Paycheck guides

A worked answer for every state, and guides to the questions a paycheck raises. Every figure is computed by PaycheckNew from 2026 federal rates and each state's own published schedule, not quoted from anywhere.

How much tax is taken out of a paycheck, state by state

One guide per state: every deduction on six salaries, the state's own rule in plain words, and where it ranks against the other 50 on $60,000.

Photographs from Wikimedia Commons under Creative Commons or public-domain licences; each guide credits its photographer.

Guides to how a paycheck works

How to read a US pay stub, line by lineWhat each line on a pay stub means, in the order payroll applies it, with a $60,000 example showing how gross becomes net in 2026.
Form W-4 explained: how it decides your withholdingWhat each step of the W-4 does to your paycheck, why the form has no allowances any more, and how to set it so you neither owe nor over-withhold.
How bonuses are taxed, and why the check looks so smallSupplemental wages are withheld at a flat 22% federal rate, which is often more than your normal rate, but the bonus is taxed as ordinary income when you file.
Traditional or Roth 401(k): what changes on your paycheckThe same contribution, two different paychecks. A traditional 401(k) lowers today's tax and a Roth does not, with the exact difference on a $60,000 salary.
Moving to another state: what happens to your paycheckThe same salary differs by thousands a year between states. What changes on your first check after a move, and what to tell payroll.
Overtime pay: how time and a half is taxedOvertime is taxed as ordinary wages, but a big check can be withheld at a higher rate. The rule, and the maths on time and a half.
W-2 versus 1099: the real take-home differenceA 1099 contractor pays both halves of FICA, gets no withholding and files quarterly. What the same $60,000 looks like either way.
Salary versus hourly: which actually pays moreA $30-an-hour job and a $62,400 salary are the same gross on paper. Overtime, unpaid time off and exemption rules decide which one pays more in practice.
Bi-weekly versus semi-monthly pay: why your check differsBi-weekly is 26 checks a year, semi-monthly is 24. Same salary, different check size, and two months a year with a third bi-weekly payday.
How a raise affects your paycheck, and the bracket mythWhat a raise actually adds to take-home, and why crossing a bracket never costs you money.

Hadi · Developer and maintainer

Federal tables checked against the IRS 2026 inflation adjustments on 2026-09-03. State figures, where quoted, are each state's latest published schedule, 2025; federal figures are 2026.