Paycheck Calculators by State (2026)

Employers use the IRS Publication 15-T percentage method with the elections on your Form W-4: filing status, whether Step 2 is checked, Step 3 credits, and any Step 4 adjustments. That produces an amount to withhold each pay period before Social Security, Medicare, and any state or local tax are applied.

FICA is Social Security tax (6.2% of wages up to the annual Social Security wage base) plus Medicare tax (1.45% of all wages, with an extra 0.9% on wages above $200,000 in a year). Both are withheld on every US paycheck regardless of which state you work in, because they fund federal programs rather than a state one.

Federal withholding and FICA are the same nationwide, but states differ in whether they tax wages at all, at a flat rate, or on a progressive scale, and in whether they add mandatory payroll programs (state disability insurance, paid family leave) or local income taxes on top. Two people with the same salary in different states can see noticeably different net pay for that reason alone.

This category currently covers 44 of the 51 jurisdictions (50 states plus the District of Columbia), with the rest being added in batches. Each state page is built from that state's own published withholding rules rather than a generic estimate.

It is an estimate for planning, not a substitute for your pay stub. Your actual withholding depends on the exact elections on file with your employer, your specific pay dates, and any mid-year changes to your deductions — the calculator applies the published federal and state formulas to the numbers you enter.

No. A traditional 401(k) or 403(b) deferral reduces the wages federal income tax is withheld on, but not Social Security or Medicare wages. An HSA contribution or a Section 125 premium (health, dental, vision) usually reduces all three. A handful of states tax some of these contributions even though the IRS does not; where that applies, it's noted on that state's own page.

Social Security tax stops for the rest of the calendar year once your year-to-date wages reach the annual wage base — $184,500 for 2026. Medicare keeps applying to every dollar with no cap, and an extra 0.9% Additional Medicare Tax applies once wages pass $200,000, regardless of filing status.

That's not modeled yet. Each state page assumes you both live and work in the state it covers, so it can't apportion tax between a home state and a work state. Reciprocity agreements, where two states agree that residents of one are taxed only by their home state, are also out of scope for now. If you cross a state line for work, use the page for the state where your employer withholds and check your W-4 equivalent with your payroll department.

No. These estimate withholding from an employee paycheck. Self-employment income has no employer withholding: it's subject to self-employment tax and quarterly estimated payments, which follow different rules and are not calculated here.

No. A paycheck calculator estimates what is withheld each pay period. Your refund or balance due is decided when you file, after deductions, credits, and other income are counted, so it can differ from what your paychecks suggest. Changing your Form W-4 changes withholding going forward, not the tax you ultimately owe.

A local income tax — a city, county, or school district tax on top of the state's own — only exists where that state's own law lets local governments levy one. Where a state page lists a local tax, it's reporting that state's actual rules, not applying a default; states with no such law simply have none to show.