Alaska Paycheck Calculator

Use Alaska Paycheck Calculator to estimate net or “take home” pay for salaried employees. Simply input salary details, benefits and deductions, and any other necessary information as prompted below, and let our tool handle the rest.

What Are Payroll Taxes?

Payroll taxes withheld from employee paychecks fund Social Security and Medicare, to which the employer also makes payroll tax contributions.

The Social Security tax is paid by both the employee and the employer at a rate of 6.2% of the employee’s wages. The Medicare tax is also paid by both employee and employer, but at a rate of 1.45%.

Employers are also required to pay taxes under the Federal Unemployment Tax Act (FUTA) and the State Unemployment Tax Act (SUTA). The employer must also collect federal income tax from employee paychecks, and pay that amount to the IRS. The rate is determined by the employee’s tax bracket.

Each state also has specific state payroll taxes that must be withheld and paid.

Alaska Payroll Taxes

There is no state or local income tax in Alaska. However, in addition to Social Security and Medicare tax, employers are required to pay state unemployment taxes, as per SUTA. In Alaska, these taxes are called Employment Security (ES) taxes.

ES tax rates are unique for each business and determined by a variety of factors. The state measures your payroll throughout the year and takes into account your business class and experience. 

The taxable wage base is calculated each year. For 2022, it’s $45,200.

Alaska’s ES tax rates range from 1.5% to 5.9%, with 21  levels. Visit the Alaska Department of Labor website for more information. The state’s Tax Handbook and UI Tax Calculation Cookbook provide guidance on calculations and filing. 

Paying Payroll Taxes

Just as you need an EIN to pay federal payroll taxes, in Alaska you’ll need to register for state withholdings at the myAlaska website. The taxes must be filed and paid quarterly. 

Using a Payroll Tax Service

Even in Alaska, payroll and payroll taxes come with countless laws and restrictions, which is why many business owners turn to a payroll service provider to ensure their business remains fully compliant. It’s usually less expensive than creating a new staff position for managing payroll, and relatively easy.  

You’ll just send over your digital timesheets and relevant information and the service provider will take care of the calculations, payments and taxes, freeing you up to focus on growing your business. 

We highly recommend hiring a payroll service — as a busy entrepreneur, you won’t regret it!