Best Free US Employment & HR Calculators
Workplace Money Questions That Don't Come Up Often -- But Matter When They Do
Leaving a job, getting called for jury duty, or losing employer health coverage all come with real financial questions that most people only face a handful of times in their career -- which is exactly why they're so easy to get wrong the first time. There's no muscle memory for calculating a COBRA premium or a severance payout the way there is for a routine paycheck. Here's a full set of calculators for exactly those less-frequent-but-consequential moments.
Leaving a Job
The Two Weeks' Notice Calculator figures out your exact last working day from a given notice date, accounting for weekends -- useful for coordinating your own timeline and any final-paycheck expectations. The Severance Pay Calculator estimates a severance amount based on tenure and a stated formula (commonly weeks of pay per year of service), and the PTO Payout Calculator calculates what unused paid time off is worth in your final paycheck, based on your accrued balance and pay rate -- a number many people don't realize they're owed until they check. Losing employer health coverage is one of the more stressful parts of a job transition, and the COBRA Cost Estimator shows what continuing that coverage under COBRA is likely to cost once you're paying the full premium yourself rather than a subsidized employee share.
Employee vs Contractor
Whether you're weighing a full-time offer against a contract role, or classifying your own work, the W-2 vs 1099 Calculator normalizes both onto a comparable basis, since a W-2 role typically bundles in employer-paid benefits and tax withholding that a 1099 rate has to cover on its own. And because 1099 income carries its own self-employment tax obligation that a W-2 paycheck doesn't, the Self-Employment Tax Calculator estimates that additional cost so it's factored into any comparison.
Less Common, But Real
The Jury Duty Pay Calculator estimates the (often modest) compensation for jury service, useful for understanding the real financial impact of time away from regular work. The Wage Garnishment Calculator estimates how much of a paycheck can legally be withheld under a garnishment order, based on federal limits. If a job offer includes a relocation package, the Moving Cost Estimator helps evaluate whether that package genuinely covers the real cost of the move. And for anyone traveling for work under a per diem policy, the Per Diem Trip Cost Calculator totals expected daily allowances across a trip.
Pay & Overtime
The Overtime Pay Calculator computes pay owed for hours worked beyond standard thresholds under federal overtime rules, and the Holiday Pay Calculator estimates pay for hours worked on a recognized holiday under a stated premium rate. For the official federal rules behind overtime and wage garnishment, see the US Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division -- these calculators are planning estimates, and specific state laws can add further requirements beyond the federal floor.
Why These Situations Deserve Their Own Calculators
General paycheck or budgeting tools don't handle these scenarios well because each one involves its own specific rules -- COBRA premium structure, garnishment percentage caps, severance formulas -- that a generic calculator has no way to account for. Having a dedicated, correctly-specified tool for the actual situation you're facing beats trying to approximate it with a tool built for something else, especially when the financial stakes (a garnishment order, a COBRA decision) are real and time-sensitive.
Planning Ahead for These Moments
Most of these situations arrive with little warning -- a layoff, a garnishment notice, a jury summons -- which makes it tempting to figure out the numbers only after the fact, under pressure. Where possible, it's worth running the relevant calculator as soon as the situation becomes even a possibility: checking your COBRA cost estimate as soon as a layoff seems likely, or reviewing your accrued PTO balance well before actually giving notice. Having the numbers in hand ahead of time turns a stressful, reactive scramble into a much more manageable, informed decision.
State Laws Can Add to the Federal Baseline
Every calculator here uses the federal rules as its baseline, but many states layer additional requirements on top -- some states mandate PTO payout on separation where federal law doesn't require it, some cap garnishment more strictly than the federal limit, and overtime rules occasionally differ at the state level too. Treat the federal-level estimate as a reliable floor, and check your specific state's labor department resources for anything more generous that might apply to your situation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is severance pay guaranteed when I lose a job?
No -- outside specific situations like mass layoffs under the WARN Act, severance in the US is generally discretionary, set by company policy or an individual agreement. Check your own offer letter or handbook.
Is unused PTO always paid out when I leave a job?
It depends on your state and your employer's specific policy -- some states require payout of accrued, unused PTO by law, while others leave it up to employer policy. Check your state's labor laws and your own employee handbook for the specific rule that applies to you.
How long does COBRA coverage typically last?
Federal COBRA generally allows continuation coverage for up to 18 months in most qualifying situations, though certain circumstances can extend that -- confirm your specific situation's exact terms with your plan administrator, since details vary by qualifying event.
Can my wages be garnished for any kind of debt?
No -- garnishment generally requires a court order or specific legal process (common causes include unpaid taxes, child support, and defaulted student loans), and federal law caps how much of a paycheck can be withheld depending on the type of debt. The Wage Garnishment Calculator uses these standard federal limits as its baseline.
Does my employer have to pay out severance immediately after I leave?
Timing depends on the specific severance agreement or company policy, and there's no single federal rule dictating an exact payout timeline the way there sometimes is for final wages -- read your specific agreement's terms, or ask HR directly for the expected timeline.
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