Gross vs. Net Income: Calculating and Understanding the Differences

What Is Gross Pay?


Gross pay is the total amount a worker receives before any deductions are made. Among the deductions are insurance payouts, such as health insurance, retirement contributions, and other payments. Gross pay covers all forms of compensation to an employee. These are wages, bonuses, and various types of other payments. Gross pay, or the “gross,” as people sometimes refer to it, is the initial amount used for tax calculations to determine net pay, also known as the “net.”

How to Calculate Gross Pay?


To correctly calculate gross pay, you should sum up all the earnings made by an employee before any deductions are applied.

Here’s the basic condition: a worker makes $1,000 per week and receives an overtime payment of $200. They also enjoy a weekly bonus of $150.

In this case, the gross pay is calculated as follows:

$1,000 + $200 + $150 = $1,350

What Is Gross Income?


Gross income is not gross pay but a wider definition. It is the total income an employee earns before taxes and other deductions taken out. Individual workers’ total gross income includes not just wages, salaries, and bonuses but also other revenues like rental income, tax refunds, and dividends from stock and bonds. For a company, gross income is the total amount a business earns before any deductions are made. Understanding that gross income and gross pay are not the same is essential in economics and finance.  

Using an hours tracker app like Traqq is a powerful method to precisely record your employees hours worked. This will help you calculate total gross income providing transparent salary budget planning.

How to Calculate Gross Annual Income?

To calculate gross annual income, you have to sum up the yearly income before any deductions. For instance, an employee earns an annual salary of $48,000, a yearly bonus of $7,000, and $10,000 annually from his online business.

In this case, the gross annual income calculation would be:

$48,000 + $7,000 + $10,000 = $65,000

How to Calculate Adjusted Gross Income?

To calculate adjusted gross income (AGI), you have to take out allowable adjustments from gross income. For example, the worker’s gross income is $75,000, and they get $10,000 in 401(k) contributions and $3,000 in loan interest payments.

In this case, the calculated AGI would be:

$75,000 – $10,000 – $3,000 = $62,000

What Is Net Income?

The net income includes money received after all expenses, taxes, and deductions are taken out. For individuals, it’s often defined informally as “take-home pay.” For businesses, it is calculated after deducting operating costs, taxes, and other expenses from gross income. 

How to Calculate Net Income?

Net income is calculated by deducting all taxes and other payments from the gross income. For instance, a company’s monthly gross income is $40,000, and the total monthly amount for taxes and other deductions is $12,000.

In this case, the business’s net income would be:

$40,000 – $12,000 = $28,000

Difference between Gross and Net Income

While gross and net income are derived from a company’s profits, there are some crucial differences that business owners should understand. Gross income represents the total earnings before any deductions are made. It is all the incoming money for an individual or a business entity: not just wages, but, for example, dividends and rental income, too. On the other hand, net income is the remaining amount after all applicable taxes and other expenses are made. Gross income evaluates overall earnings, while net income is the actual disposable income.

What Is Net Pay?

An amount of money an employee actually earns after all deductions have been made from the gross payroll. Such deductions include taxes, insurance payments, retirement contributions, and any other expenses. Understanding the impact net pay has on people’s lives is essential, as it is the actual money an individual earns. 

What Affects Net Pay?

Factors affecting net pay include:

  • Federal, state, and local taxes
  • Social Security and Medicare contributions
  • Health insurance premiums
  • Retirement fund contributions
  • Union dues
  • Wage garnishments

How to Calculate Net Pay?

The net pay formula is defined as “gross pay minus all deductions,” such as taxes, social security payouts, retirement payments, interests, dividends, and other types of income.

If the gross pay is $5,000 and the total deductions are $1,700, then the net pay would be:

$5,000 – $1,700 = $3,300

Gross Pay vs. Net Pay   

Gross pay is the total revenue an employee gets before any deductions are withheld. It consists of earnings, such as salaries, bonuses, dividends from stocks and bonds, etc. Net pay, which some people call “take-home pay,” is the remaining amount a worker receives after subtracting all deductions from their gross pay. These deductions include taxes, health insurance payouts, and retirement contributions. It is essential to understand that while the gross pay is what an employer initially owes an employee, the net pay is what the employee actually earns.

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