Paycheck Taxes by State (2026): How Much Each State Takes From Your Pay

The short answer

Every paycheck loses federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare no matter where you live. State income tax is the part that changes when you move. For a single filer earning $75,000 in 2026, federal tax and FICA take about $13,400 a year in every state. State income tax then adds anything from $0 in Texas to about $3,600 in Illinois among the states below.

Use the paycheck calculator to run your exact salary, filing status, 401(k) and health premiums for your state.

What comes out of every paycheck

Before state tax, a W-2 employee pays:

• Federal income tax on wages minus pre-tax deductions and the standard deduction ($16,100 single, $32,200 married filing jointly, $24,150 head of household for 2026), using brackets from 10% to 37%.
• Social Security: 6.2% of wages up to the 2026 wage base of $184,500.
• Medicare: 1.45% of all wages, plus 0.9% on wages above $200,000.

On $75,000 single with no pre-tax deductions, that is about $7,670 federal income tax, $4,650 Social Security and $1,088 Medicare. In a no-tax state the take-home is about $61,593 a year, or $2,369 every two weeks.

The three kinds of state income tax

No tax on wages. Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington and Wyoming. These states usually raise more from sales or property taxes instead, so lower paycheck tax does not always mean a lower total cost of living.

Flat tax. One rate on all taxable income. Pennsylvania (3.07%), Illinois (4.95%), North Carolina and Georgia work this way. The deduction or exemption still matters: Pennsylvania allows none, Illinois gives a personal exemption, and North Carolina and Georgia give a standard deduction.

Progressive tax. Rising brackets, like the federal system. California, New York and New Jersey are examples; Massachusetts is flat at 5% but adds a 4% surtax on very high incomes.

State tax compared at three salaries

Single filer, 2026 federal rules, standard deduction and no pre-tax deductions. State tables are the latest our calculator uses; the year for each state is shown next to it in the paycheck calculator.

State	State tax at $50,000	State tax at $75,000	State tax at $100,000	Take-home at $75,000	Per bi-weekly check at $75,000
Texas (no income tax)	$0	$0	$0	$61,593	$2,369
Pennsylvania	$1,535	$2,303	$3,070	$59,290	$2,280
North Carolina	$1,486	$2,484	$3,481	$59,109	$2,273
New Jersey	$1,215	$2,596	$4,180	$58,997	$2,269
California	$1,040	$2,775	$5,055	$58,818	$2,262
Georgia	$1,747	$2,994	$4,242	$58,599	$2,254
New York (excl. NYC)	$2,103	$3,453	$4,860	$58,140	$2,236
Massachusetts	$2,280	$3,530	$4,780	$58,063	$2,233
Illinois	$2,330	$3,568	$4,805	$58,025	$2,232

Two patterns stand out. Progressive states are cheap at lower incomes and expensive at higher ones: California takes less than Pennsylvania at $50,000 but more at $100,000. Flat states with no deduction — Pennsylvania especially — tax from the first dollar, but at a low rate.

For a married couple filing jointly on $150,000, state tax ranges from about $4,600 in Pennsylvania to about $7,100 in Illinois and Massachusetts among the same states.

State-by-state notes

Texas, Florida, Washington, Nevada, Tennessee. No tax on wages, so your paycheck has only federal tax and FICA. Washington employees still see paid family and medical leave and WA Cares long-term-care premiums on their payslips.

Pennsylvania. A flat 3.07% with no standard deduction or personal exemption, so tax starts with the first dollar. Unusually, employee 401(k) contributions are taxed by Pennsylvania. Almost every municipality also charges a local earned income tax, and Philadelphia has its own wage tax, which can cost more than the state tax.

North Carolina and Georgia. Flat rates that have been cut in recent years. North Carolina's rate is 3.99% for 2026 with a $12,750 standard deduction for single filers. Georgia cut its rate to 4.99% for 2026 and raised its standard deduction to $15,000 single and $30,000 married filing jointly; further annual cuts are scheduled from 2027.

Illinois. A flat 4.95% after a small personal exemption. Because the exemption is small, Illinois takes more than most flat-tax states at every income level in the table.

Massachusetts. A flat 5% after a personal exemption, plus a 4% surtax on taxable income above $1,107,750 in 2026 — which does not affect most paychecks.

New Jersey. Progressive brackets from 1.4% to 10.75% with a small personal exemption. Rates are low up to about $75,000 single, then step up to 6.37%. Married couples use a wider set of brackets.

New York. Brackets from 3.9% upward — the five lowest rates were each cut by 0.1 percentage point for 2026 — and a standard deduction of $8,000 for single filers. New York City residents pay city income tax on top, which the table excludes.

California. The most progressive system in the table: 1% on the first slice of income up to 13.3% above $1 million (including the 1% mental health services tax). A small personal exemption credit is subtracted from the tax. California SDI is also withheld from every paycheck.

How filing status and 401(k) change the picture

States set their own deductions, exemptions and brackets by filing status, and they do not always mirror the federal rules. Married couples filing jointly usually get double the single deduction or exemption, and in progressive states wider brackets as well, so a couple on $150,000 pays less state tax than a single person on $150,000. Pre-tax 401(k) contributions lower state taxable wages in every state in the table except Pennsylvania, so contributing 5% of a $75,000 salary saves roughly 3–5% of $3,750 in state tax as well as federal tax. Section 125 health premiums lower both federal and state wages almost everywhere.

What the table does not include

• Local income taxes. New York City, Yonkers, Philadelphia, most Pennsylvania municipalities (earned income tax), many Ohio cities, and Maryland and Indiana counties tax wages on top of state tax.
• State payroll programs. California SDI, New York disability and paid family leave, New Jersey disability and family leave insurance, and Washington's paid leave and long-term-care premiums are deducted from pay in those states.
• Pre-tax deductions. A traditional 401(k) lowers state taxable wages in most states, but Pennsylvania taxes 401(k) contributions — the paycheck calculator handles this.
• Credits and itemized deductions that you claim when you file the state return.

Living in one state and working in another

Generally, the state where you physically work taxes those wages, and your home state taxes all your income but gives a credit for tax paid to the work state, so you are not taxed twice on the same pay. Some neighbouring states have reciprocity agreements — for example Pennsylvania and New Jersey — so the employer withholds only for your home state once you file the right exemption form. Remote workers should check whether their employer's state has a "convenience of the employer" rule, as New York does.

How to estimate your own paycheck

1. Start from gross pay per paycheck (salary ÷ 26 for bi-weekly, or hourly rate × hours).
2. Subtract pre-tax deductions such as a traditional 401(k) and Section 125 health premiums.
3. Work out federal income tax on the annualised taxable wages, then divide by the number of paychecks.
4. Take 6.2% Social Security and 1.45% Medicare on wages after Section 125 deductions.
5. Apply your state's deduction or exemption and its rate or brackets.

The paycheck calculator does all five steps. If you are comparing an hourly job with a salaried one, the hourly to annual salary calculator and the salary and hourly tables show take-home pay for every common amount. Contractors should also read W-2 vs 1099 taxes, because self-employment tax changes the picture more than state tax does.

Withholding vs the tax you actually owe

The amount your employer withholds is an estimate. Federal withholding follows your W-4 and IRS Publication 15-T; state withholding follows each state's own tables and allowance forms, such as California's DE 4 or New York's IT-2104. If you never submitted a state form, most employers withhold as if you were single with no adjustments, which can over-withhold for married couples. When you file your state return, the tax is recalculated on your full-year income with any credits and itemized deductions, and you receive a refund or owe the difference. If you consistently get a large state refund, updating your state withholding form will increase every paycheck instead.

Bonuses and second jobs

Many states withhold a flat supplemental rate on bonuses rather than running them through the brackets, so a bonus paycheck can look over- or under-taxed until you file. With two jobs, each employer withholds as if that job were your only income, which often under-withholds in progressive states such as California and New York. Use the paycheck calculator on your combined income to see your true state tax, then adjust withholding on one of the jobs.

Is moving to a no-tax state worth it?

At $75,000 the gap between Texas and the highest state in the table is about $3,600 a year, or $138 a paycheck. At $100,000 it grows to about $5,000. That is real money, but compare it with rent, property tax, insurance and sales tax before deciding: Texas property taxes and Washington sales taxes are high, and housing costs often outweigh the income-tax difference.