How Much Tax Comes Out of Your Paycheck
Most workers lose between 15% and 30% of each paycheck to taxes. The exact share depends on your income, filing status and, more than anything else, your state.
What gets taken out
- Federal income tax: 10% to 37% brackets on income above the $16,100 standard deduction (single, 2026).
- Social Security: 6.2% of wages up to $184,500.
- Medicare: 1.45% of all wages, plus 0.9% above $200,000.
- State and local taxes: from nothing in nine states to more than 10% at high incomes in California and New York.
Share of your paycheck taken by taxes, by state
Single filer, no pre-tax deductions, 2026 rules. Typical local taxes included where they apply. Sorted by the $65,000 column.
| State | $40,000 | $65,000 | $100,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 14.2% | 16.3% | 20.8% |
| Florida | 14.2% | 16.3% | 20.8% |
| Nevada | 14.2% | 16.3% | 20.8% |
| Tennessee | 14.2% | 16.3% | 20.8% |
| South Dakota | 14.2% | 16.3% | 20.8% |
| Wyoming | 14.2% | 16.3% | 20.8% |
| New Hampshire | 14.2% | 16.3% | 20.8% |
| North Dakota | 14.2% | 16.3% | 21.5% |
| Alaska | 14.7% | 16.7% | 21.1% |
| Washington | 15.6% | 17.7% | 22.2% |
| Arizona | 15.7% | 18.2% | 22.9% |
| Louisiana | 16.2% | 18.7% | 23.4% |
| Iowa | 16.4% | 19.1% | 24.0% |
| Mississippi | 16.4% | 19.2% | 24.1% |
| New Mexico | 16.1% | 19.2% | 24.4% |
| South Carolina | 15.4% | 19.4% | 25.1% |
| Pennsylvania | 17.3% | 19.4% | 24.0% |
| Nebraska | 16.6% | 19.5% | 24.5% |
| Missouri | 16.5% | 19.5% | 24.5% |
| North Carolina | 16.9% | 19.5% | 24.3% |
| West Virginia | 16.8% | 19.5% | 24.5% |
| Kentucky | 17.4% | 19.6% | 24.2% |
| Montana | 17.0% | 19.9% | 25.1% |
| Ohio | 17.0% | 19.9% | 24.8% |
| Idaho | 16.7% | 19.9% | 25.0% |
| Wisconsin | 16.9% | 19.9% | 25.2% |
| Oklahoma | 17.3% | 20.0% | 24.8% |
| Colorado | 17.3% | 20.0% | 25.0% |
| Georgia | 17.3% | 20.1% | 25.1% |
| New Jersey | 16.8% | 20.2% | 25.6% |
| Michigan | 17.8% | 20.2% | 24.8% |
| Utah | 16.9% | 20.2% | 25.3% |
| California | 16.9% | 20.5% | 27.0% |
| Alabama | 18.3% | 20.5% | 24.9% |
| Kansas | 17.8% | 20.6% | 25.6% |
| Washington, D.C. | 17.4% | 20.7% | 26.4% |
| Indiana | 18.6% | 20.7% | 25.2% |
| Virginia | 17.9% | 20.8% | 25.8% |
| Maine | 17.5% | 21.0% | 26.4% |
| Illinois | 18.8% | 21.0% | 25.6% |
| Minnesota | 17.9% | 21.2% | 26.5% |
| Delaware | 18.5% | 21.2% | 26.5% |
| New York | 18.6% | 21.3% | 26.1% |
| Massachusetts | 18.9% | 21.3% | 26.0% |
| Hawaii | 18.0% | 21.6% | 27.0% |
| Maryland | 20.7% | 23.4% | 28.2% |
| Oregon | 21.0% | 23.7% | 28.7% |
Want your exact number? Open your state's calculator and enter your salary, 401(k) and health insurance.
Common questions
What percentage of my paycheck goes to taxes?
For most workers it is between about 15% and 30%. A single filer earning $65,000 loses about 16% in Texas and about 24% in Oregon, counting federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare and state and local taxes.
How much federal tax comes out of a $65,000 paycheck?
For a single filer paid every two weeks, about $216.15 of federal income tax per paycheck ($5,620 a year), plus $191.25 for Social Security and Medicare.
Why does my effective tax rate differ from my tax bracket?
Brackets apply only to the slice of income inside them, and the standard deduction is not taxed at all. So someone in the 22% bracket pays a much lower share of their whole paycheck in federal income tax.
Which states take the least tax from a paycheck?
The nine states with no tax on wages: Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington and Wyoming. Washington and Alaska still take small payroll deductions for state programs.