Gross award and withheld cash
Gross bonus equals annual salary times the bonus percentage. The displayed after-withholding amount then subtracts one flat percentage from that gross bonus, making it a cash estimate rather than a final tax calculation.
Worked bonus amount
An 8% award on a $70,000 salary is $5,600 gross. With 22% withheld, $1,232 is removed and the estimated payment is $4,368. The withholding number does not prove the final tax owed on the award.
What the award percentage assumes
The formula assumes the bonus is calculated from the entered annual salary and earned in full. Plans may use eligible earnings, a target percentage, company performance, individual ratings, proration, caps, or a different definition of salary.
Withholding is not final tax
Separate withholding from taxation. A payroll department may withhold a set amount from a supplemental payment, while the eventual tax outcome depends on the full-year return, other income, deductions, and the rules that apply to the taxpayer.
Plan conditions beyond arithmetic
A promised percentage is not enough to establish payment timing. Employment status on the payment date, a clawback condition, vesting, and discretionary-plan language can matter even when the arithmetic is correct.
Checking a bonus statement
Use the result to check a bonus-plan statement: record the eligible base, target percent, proration, and withholding shown on the stub. Those facts explain a difference more reliably than trying to infer one from the deposit alone.
Scenario worth testing
Proration can be substantial. If an 8% target is earned for only nine of twelve eligible months, the gross starting point would be $4,200 before any performance modifier or withholding, not $5,600. The formula on this page does not include a proration field, so calculate the eligible fraction from the plan first and enter only the percentage that has actually been awarded.
Further practical detail
Some plans calculate awards from a target bonus opportunity rather than from current salary alone. A promotion, leave of absence, or salary change can create several eligibility segments. Add the segment awards outside this tool, then use the resulting gross amount with the withholding assumption if a simple after-withholding estimate is still useful.
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It is an educational estimate, not financial, tax, or legal advice.