Netwise Paycheck Calculator

Find salary for a take-home target

calculate_gross_up

Read-onlyIdempotent

Use this when the user knows the take-home pay they want and asks what salary or hourly rate they need in 2026, e.g. 'what salary do I need to take home $5,000 a month in New Jersey' or 'gross up $2,000 net biweekly'. Solves for the gross pay whose net pay after federal withholding, FICA, state taxes and the given deductions meets the target, using the same 2026 rules as calculate_paycheck. Returns the annual salary, the gross per check, the hourly equivalent if hours_per_week is given, and the full breakdown. Does not gross up bonuses or supplemental wages.

Input Schema

Name	Required	Description
`label`	No	Short name for this scenario, e.g. 'Austin offer' or '401k at 10%'.
`state`	No	US state where you work and live, as a code or name, e.g. CA, Texas, New Jersey, NYC. Omit for federal only.
`locality`	No	Optional local tax area where the state supports it, e.g. nyc, yonkers, philadelphia, or a Maryland or Indiana county such as montgomery or marion.
`k401_percent`	No	Traditional (pre-tax) 401(k) or 403(b) contribution as a percent of gross pay, e.g. 6 for 6%.
`filing_status`	No	Form W-4 Step 1(c) filing status: single (or married filing separately, default), married (filing jointly), head_of_household.
`pay_frequency`	No	How often you are paid: weekly (52), biweekly (26, every two weeks, default), semimonthly (24, twice a month), monthly (12).
`hours_per_week`	No	Regular hours worked per week for hourly pay, e.g. 40. Defaults to 40.
`w4_step3_amount`	No	Total dollar amount on W-4 Step 3 (dependents and other credits), e.g. 4400.
`hsa_per_paycheck`	No	HSA contribution through payroll per paycheck in USD, e.g. 75.
`other_dependents`	No	Other dependents for W-4 Step 3 ($500 each), e.g. 1.
`state_allowances`	No	Allowances or exemptions claimed on the state withholding form (state W-4), e.g. 1. Defaults depend on the state.
`w4_step2_checked`	No	True if the Form W-4 Step 2 box is checked (two jobs, or married and the spouse also works). Default false.
`children_under_17`	No	Qualifying children under 17 for W-4 Step 3 ($2,200 each in 2026), e.g. 2. Ignored if w4_step3_amount is given.
`roth_401k_percent`	No	Roth 401(k) (after-tax) contribution as a percent of gross pay, e.g. 4.
`state_filing_status`	No	State withholding form status when it differs from the federal one, e.g. NJ 'B', CT 'A', AZ '2.0' (percent). Usually omit.
`target_net_per_year`	No	Wanted take-home pay per year in USD, e.g. 60000. Use instead of target_net_per_paycheck.
`w4_step4b_deductions`	No	W-4 Step 4(b) deductions per year, e.g. 5000.
`w4_step4a_other_income`	No	W-4 Step 4(a) other income per year (not from jobs), e.g. 2000.
`target_net_per_paycheck`	No	Wanted take-home pay per paycheck in USD, e.g. 2000.
`w4_step4c_extra_withholding`	No	W-4 Step 4(c) extra federal withholding per paycheck, e.g. 50.
`ytd_gross_before_this_check`	No	Gross pay already received from this job earlier in 2026, e.g. 150000. Only matters near the Social Security wage base or the $200,000 Additional Medicare threshold.
`state_additional_withholding`	No	Extra state withholding per paycheck in USD, e.g. 20.
`health_insurance_per_paycheck`	No	Pre-tax (section 125) health, dental and vision premiums and FSA per paycheck in USD, e.g. 120.

Output Schema

Name	Required	Description	Default
`label`	Yes
`lines`	Yes
`notes`	Yes
`state`	Yes
`downloads`	Yes
`net_per_year`	Yes
`state_method`	Yes
`net_per_check`	Yes
`pay_frequency`	Yes
`gross_per_year`	Yes
`taxes_per_year`	Yes
`checks_per_year`	Yes
`federal_bracket`	Yes
`gross_per_check`	Yes
`state_supported`	Yes
`taxes_per_check`	Yes
`effective_tax_rate`	Yes
`hourly_rate_needed`	Yes
`annual_salary_needed`	Yes
`effective_state_rate`	Yes
`target_net_per_check`	Yes
`effective_federal_rate`	Yes

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

First observedOct 22, 2026

TDQS

A4.3/5.0

Behavior4/5

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

The annotations already declare this as a read-only, idempotent, non-destructive, closed-world operation, so the safety profile is covered. The description adds useful behavioral context by stating what is returned (annual salary, gross per check, hourly equivalent when hours_per_week is supplied, and full breakdown) and by ruling out bonus/supplemental wage gross-ups. It does not describe iteration or method, but that is not essential for a safe calculation tool.

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

Conciseness5/5

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

The description front-loads the usage trigger, then explains the calculation, return values, and scope exclusion in three efficient sentences. Every sentence contributes distinct information and there is no filler.

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

Completeness5/5

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

Given the 23-parameter schema with full descriptions, an output schema, and clear read-only annotations, the description covers purpose, usage, return shape, and exclusions well enough for an agent to call it correctly. No essential calling context is missing.

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%, so every parameter is already documented in the input schema. The description reinforces a few semantics through examples (state, monthly/biweekly targets) and mentions the condition for hourly equivalent (hours_per_week is given), but adds only marginal meaning beyond the rich schema.

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

Purpose5/5

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

The description states a specific reverse-calculation verb and resource: solving for the gross salary or hourly rate that produces a target take-home pay. It anchors this with two concrete natural-language examples and explicitly scopes the calculation to 2026 payroll rules, making its niche immediately distinguishable from calculate_paycheck.

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

Usage Guidelines4/5

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

It gives a clear when-to-use trigger (the user knows the take-home and asks what salary or rate they need) and an explicit when-not scope exclusion (bonuses and supplemental wages). It also references calculate_paycheck as the source of the same 2026 rules, but does not explicitly name it as the tool to choose for forward gross-to-net calculations or mention compare_paychecks.

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

All Netwise Paycheck Calculator tools Inspect

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