Quick answer
Alaska paycheck basics
Alaska does not tax the wages of people who work there. The Alaska Department of Revenue's Tax Division says so directly: "The State of Alaska currently does not have an individual income tax, therefore no employee withholding for state income tax is required." An Alaska paycheck therefore has no state income tax line, whatever the salary, filing status, or number of dependents.
That does not make an Alaska paycheck identical to one in a state with no state deductions at all. Alaska takes an unemployment insurance contribution out of the employee's own pay: for 2026 the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development sets the employee rate at 0.50% of wages, up to a taxable wage base of $54,200. This calculator applies that deduction alongside federal income tax withholding, Social Security, and Medicare, using the current federal withholding tables, so the take-home figure it shows is the one an Alaska worker should actually expect on a regular paycheck.
How Alaska taxes your paycheck
Alaska levies no state income tax on wages, salaries, tips, or bonuses, so the state income tax line on an Alaska paycheck is always $0. The Tax Division's own pages for Personal Income Tax and Withholding Tax carry the same one-sentence explanation: there is no individual income tax, so no employee withholding for state income tax is required. That means no Alaska withholding certificate to complete, no state withholding tables to look up, and no state income tax return to file on wage income. What Alaska does collect from an employee's pay is a small state unemployment insurance contribution. The Department of Labor and Workforce Development's 2026 rate page states that the total rate is the employer rate plus the employee rate, and that the 2026 employee rate is 0.50% on a taxable wage base of $54,200. Once a worker's wages for the calendar year pass $54,200 the deduction stops, so it can never exceed $271.00 in a year (0.50% of $54,200). Everything else withheld from an Alaska paycheck is federal: income tax under IRS Publication 15-T, Social Security, and Medicare.
Alaska state payroll programs
Alaska's unemployment insurance program is funded by both employers and employees. For 2026 the employee rate is 0.50% of wages up to a taxable wage base of $54,200, according to the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development. The calculator deducts it on each paycheck until year-to-date wages reach the wage base, so higher earners see the line disappear late in the year. The employer's share is set separately for each employer and is not taken from the employee's pay. One caution about annual totals: this page's annual figures project a single paycheck across every pay period, so for a salary above $54,200 they show more than the $271.00 a year an Alaska worker actually pays. The per-paycheck figure is the reliable one until the wage base is reached.
| Program | Employee rate | Wage base | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska Unemployment Insurance (employee share) | 0.5% | Up to $54,200/year | Source |
Worked example
A $60,000 salary in Alaska, single, paid biweekly
- Annual salary:
- $60,000
- Filing status:
- Single
- Pay frequency:
- Biweekly (26 paychecks/year)
- Deductions:
- None
- State:
- Alaska
- Salary: +$2,307.69
- Federal income tax: −$193.08
- Social Security: −$143.08
- Medicare: −$33.46
- Alaska Unemployment Insurance (employee share): −$11.54
Net pay per paycheck: $1,926.53
Computed with Alaska's default withholding certificate (no allowances, no extra withholding) and no pre-tax or post-tax deductions. Your own paycheck will differ with different elections.
Take-home pay by salary in Alaska
Net pay at five common salaries, biweekly, with no bonus, tips or deductions — computed the same way as the worked example above, for Single and Married Filing Jointly.
| Annual salary | Single — per paycheck | Single — annual | MFJ — per paycheck | MFJ — annual |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $40,000 | $1,312.31 | $34,120.06 | $1,383.08 | $35,960.08 |
| $60,000 | $1,926.53 | $50,089.78 | $2,010.38 | $52,269.88 |
| $80,000 | $2,488.84 | $64,709.84 | $2,624.61 | $68,239.86 |
| $100,000 | $3,026.15 | $78,679.90 | $3,238.84 | $84,209.84 |
| $150,000 | $4,347.73 | $113,040.98 | $4,709.04 | $122,435.04 |
How to use this calculator
- Enter your pay. Choose salary or hourly, fill in the amount and hours, and pick how often you are paid.
- Fill in your federal Form W-4. Filing status, the Step 2 checkbox, and Steps 3 and 4 if they apply to you.
- Add any deductions. Traditional or Roth 401(k), health premiums, HSA, FSA, or other pre-tax and post-tax amounts taken from your pay.
- Read your results. Net pay per paycheck, the full breakdown by category, and any warnings about your specific numbers.
Formulas used
Net pay = gross pay − pre-tax deductions − federal tax − FICA − state tax ($0) − state payroll programs − local tax − post-tax deductions.
Alaska vs. neighboring states
Alaska shares a land border with no other U.S. state, so there is no bordering-state comparison to show. Use another state's paycheck calculator to compare take-home pay.
Frequently asked questions
How is federal income tax withheld from my paycheck calculated?+
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.
What is FICA and why is it withheld on every paycheck?+
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.
Is the result on this calculator the same as my actual paycheck?+
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.
Does Alaska have a state income tax on paychecks?+
No. The Alaska Department of Revenue states that Alaska currently does not have an individual income tax, so no employee withholding for state income tax is required. An Alaska paycheck has no state income tax withholding line at any income level.
What is deducted from an Alaska paycheck besides federal taxes?+
State unemployment insurance. For 2026 the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development sets the employee rate at 0.50% of wages up to a taxable wage base of $54,200. Federal income tax, Social Security, and Medicare are withheld as in every state, plus any deductions you choose, such as retirement contributions or health premiums.
How much is the Alaska unemployment insurance deduction in 2026?+
It is 0.50% of wages until your wages for the year reach $54,200, so the most it can total is $271.00 in 2026. On a $60,000 salary paid biweekly it is about $11.54 per paycheck until the wage base is reached, then $0. Annual totals elsewhere on this page multiply one paycheck by the number of pay periods, so they can show more than $271.00 for salaries above the wage base.
Does the Alaska unemployment deduction stop during the year?+
Yes. The 2026 taxable wage base is $54,200. Once year-to-date wages pass that amount, no more of the employee unemployment contribution is deducted for the rest of the calendar year. The calculator uses your year-to-date wages, if you enter them, to model this.
Is there an Alaska state W-4 form?+
No. Alaska has no individual income tax and requires no employee withholding for state income tax, so there is no state withholding certificate. Only the federal Form W-4 changes how much income tax is withheld from an Alaska paycheck.
What is the minimum wage in Alaska in 2026?+
Alaska's minimum wage is $14.00 per hour as of July 1, 2026. It was $13.00 per hour from July 1, 2025, before that increase. The Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development has announced $15.00 per hour on July 1, 2027.
When does the Alaska minimum wage change next?+
The next scheduled step is $15.00 per hour on July 1, 2027, under the schedule set by Ballot Measure 1, which voters passed in November 2024. After that, annual adjustments for inflation begin on January 1, 2028.
Are bonuses taxed differently in Alaska?+
Not at the state level, because Alaska has no state income tax on wages. Bonuses are still wages for federal purposes: federal withholding on supplemental wages uses the flat 22% supplemental rate, and Social Security and Medicare apply as usual.
Why does this page not compare Alaska with neighboring states?+
Alaska shares a land border with no other U.S. state, so there is no bordering-state comparison to show. You can compare Alaska with any other state's paycheck calculator, for example Texas or Washington, to see how state-level rules change take-home pay.
Does working in Alaska but living in another state change my withholding?+
It can. State withholding generally follows where the work is performed and that state's rules for nonresidents. Alaska does not require state income tax withholding from wages, but a state where you live or where you also work may have its own requirements, so check that state separately.
Sources
- Alaska Department of Revenue, Tax Division — Personal Income Tax
- Alaska Department of Revenue, Tax Division — Withholding Tax
- Alaska Department of Labor — 2026 Unemployment Insurance Tax Rates
- Alaska Department of Labor — Minimum wage increase schedule (June 11, 2025 release)
- Alaska Department of Labor — Wage and Hour
- U.S. Department of Labor — State Minimum Wage Laws
- IRS Publication 15-T (2026), Federal Income Tax Withholding Methods
- IRS Publication 15 (2026), Employer's Tax Guide
- Social Security Administration — 2026 COLA Fact Sheet