Using Payroll Calculator6 min readIntro

Payroll Calculator getting started: step-by-step setup

Sign in, create or select a company, tour the main screens, and follow the recommended order before your first pay run on payroll.workminty.com.

WorkMinty publishes general educational information for small business owners. It is not tax, legal, or accounting advice. Tax rules change and vary by state and situation. Consult a qualified CPA, enrolled agent, or attorney before making decisions or responding to a government audit.

Educational only · Last reviewed May 30, 2026

Product guide · Last reviewed May 30, 2026: Step-by-step help for Payroll Calculator. This is software how-to—not tax or legal advice. Confirm filings and deposit rules with your CPA or payroll advisor.

What Payroll Calculator does

Payroll Calculator helps small employers:

Store W-2 employees (and track 1099 contractors on the roster—not in pay runs)
Run payroll by pay period with tax estimates
Keep payroll history you can edit and export
View tax report summaries (Form 941, California DE-88, W-2 boxes, and more)

What it does not do

Not included	What to do instead
E-file or mail forms to IRS/EDD	Use your CPA, agency portals, or approved e-file services
Online credit-card checkout for upgrades	Activate a license key from WorkMinty (Account → License)
Exact IRS Pub 15-T withholding tables	Manual mode (default): FIT/PIT are estimates. Paid plans can enable Pub 15-T + EDD tables in Company profile
States other than California and Washington	Use another payroll provider or manual process
Pay contractors through payroll runs	Pay 1099s outside the app; use ClearLedger for 1099-NEC reporting
Calculate deposit due dates automatically	Use Schedule B as a reconciliation aid; follow agency rules

Step 1 — Create or sign in to WorkMinty

Open payroll.workminty.com.
Choose Sign in or Create account (you may be sent to the WorkMinty account hub).
Activate your email if prompted (/activate link from your inbox).
Optional: try Demo mode (?demo=true in the URL) to explore with sample data—demo does not enforce license limits.

Step 2 — Create or select a company

If you have no companies, use the header link to Account Hub → Create company.
After creation, pick your company from the company dropdown in the header.
Basic (free) license: one company, one employee, no CSV import/export.

Step 3 — Tour the main screens

Screen	Path	Purpose
Dashboard	`/dashboard`	Headline totals, license card, tax snapshot
Workforce	`/workforce`	Employees · Run payroll · Payroll history
Company profile	`/company-profile`	EIN, federal/state tax settings, owners
Reports	`/reports`	941, DE-88, W-2 summaries, 941 PDF
Account	`/account`	Profile, password, license key

Step 4 — Set up company taxes (before first pay run)

Go to Company profile.
Enter EIN, address, and entity type.
Choose California or Washington (only states supported in software).
Set federal deposit schedule, 941 vs 944 preference, and state UI/SDI/PFML rates as applicable.
Save, then continue to Set up your company tax profile.

Step 5 — Add your first employee

Workforce → Employees → New employee (or /employees/new).
Choose W-2 (not 1099 if you want them in pay runs).
Enter pay amount, frequency, and withholding (W-4 / DE-4 estimates or flat %).
Follow Add and manage employees.

Step 6 — Run your first payroll

Workforce → Run payroll.
Pick the pay period and select employees.
Click Run payroll for selected.
Follow Run payroll step by step.

Step 7 — Review reports and exports

Open Reports for 941 / DE-88 / W-2 box totals.
Use Payroll history to export CSV or payslip PDFs (paid license for CSV export on Basic).
Follow Payroll history, edits, and exports and Tax reports guide.