AuraCalcs

Estimate a 2026 paycheck

calculate_paycheck

Read-only

Estimate 2026 take-home pay for one paycheck in California, New York, Illinois, Texas, Florida, Nevada, Tennessee, Wyoming, South Dakota, Alaska, New Hampshire, or Washington. Federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare, and that state's withholding use the same figures as auracalcs.com. Returns the paycheck lines, a link to the matching page, the publications and the date they were checked, and a disclaimer. Estimate only.

Tool call template

Replace each placeholder with a value matching the input schema. Only required parameters are included; add optional parameters as needed.

{
  "id": 1,
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "method": "tools/call",
  "params": {
    "arguments": {
      "payBasis": "<payBasis>",
      "amount": "<amount>",
      "payFrequency": "<payFrequency>",
      "filingStatus": "<filingStatus>",
      "state": "<state>"
    },
    "name": "calculate_paycheck"
  }
}

Input Schema

Name	Required	Description
`state`	Yes	Work state. The page for that state is linked in the result.
`amount`	Yes	Pay amount in dollars, before tax. Annual salary, one gross paycheck, or an hourly wage.
`payBasis`	Yes	How amount is entered.
`ytdGross`	No	Gross pay already received this year. Used only for Social Security and Additional Medicare on this paycheck.
`fedStep4a`	No	Form W-4 Step 4(a) other income for the year.
`fedStep4b`	No	Form W-4 Step 4(b) deductions for the year.
`nyLocality`	No	New York local tax. Ignored for other states.
`filingStatus`	Yes	Form W-4 Step 1(c). New York estimates single and married filing jointly only.
`hoursPerWeek`	No	Used when payBasis is hourly. Defaults to 40.
`payFrequency`	Yes	How often this paycheck is paid.
`weeksPerYear`	No	Used when payBasis is hourly. Defaults to 52.
`nySdiDeducted`	No	Whether the New York employer deducts SDI. Paid Family Leave is still estimated.
`fedStep4cExtra`	No	Form W-4 Step 4(c) extra withholding on this paycheck.
`fedStep3Credits`	No	Form W-4 Step 3 credits for the year.
`stateAllowances`	No	California DE 4 allowances, New York IT-2104 exemptions (0 to 10), or Illinois IL-W-4 line 1. States without an income tax ignore this.
`fedStep2Checkbox`	No	Form W-4 Step 2 checkbox.
`ilLine2Allowances`	No	Illinois IL-W-4 line 2 allowances.

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

Changed2 schema fields changedNov 1, 2026

changedInput schema / properties / state / enum

Previous value: -[
-  "CA",
-  "NY",
-  "IL",
-  "TX",
-  "FL"
-]New value: +[
+  "CA",
+  "NY",
+  "IL",
+  "TX",
+  "FL",
+  "NV",
+  "TN",
+  "WY",
+  "SD",
+  "AK",
+  "NH",
+  "WA"
+]

changedInput schema / properties / stateAllowances / description

Previous value: -"California DE 4 allowances, New York IT-2104 exemptions (0 to 10), or Illinois IL-W-4 line 1. Texas and Florida ignore this."New value: +"California DE 4 allowances, New York IT-2104 exemptions (0 to 10), or Illinois IL-W-4 line 1. States without an income tax ignore this."

First observedOct 28, 2026

TDQS

A3.7/5.0

Behavior4/5

Does the description disclose side effects, auth requirements, rate limits, or destructive behavior?

Annotations already cover the safety profile (readOnlyHint=true, destructiveHint=false, openWorldHint=false), so the description only needs to add context, which it does: it discloses the return contents (paycheck lines, a link to the matching page, publications and last-checked date, disclaimer) and states the figures mirror auracalcs.com. The 'Estimate only' caveat usefully sets accuracy expectations. No auth, rate-limit, or precision caveats beyond that.

Agents need to know what a tool does to the world before calling it. Descriptions should go beyond structured annotations to explain consequences.

Conciseness4/5

Is the description appropriately sized, front-loaded, and free of redundancy?

Front-loaded with the core action and scope, then the return contents. The twelve-state enumeration duplicates the schema enum and consumes a lot of the first sentence, but it does aid routing at selection time, so it largely earns its place.

Shorter descriptions cost fewer tokens and are easier for agents to parse. Every sentence should earn its place.

Completeness4/5

Given the tool's complexity, does the description cover enough for an agent to succeed on first attempt?

For a 17-parameter, 5-required calculator with 100% schema coverage, no output schema, and read-only annotations, the description covers purpose, scope, and return payload adequately. The main omission is guidance on optional parameter interactions (hourly basis with hoursPerWeek/weeksPerYear, NY locality) and when this tool beats its siblings.

Complex tools with many parameters or behaviors need more documentation. Simple tools need less. This dimension scales expectations accordingly.

Parameters3/5

Does the description clarify parameter syntax, constraints, interactions, or defaults beyond what the schema provides?

Schema description coverage is 100% and every parameter carries a clear description including W-4 line references, so the schema does the heavy lifting. The description adds only the high-level tax components (federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare, state withholding), not syntax or interaction details like how ytdGross affects only SS/Additional Medicare.

Input schemas describe structure but not intent. Descriptions should explain non-obvious parameter relationships and valid value ranges.

Purpose4/5

Does the description clearly state what the tool does and how it differs from similar tools?

States a specific verb and resource: 'Estimate 2026 take-home pay for one paycheck,' and enumerates the supported states, so the agent knows exactly what domain is covered. It does not, however, contrast itself with siblings such as calculate_1099_tax or compare_1099_vs_w2, so the W-2-vs-1099 distinction must be inferred.

Agents choose between tools based on descriptions. A clear purpose with a specific verb and resource helps agents select the right tool.

Usage Guidelines3/5

Does the description explain when to use this tool, when not to, or what alternatives exist?

Usage is only implied: 'one paycheck' and the W-4/W-2 oriented parameters suggest an employee paycheck estimate rather than a 1099 or quarterly estimate. There is no explicit when-to-use statement, no exclusion, and no pointer to any of the four sibling calculators.

Agents often have multiple tools that could apply. Explicit usage guidance like "use X instead of Y when Z" prevents misuse.

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