Florida Payroll & Paycheck Tax Calculator
Sunshine, beaches, and…payroll taxes? Even with no state income tax, Florida employers need to know how to withhold federal tax, pay the state’s “Reemployment Tax” (formerly the State Unemployment Tax or SUTA), manage deductions, and stay compliant with labor laws. Our simple Florida Payroll & Paycheck Tax Calculator is the answer.
Florida Payroll Tax Steps
Payroll prep shouldn’t be as complicated as hurricane prep. Luckily, our user-friendly payroll calculator helps your Florida payroll smoothly weather everything from Reemployment Tax to federal withholdings with confidence.
Let’s walk through it, step by step.
Fingercheck and any related entities do not offer tax, accounting, or legal advice. This content is designed for informational purposes only and should not be considered a source of tax, legal, or accounting advice. It is recommended that you consult your tax, legal, and accounting advisors before undertaking any related activities or transactions.
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How much tax is taken out of a paycheck in Florida?
Less than almost anywhere else. Florida has no state income tax and no local income taxes, so a Florida paycheck only has federal income tax, Social Security (6.2%), and Medicare (1.45%) withheld. There’s no Reemployment Tax deduction either, that tax is paid entirely by the employer and never appears on an employee’s pay stub. Someone moving to Florida from a state with income tax will generally see a noticeably larger paycheck at the same salary.
When is my final paycheck due if I leave a job in Florida?
Florida doesn’t have a state law setting a final-paycheck deadline at all, voluntary or involuntary. Employers default to the federal FLSA standard: final wages are due on the next regular payday, the same one that would have applied if the employee were still working. There’s no accelerated deadline for a termination versus a resignation, despite what some other sources suggest.
Florida payroll facts at a glance (2026)
Florida’s payroll is genuinely simpler than most states, no state income tax, no local taxes, no SDI, but a few rules are distinctive enough to trip up employers who assume “no income tax” means “no rules.” Here’s the full 2026 picture.
Florida payroll tax rates and thresholds for 2026
Florida’s minimum wage schedule, and what changes on September 30
Florida’s minimum wage doesn’t move on January 1 like most payroll rules, it changes every September 30, under a fixed schedule voters wrote directly into the state constitution when they approved Amendment 2 in 2020. September 30, 2026 is the last of these scheduled increases: the rate reaches $15.00 per hour and stays there until inflation-based adjustments start in September 2027.
Florida minimum wage schedule under Amendment 2
Because the increase lands mid-pay-period more often than not, a pay period that straddles September 30 needs to be split, hours worked before the 30th get the old rate, hours worked on or after get the new one. Florida also prohibits cities and counties from setting their own minimum wage, so this single statewide schedule is the only rate to track, regardless of where in Florida an employee works.
Workers’ compensation: the threshold depends on your industry
Florida doesn’t use one flat employee-count threshold for workers’ comp the way some states do. The requirement kicks in at a different number depending on what kind of business is doing the hiring, and construction is the strictest by far.
Florida workers’ compensation thresholds by industry
The fact that Florida requires construction businesses to carry workers’ compensation insurance the moment they have one or more employees, including part-time workers catches a lot of small contractors off guard, especially compared to non-construction businesses that can run with up to 3 employees before coverage is mandatory.
File proof of coverage or claim an exemption where one applies, limited to very small organizations, certain corporate officers, and specific agricultural arrangements.
What’s new for Florida employers in 2026
- Minimum wage reaches its final scheduled step: $15.00/hour effective September 30, 2026, completing the six-year path set by Amendment 2. There’s no grace period, paying below $15.00 for hours worked on or after September 30 is a violation from day one.
- E-Verify enforcement continues to mature: Section 448.095 of the Florida Statutes has required E-Verify at the 25-employee threshold since July 2023, and enforcement (a 30-day cure notice, escalating to fines for repeat violations) is well established by now. A pending bill, HB 197, would remove the 25-employee threshold entirely and apply E-Verify to every private employer in Florida regardless of size, worth watching if your headcount is currently under 25.
- Reemployment Tax rate and wage base unchanged: the 2.7% new-employer rate, $7,000 wage base, and 0.10%–5.4% experience range all held steady for 2026.
Running payroll for a Florida business
No state income tax makes Florida payroll simpler than most, but “simpler” isn’t the same as “nothing to get wrong.” Industry-specific workers’ comp thresholds, an E-Verify mandate with real financial penalties, and a minimum wage that changes every September instead of every January are all details that are easy to miss without an automated system tracking them.
Fingercheck handles more than tax math for hourly and field-based workforces: automated payroll, Pay On-Demand, time tracking with GPS geofencing, paperless onboarding with signed I-9s and W-4s, and pay-as-you-go workers’ comp. If your crews work outside Florida too, Fingercheck’s Multi-State Payroll and Same Pay Cycle Tax Calculation withholds for every state in the same paycheck, so there are no manual calculations or end-of-quarter corrections when work crosses state lines.
