Cookie Policy
First, What Is a Cookie?
A cookie is a tiny text file that a website stores on your browser or your device. It lets the site remember something about your visit — like your preferred state, your dark mode setting, or that you already saw a cookie banner. Cookies are harmless, they are not viruses, and you can delete them any time you want from your browser settings.
PayCalcFig uses a small number of cookies to make the site work better. This page explains exactly which ones we use, why we use them, and how you can manage them.
Cookies We Use
We group our cookies into three buckets. Here is what each one does:
Analytics Cookies (Third-Party — Google Analytics)
These cookies tell us, in aggregate, how people use the site. We use them to figure out which calculators are most popular, which pages have slow load times, and which mobile devices are common among our users. Without these cookies, we would be flying blind when it comes to improving the site.
Google Analytics sets cookies with names like _ga, _ga_*,_gid, and _gat. These cookies last anywhere from a few minutes to two years, and they are read by Google, not by us. We never see the raw cookie contents — we only see the aggregated reports.
Functional Cookies (First-Party)
These cookies make the site easier to use, and they are set directly by PayCalcFig:
- state_selection — remembers which US state you selected for your last take-home pay calculation, so you do not have to pick it again.
- theme_preference — remembers whether you turned on dark mode.
- calc_cache — stores your last calculator input in case you navigate away and come back. We delete this cookie as soon as you close the tab.
Functional cookies do not track you across the web, and they expire when their job is done — usually at the end of your browser session.
Advertising Cookies (Third-Party — Google AdSense)
If you see advertisements on the site, Google AdSense sets its own cookies to help decide which ads to show you. These cookies let Google build an anonymous profile of your interests based on the pages you visit across the web. That profile is not linked to your name, email, or any personal information we hold.
You can turn off personalized advertising from Google at any time throughGoogle's Ad Settings page.
Third-Party Cookies
The only third-party services that currently set cookies on PayCalcFig are Google Analytics and Google AdSense. We do not embed social media trackers, we do not use heat-map tools, and we do not load any other third-party scripts that would set cookies. If that changes — for example, if we add a new analytics tool or a new ad network — we will update this page with a clear explanation.
You can review Google's own cookie policies on their website:
Managing Cookies in Your Browser
You are in control. Every major browser lets you view, delete, and block cookies:
Chrome, Edge, and Safari — open your browser settings, search for "cookies," and you will find controls to clear all cookies, block third-party cookies, or set rules for specific websites.
If you block cookies entirely, PayCalcFig will still load and the calculators will still work — you just will not get the state-memorization, dark-mode, or session-cache features. Analytics cookies will also be blocked, which means we will lose visibility into how the site is being used and will find it harder to fix problems.
Deleting cookies will not cause any data loss for you because we do not store personal information in cookies. The worst thing that happens is that your state and theme preferences reset.
Do Not Track and Opt-Out Signals
We respect standard browser "Do Not Track" signals where they exist, though the exact behavior depends on which browser and which device you are using. We also honor theGlobal Privacy Control (GPC) header if your browser sends one, which is especially relevant if you are browsing from California.
Updates to This Cookie Policy
We review this cookie policy every time we add or remove a cookie. If we start using a new category of cookies, stop using a service, or change how existing cookies work, we will update this page with a new "Last updated" date and a brief summary of the change at the top. Minor wording corrections will update the date without a separate note.
Questions About Cookies
If you have a question about a specific cookie, want to know why it is there, or want to report a cookie that should not be on the site, email us at privacy@paycalcfig.com. We will respond within seven calendar days.