S-corp salary calculator
How much payroll tax an S election actually saves, and what your salary has to be for it to hold up.
- Payroll tax saved
- ·
- Income tax the election costs
- ·
- Taken as distribution
- ·
- Employer half of the payroll tax
- ·
- Salary as a share of profit
- ·
- Payroll tax on the salary
- ·
- Self-employment tax without the S election
- ·
- Effective payroll rate on profit
- ·
What this is actually calculating.
The saving from an S election comes from exactly one place. A sole proprietor pays self-employment tax on the whole profit. An S corporation owner pays payroll tax on the salary, and distributions above that are not subject to it. So the entire question is how much of the profit is salary.
That is also where the risk sits. There is no formula in the code for a reasonable salary, only a facts and circumstances test, and a salary set too low is the most common reason the IRS reclassifies distributions as wages, with back tax and penalties attached. The calculator shows your salary as a share of profit for that reason: it is the number an examiner looks at first.
The parts that decide the answer.
The saving is not free money
Payroll tax funds your Social Security record. A lower salary for years means a lower benefit later, which rarely shows up in the enthusiasm for the strategy.
Reasonable means defensible
What would you have to pay someone else to do your job? That is the test. Comparable pay data, hours and duties are what support the number, not the saving it produces.
There is a cost side too
Payroll filings, a separate return, and often more from your CPA. Below roughly forty thousand of profit the saving frequently does not cover the administration.
It interacts with the QBI deduction
Wages reduce qualified business income, so part of the payroll tax saving can be given back through a smaller deduction. This calculator does not model that.
Before you rely on it.
What is a reasonable salary?
There is no safe harbour percentage. It is what the work is worth in the open market, supported by comparable pay data, your hours and your duties. Your CPA should document it.
Why is the wage base an input?
The Social Security wage base changes every year. Making it a field keeps the calculator correct rather than quietly stale. Enter the figure for the year you are modelling.
Does this include income tax?
No, and the two routes do not produce the same taxable income. A sole proprietor deducts half of the self-employment tax; an S corporation deducts only the employer half, and paying yourself a salary can shrink the qualified business income deduction. Both work against the payroll saving shown here, so read this as the payroll figure rather than the net one.
About this calculator.
An illustration, not advice
This is an educational illustration, not investment, tax, or legal advice, and not a recommendation or projection of any particular result. It uses only the assumptions you enter.
Real returns are not this smooth
Where a return is involved it is treated as constant, which no real portfolio is. Actual results will differ, and a sequence of poor early returns can change an outcome substantially even when the average holds.
Nothing you type leaves your browser
Every calculation runs on your own machine. Nothing you enter is transmitted or stored, and none of it reaches me unless you ask for a PDF and give me your details.
Talk to your CPA and attorney before relying on any of it.See all twelve calculators
Get your results as a PDF
A branded summary of the figures you entered, what they mean, and the assumptions behind them.
Downloaded. A copy is on its way to your inbox.
A number is a starting point, not a plan. The next step is a conversation about what it means for yours.
Schedule an Exploration CallA complimentary 30-minute call. No cost, no obligation, and nothing to prepare.
Keep Reading
From the blog
September 22, 2026
One Plan for Selling Your Medical or Dental Practice
Selling a medical or dental practice and retiring well refers to sequencing three decisions together: the sale structure, the tax election, and the income draw.
Read MoreSeptember 17, 2026
The 1.5% to 2% Wealth Software Fee Owners Never See
Bundled wealth management platforms typically charge 1.5% to 2%+ of assets under management annually once you include the advisory layer, platform fees, and fund expense ratios. A standalone fee-only fiduciary usually charges 0.75% to 1.0% all-in.
Read MoreSeptember 15, 2026
How to Tell If an Advisor Really Coordinates Your Sale
Ask your advisor to show you a pre-close linked projection: a model that ties after-tax sale proceeds, your existing investable assets, and your annual retirement income need in a single year-by-year view. If they can produce one, they have done this before.
Read More