Native US payroll
US payroll — federal and state, included.
Federal income tax driven by the employee's W-4, FICA and FUTA — plus native state tax for eight launch states including California, New York, Texas and Florida. State tax is not a paid add-on.
- ✓ Federal + 8 states included
- ✓ W-4 drives withholding
- ✓ FICA wage base + Additional Medicare
United States payroll
What United States payroll actually has to do
The tax authority is IRS. Currency is USD. Federal + state income tax and FICA computed accurately — your Form 941 and state withholding figures prepared on every pay run.
- Federal income tax
- All seven federal brackets (10% to 37%), with the right standard deduction for single, married filing jointly and head of household — driven directly by Form W-4.
- FICA
- Social Security at 6.2% employee + 6.2% employer up to the wage base, and Medicare at 1.45% each — with the 0.9% Additional Medicare surcharge above $200,000.
- FUTA
- Federal unemployment tax at 6% on the first $7,000 of wages — typically 0.6% after the standard state credit.
- State income tax — 8 launch states
- California, New York, Texas, Florida, Illinois, Washington, Massachusetts and New Jersey. Graduated brackets, flat rates, or no state tax — applied correctly per state, plus New York City's additional resident tax.
- W-4 driven withholding
- The employee's filing status, allowances and additional withholding from Form W-4 drive federal withholding automatically.
United States payroll — questions answered
Quick, honest answers — also exposed as structured data so AI search engines can read them.
- Which US states does Mellow support?
- Eight launch states: California, New York, Texas, Florida, Illinois, Washington, Massachusetts and New Jersey. They cover the majority of US private-sector employment. More states are added by configuration.
- Does Mellow file Form 941 with the IRS?
- Mellow calculates Form 941 and prepares the data for filing. You submit through the IRS e-file portal — Mellow does not file directly on your behalf.
- How is the Additional Medicare 0.9% surcharge handled?
- It is applied automatically once an employee's year-to-date wages exceed the $200,000 threshold, in line with IRS rules.
- Does Mellow handle state disability insurance (SDI)?
- Yes — California SDI is calculated automatically. New York's additional New York City resident tax is also included for NYC employees.
- Is W-4 handled?
- Yes — every employee's Form W-4 drives their federal withholding (filing status, dependents, other adjustments, additional withholding amount).
Payroll, country by country
Mellow runs native payroll in six countries from one platform.
Run United States payroll on Mellow
The full HR platform — payroll included — from $5 per employee per month. 14-day free trial. No credit card required.