Wisconsin Salary Paycheck and Payroll Calculator

Wisconsin Salary Paycheck Calculator

You’re likely familiar with Wisconsin’s squeaky cheese, sub-zero temperatures, and the Lombardi Leap. Although all of these things make Wisconsin unique, so does its payroll taxes. If you don’t know much about them, then this article is a good starting point. 

Wisconsin payroll taxes

Here’s what you need to know about withholding payroll taxes in Wisconsin.

• Wisconsin payroll taxes start with employees filling out WT-4. This information helps you determine how much you should withhold. 
• If an employee does not complete this form, you will need to withhold tax as though no exemptions were claimed.
• Employees only need to update WT-4 in case of life events (such as marriage, divorce, birth or adoption of a child, etc.) which may impact their taxes.
• The personal income tax rate in Wisconsin is 3.54%–7.65%.
• Wisconsin has reciprocity with the following states: Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky and Michigan.

Additional Wisconsin forms

In addition to WT-4 mentioned above, Wisconsin employers also need to file the following forms:

1. Wisconsin Tax Deposit Report (WI WT-6)*
2. Wisconsin Annual W/H Reconciliation (WI WT-7)
3. Wage and Tax Statement (State W2)
4. Wisconsin State W2 (WI State W2)
5. Wisconsin Quarterly Contribution (SUI) (WI UCT-101)
6. New Hire Report

Wisconsin unemployment tax rate

Wisconsin requires most employers to pay unemployment insurance tax to help compensate workers who are out of work through no fault of their own. 

• Employers pay Wisconsin unemployment tax on the first $14,000 of an employee’s wages.
• The tax rate varies from 0–12% based on employer experience, industry, and amount of payroll. 
• Unemployment tax in Wisconsin should be paid quarterly to the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development, Division of Unemployment Insurance.

Paying Wisconsin taxes

Here’s what you need to know about paying Wisconsin taxes:

• How often employers pay depends on the amount of tax withheld in a year. 
• Wisconsin’s payment frequencies are quarterly, monthly, and semi-monthly.

Wisconsin salary threshold

Because Wisconsin doesn’t have its own salary threshold, it adheres to the federal salary threshold.

• The federal salary threshold is now $684 per week on a salary basis or on an hourly basis at a rate not less than $27.63 an hour.
• The Department of Labor permits employers to count some bonuses, commissions, and other incentive payments toward meeting the standard salary level (up to 10%).
• Employees who earn at least $107,432 per year may qualify as “highly compensated.”
• See this Department of Labor fact sheet for details.

Workers’ Compensation

Requirements to obtain Workers’ Compensation vary by state. This table outlines some of these requirements. If you determine that your company is required to purchase Workers’ Compensation insurance in your state, learn how to sign up for this insurance with Gusto. Sometimes, companies get a request for a workers’ comp audit—head to this article and click the workers’ comp audit reports dropdown for more information. 

New hires

Employers in Wisconsin need to report new employees.

• New hires must be reported to Wisconsin New Hire Reporting Center.
• New hires must be reported within 20 days of their first day of work. 

Payroll stubs

You must provide a pay stub to every employee that includes:

1. Company’s legal name and address
2. Employee’s name and last four digits of their Social Security number
3. Pay period beginning and end dates
4. Total hours worked
5. Rate of pay
6. Gross wages
7. The amount and reason for any deduction

Final paychecks

Employers must pay final wages to employees within a certain timeframe, depending on the circumstances for leaving. There are some exceptions for specific industries.

• If a worker voluntarily resigns, final wages are generally due by the next scheduled payday.
• For layoffs and involuntary terminations of employment, final wages are typically due by the next scheduled payday, or within 24 hours if termination occurs as a result of liquidation, merger, disposal, or removal of the business.

Time off

Wisconsin law requires employers to provide the following types of time off to employees.

• Jury duty
• In some circumstances, employers are obligated to provide up to three hours of paid time off to allow employees to vote.
• Family & parental leave applies to employers with 50 or more employees.

Federal payroll taxes

In addition to Wisconsin-specific taxes, both you and your employees will pay a variety of federal payroll taxes. Check out the breakdown below.

Federal income tax

• Unless they are exempt, your employees will pay federal income tax.
• You must withhold federal income tax from employees’ pay, unless they are exempt. 
• Each employee’s Form W-4 will differ based on their filing status and dependents, among other details—so the amount of income tax to be withheld will vary.
• Form W-4 does not need to be sent to the IRS, but should be kept for your records.

FICA

Both you and your employees will pay Federal Insurance Contributions Act, or FICA tax.

• FICA is made up of the Medicare tax and the Social Security tax. 
• In 2023, the Social Security tax requires employers and employees to each contribute 6.2% of wages up to $2,600. 
• The Medicare tax requires employers and employees to each contribute 1.45% of all wages. 
• See the IRS webpage for details, like maximum thresholds.

FUTA

Like the state, the federal government also has an unemployment tax, called FUTA, which is paid by employers.

FUTA is an annual tax an employer pays on the first $7,000 of each employee’s wages. 

The FUTA rate for 2023 is 6.0%, but many employers are able to pay less, for instance, up to 5.4% each year due to tax credits.

Most employers will pay this tax annually with Form 940. But larger employers with more than $500 in tax due will have to pay quarterly. 

Additional Medicare tax

The Additional Medicare tax is paid by employees. Here’s what you should know:

• For employees that earn over $200,000 per year, 0.9% of earnings will need to be withheld for the Additional Medicare tax. 
• Whether or not your employee owes this tax may depend on their filing status.

Paying federal taxes

How often you’ll pay federal payroll taxes depends on how much you owe.

• Semi-weekly or monthly payments are required for federal withholding, Additional Medicare, and FICA taxes. And every quarter, a summary payroll tax return is due on Form 941, Employer’s Quarterly Federal Tax Return.
• Quarterly or annual payments are required for federal unemployment tax. Most employers will pay annually, but quarterly payments are necessary if you owe more than $500. Each time you make a payment, you’ll need to file a payroll tax return on Form 940, Employer’s Annual Federal Unemployment (FUTA) Tax Return.

We’re here to help

If you don’t love manual number crunching and payroll taxes sound overwhelming to you, take advantage of Gusto’s full-service payroll options or use an experienced accountant to help you with the process.