jointly $24,400
Married, Filing Separately $12,200
Head of Household $18,350

Step 3 – Calculate and Subtract Federal Taxes:

Once you have determined the taxable wages, it’s time to deduct Federal Income taxes for the Taxable wages.

IRS requires the employers to withhold federal income tax from the employee's paycheck, according to the details provided by the employee on Form W-4. The employee fills this form at the start of the job. The form includes all the necessary information, including income, number of allowances to claim, number of dependents, amount of additional taxes to deduct, and much more.

The employees are required to keep their Form W-4 up to date with all their current information, especially marriage, divorce, or child's birth.

The federal income tax is charged according to the tax brackets in which the taxpayer’s income falls. The latest income tax brackets and rates are as follow:

Single Filers
Taxable Income Rate
$0 - $9,700 10%
$9,700 - $39,475 12%
$39,475 - $84,200 22%
$84,200 - $160,725 24%
$160,725 - $204,100 32%
$204,100 - $510,300 35%
$510,300+ 37%

Married, Filing Jointly
Taxable Income Rate
$0 - $19,400 10%
$19,400 - $78,950 12%
$78,950 - $168,400 22%
$168,400 - $321,450 24%
$321,450 - $408,200 32%
$408,200 - $612,350 35%
$612,350+ 37%

Married, Filing Separately
Taxable Income Rate
$0 - $9,700 10%
$9,700 - $39,475 12%
$39,475 - $84,200 22%
$84,200 - $160,725 24%
$160,725 - $204,100 32%
$204,100 - $306,175 35%
$306,175+ 37%

Head of Household
Taxable Income Rate
$0 - $13,850 10%
$13,850 - $52,850 12%
$52,850 - $84,200 22%
$84,200 - $160,700 24%
$160,700 - $204,100 32%
$204,100 - $510,300 35%
$510,300+ 37%

Step 4 – Deduct FICA Taxes:

Besides, Federal Income Tax, the IRS also requires the employer to withhold FICA tax (15.3%) for the employee's paycheck and also requires the employer to pay an equal amount for each employee.

Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) Taxes comprises of two types of taxes which are as follow:

  1. Social Security:

A total of 12.4% of social security tax is charged from which 6.2% is withheld from the employee's gross, and the employer pays the matching 6.2%. However, Social Security is only charged on the maximum taxable earnings of $137,700 for 2023.

  1. Medicare:

A total of 2.9% of Medicare is charged, from which 1.45% is withheld from the employee's gross, and the employer pays the matching 1.45%. Unlike Social Security, there is no maximum table earning limit for this tax. However, an additional surtax of 0.9% is charged as Additional Medicare Surtax on the employees having income over the specified level along with filing status, which is as follow:

Income Over Filing Status
$250,000 Married Filing Jointly
$125,000 Married Filing Separately
$200,000 Single

Note: Employers are not required to pay an equal amount for Additional Medicare Surtax.


Step 5 – Payment of FUTA Taxes

IRS requires the employer to pay another tax, known as The Federal Unemployment Tax Act (FUTA) Tax. This tax is paid at the rate of 6% on the first $7000 earned by each employee in a year. However, the IRS doesn’t require the employees to contribute to it.

The employers who pay State Unemployment Insurance (SUI) tax in full and on time are given relieving FUTA tax credit of up to 5.4%, which saves a whopping 90% from FUTA Tax.


Step 6 – Subtract Post-Tax Deductions (If any):

Post-tax deductions (after-tax deductions) is an amount the employer takes out from the employee's paycheck after taxes. Therefore, it does not affect taxable wages and the amount of tax payable.

Here are some of the types of post-tax deductions that employee may voluntarily choose:

  • Charitable contributions
  • Disability insurance
  • Garnishments
  • Specific Retirement Plans like Roth 401(k)
  • Life Insurance

Step 7 – Withhold State Payroll Taxes:

As you are done with Federal Payroll Taxes, now it’s time to discuss State Payroll Taxes. The very first State Payroll Tax is State Income Tax charged by Missouri State on employee’s paycheck. Another one is State Unemployment Insurance (SUI) tax that is to be paid by the employers only.


Missouri State Income Tax

Like Federal Income tax, Employers are required to withhold State Income tax from the employee's paycheck, at the rates ranging from 0% to 5.4%, distributed in 10 tax brackets depending only on Income Level, regardless of filing status.

All Filers
Missouri Taxable Income Rate
$0 - $104 0.00%
$104 - $1,053 1.50%
$1,053 - $2,106 2.00%
$2,106 - $3,159 2.50%
$3,159 - $4,212 3.00%
$4,212 - $5,265 3.50%
$5,265 - $6,318 4.00%
$6,318 - $7,371 4.50%
$7,371 - $8,424 5.00%
$8,424+ 5.40%

This tax should be charged according to the details, including the number of allowances to claim, a number of dependents, additional state withholding amounts, etc. provided by the employee Form MO W-4. Besides Form W-4, this form must also be updated regularly by the employee, especially on significant events like marriage, child's birth, or divorce.


Employees can claim Exemptions and Standard deduction from their State Income tax that would reduce their taxable income and increase their take-home pay. The standard deduction rates are as follow:

Filing Status Standard Deductions (Annual)
Single $12,400
Married and Spouse Works $12,400
Married Filing Separate $12,400
Married and Spouse Does Not Work $12,800
Head of Household $18,650

State Unemployment Insurance (SUI) Tax

The State Unemployment Insurance (SUI) Tax is an employer-funded program that provides temporary income to unemployed workers who have lost their job without fault of their own.

The state doesn’t charge in Missouri State Disability Insurance (SDI) Tax. However, it does require the employers to pay Missouri State Unemployment Insurance (SUI) tax, at the rate ranging from 0% to 5.4% on a first $11,500 earned in wages by each employee in a year. However, new employers are given relief as they only have to pay a flat rate of 2.376%. Moreover, if a new employer owns a non-profit organization, then the rate is further reduced to 1%.


Step 8 – Withhold Local Payroll Taxes:

Employees working in Kansas City and St. Louis are also charged with Local Income Tax at the rate of 1%.


Step 9 – Calculate Pay Check:

Now that you are done with all payroll taxes and calculated the net take-home pay of an employee, it's time to cut the paycheck. Moreover, you, as an employer, must pay your portion of FICA tax along with FUTA and SUI tax in full and on time regularly.


Federal and Missouri Payroll Laws:

  • Missouri State requires the employers of any corporation as well as railroad and railroad shop operators to pay their employees twice a month (Semi-Monthly basis). Moreover, their wages must be paid within 16 days after the pay period ends. However, salespeople, Executive, Professional, and administrative employees, along with commission-based employees, are allowed to be paid monthly.
  • The Federal Minimum wage law requires employers to pay their non-exempted employees at least the Minimum wage rate of $7.25. Moreover, the cash minimum wage rate for tipped employees is $2.13, with the maximum tip credit of $5.12.
  • The state minimum wage law requires employers to pay at least the minimum wage rate of $9.45 per hour. Moreover, the Cash Minimum wage for Tipped Employees is $4.73, with a maximum tip credit of $4.73 to non-exempted employees. However, executive, professional, and administrative employees, salary based employees (earning more than a defined wage), outside salespersons, babysitters, etc. are exempted from the Federal and State Minimum Wage law.
  • Employers engaged in service or retail businesses with annual gross income lower than $500,000 are exempted from paying the Missouri minimum wage rate.
  • Both Federal and State law requires employers to pay Minimum wage rate that is higher among federal and state rates. So, in the case of Missouri, the State Minimum wage rate must be paid to non-exempted employees.
  • Both Federal and State Law requires the employers to pay overtime at times, and half of the regular hourly rate for each excess hour worked after forty hours in a workweek by a non-exempted employee. However, following are few employees that are exempted from this law:
    1. Bonafide professional employees
    2. outside salesman (Only who derive all or part of their earning from sales commission)
    3. babysitters
    4. An employee working as a seaman
    5. An employee working as a salesman, partsman, or mechanic.
  • Employers are not required by either state or federal law to provide vacation pay, holiday pay, or severance pay, paid sick leave, or any other type of paid fringe benefit to their employees, unless these are benefits given at an employer’s discretion.
  • Either Missouri law or Federal Law does not require employers to provide a break of any kind, including a lunch hour to their employees, including youth workers, unless this break is given at an employer's discretion.
Also Check: Missouri Sales and Reverse Sales tax Calculator to Calculate the amount of tax included in a gross price as well as the amount you should add to a net price.

FAQs

Answer: Following is the list of taxes deducted from the employee’s paycheck working in Missouri:

  • Federal Income Tax: This tax is withheld at the rate range between 10% and 37%, distributed in seven tax brackets depending on filing status and income level.
  • FICA Tax: This tax consist of Social Security Tax and Medicare Tax. Social Security Tax is charged at the rate of 6.2% on the maximum taxable earnings of $137,700 for 2023. Whereas, the Medicare tax is charged at the rate of 1.45%, with no taxable earning limit. However, if the annual earning of an employee exceeds $200,000 (Single Filer), then an additional Medicare Surtax of 0.9% is charged.
  • Missouri State Income Tax: This tax is withheld for the state, at the rate ranging between 0% and 5.4%, distributed in 10 tax brackets, depending on income level, regardless of filing status.
  • Local Income Tax: Employees working in Kansas City or St. Louis is charged with Local Income Tax at the rate of 1%.

Answer: Following are the Missouri State Income Tax brackets:

  • No tax on the first $104 of income.
  • 1.5% on taxable income between $104 and $1,053.
  • 2% on taxable income between $1,053 and $2,106.
  • 2.5% on taxable income between $2,106 and $3,159.
  • 3% on taxable income between $3,159 and $4,212.
  • 3.5% on taxable income between $4,212 and $5,265.
  • 4% on taxable income between $5,265 and $6,318.
  • 4.5% on taxable income between $6,318 and $7,371.
  • 5% on taxable income between $7,371 and $8,424.
  • 5.4% on taxable income of $8,424 and above.

Answer: The Cost of Living index for Missouri is 89.9 points, whereas the national index is 100 points.

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