Delaware Paycheck Calculator 2026
Enter your pay and your DE W-4 details to see what lands in your bank account. Delaware's income tax runs from 0% up to 6.6%, and your employer may also deduct Delaware Paid Leave — we show each step.
| Per paycheck | Amount | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $2,115.38 | $55,000.00 |
| Federal income tax · withheld | −$170.00 | −$4,420.00 |
| Social Security (6.2%) | −$131.15 | −$3,410.00 |
| Medicare (1.45%) | −$30.67 | −$797.50 |
| Delaware income tax · withheld | −$91.37 | −$2,375.62 |
| Delaware Paid Leave · 0.4%, the most your employer may deduct | −$8.46 | −$220.00 |
| Wilmington wage tax · enter your city rate above | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Take-home pay | $1,683.73 | $43,776.88 |
How the federal income tax was worked out
| Pay subject to income tax, for the year · $2,115.38 × 26 paychecks | $55,000.00 |
| Minus the IRS withholding allowance · Pub 15-T Worksheet 1A, line 1g | −$8,600.00 |
| Adjusted yearly wage | $46,400.00 |
| Tax from the IRS yearly table · standard table | $4,420.00 |
| Federal income tax per paycheck · divided by 26 | $170.00 |
IRS Publication 15-T (2026), Worksheet 1A — the percentage method payroll software uses for a Form W-4 from 2020 or later. Your employer's figure can differ by a few cents because of rounding.
How the Delaware income tax was worked out
| Pay subject to Delaware tax this paycheck · after pre-tax 401(k) and benefits, as for federal | $2,115.38 |
| Pay for the year · × 26 pay periods | $54,999.88 |
| Minus Delaware standard deduction · single | −$3,250.00 |
| Delaware taxable income for the year | $51,749.88 |
| Tax from the Delaware table · $1,001.00 + 5.55% of the amount over $25,000 | $2,485.62 |
| Minus personal exemption credits · 1 × $110 | −$110.00 |
| Delaware tax for the year | $2,375.62 |
| Delaware income tax this paycheck · ÷ 26, rounded to the cent | $91.37 |
What comes out of a Delaware paycheck
- Federal income tax withholding — worked out from your pay and your Form W-4, using the IRS tables for 2026.
- Social Security — 6.2% of your pay, up to $184,500 of pay in 2026. Above that, it stops for the rest of the year.
- Medicare — 1.45% of all your pay, plus 0.9% on pay above $200,000 in the year.
A Delaware paycheck can have up to three state or local lines:
- Delaware income tax, from 2.2% to 6.6% on each slice of taxable pay.
- Delaware Paid Leave: up to 0.4% of your pay ($4 per $1,000).
- Wilmington wage tax: 1.25% if you live or work in the City of Wilmington.
Here is how the Division of Revenue's formula works out the income tax:
- Your employer multiplies this paycheck by the number of paydays in the year. We start from your pay after a traditional 401(k) and pre-tax health insurance, the same as for federal tax.
- It subtracts the standard deduction: $3,250 if you're single or married filing separately, $6,500 if you're married filing jointly.
- It finds the tax from the rate table. The first $2,000 is taxed at 0%. The rate then steps up with each slice, and income over $60,000 is taxed at 6.6%.
- It takes $110 off the year's tax for each exemption on your DE W-4.
- It divides what's left by your number of paychecks.
Delaware Paid Leave. The program costs 0.8% of wages. Your employer may take up to half of that from your pay: up to 0.4% if it has 25 or more employees, or up to 0.16% if it has 10 to 24 employees and only has to cover parental leave. Employers with fewer than 10 employees don't have to take part. The deduction stops once your pay for the year passes the Social Security wage base of $184,500, so the most you pay in 2026 is $738. We show the most your employer may deduct; some employers pay more of the cost themselves.
Wilmington wage tax. The City of Wilmington charges 1.25% on the earned income of people who live in the city and of people who work there. Enter the rate above if it applies to you; we work it out on your pay before a 401(k) is taken out.
What's different about Delaware
A tax credit for each exemption
Delaware takes $110 off the tax itself, not off your pay, for each exemption you claim on the DE W-4. You count 1 for yourself, 1 for your spouse, and 1 for each dependent; the worksheet adds more if you or your spouse are 60 or older, 65 or older, or blind.
Your DE W-4
The federal W-4 no longer has allowances, so Delaware has its own DE W-4. It asks whether you're single or married, how many exemptions you claim, and whether you want an extra amount withheld each payday. If you never turned in a DE W-4, your employer withholds as if you're single with no exemptions — enter 0 exemptions above to see that.
Delaware Paid Leave benefits
Payroll deductions began on January 1, 2025, and workers could start taking paid leave on January 1, 2026. The benefit is 80% of your wages, up to $900 a week.
Paydays, final pay and unpaid wages
Delaware law says you must be paid on regular paydays at least once a month, within 7 days of the end of the pay period. When you leave a job, your final wages are due by the later of your next regular payday or 3 business days after your last day. An employer that pays late can owe extra damages of 10% of the unpaid wages for each day, up to the amount unpaid. You can sue for unpaid wages, and the Delaware Department of Labor can take legal action to collect wage claims.
Why your paycheck might differ from this
- Your W-4. Credits for children (Step 3), a checked Step 2 box, or extra withholding (Step 4c) change the federal amount a lot. Open "Tips, 401(k), health insurance and W-4 details" above to enter them.
- Benefits taken before tax. Health insurance through work usually lowers income tax and Social Security and Medicare. A traditional 401(k) lowers income tax only.
- Rounding. Payroll software may round each step, so a few cents of difference is normal.
Tips and overtime in 2026
New federal deductions apply for 2025 through 2028: up to $25,000 for qualified tips, and up to $12,500 ($25,000 for joint filers) for the extra "half" of time-and-a-half overtime. Both phase out above $150,000 of income ($300,000 joint).
These are deductions on your tax return. Your employer still takes Social Security and Medicare out of tips and overtime, and still withholds income tax unless you tell it otherwise. If you expect to claim them, you can put the expected amount in Step 4(b) of your W-4 (and in the Step 4(b) box above) so less income tax is withheld during the year.
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Sources
- IRS Publication 15-T (2026), Federal Income Tax Withholding Methods — Worksheet 1A and the annual percentage-method tables
- IRS Publication 15 (2026), Employer's Tax Guide — Social Security and Medicare rates
- Social Security Administration — 2026 wage base of $184,500
- IRS — tips and overtime deductions
- Delaware Division of Revenue — Employer's Guide (Withholding Regulations and Employer's Duties) — annualized formula: standard deduction $3,250 single / $6,500 joint / $3,250 separate; $110 credit per exemption; tax table effective Jan. 1, 2025 (0%–6.6%); example $25,000 single, 1 allowance → $722, $13.88 weekly; no form → single, no allowances; page updated Jan. 9, 2026
- Delaware Division of Revenue — Tax rate changes (software developers) — same rate table for 2014 and later; round intermediate results to the penny
- Delaware Division of Revenue — Employers Guide (Withholding Tables) — wage-bracket tables by pay period
- Delaware Division of Revenue — Form DE W-4, Employee's Withholding Allowance Certificate — Single or Married; number of exemptions; additional amount withheld each paycheck; worksheet uses $110 per exemption
- Delaware Division of Revenue — Delaware W-4 FAQ — Delaware-specific W-4 for Delaware withholding, since the federal W-4 no longer has allowances
- Delaware Department of Labor — Delaware Paid Leave — contributions from Jan. 1, 2025; claims from Jan. 1, 2026; 1–9 employees exempt, 10–24 parental leave only, 25+ all coverages; benefit up to 80% of wages, $900 a week
- Delaware Department of Labor — Notice that payroll deductions for Delaware Paid Leave may begin — employers can require employees to pay up to 0.4% of covered wages (0.16% if only parental leave is required); covered wages capped at the Social Security maximum
- Delaware Department of Labor — Employers & TPAs Guide to Delaware Paid Leave — 0.8% total: parental 0.32%, medical 0.40%, family caregiver 0.08%; employees pay up to 50%; FICA wages earned in Delaware
- Delaware Department of Labor — How Delaware Paid Leave works (FAQs) — rates guaranteed through 2026 at 0.8% of wages
- Social Security Administration — Contribution and benefit base — $184,500 for 2026
- Wilmington City Council — City of Wilmington Tax Rates, Fiscal Year 2025 — wage tax 1.25% of gross earned income of city residents and of non-residents working in the city
- City of Wilmington — City Wage & Net Profits Taxes — earned income tax regulations, refunds for non-resident work outside the city
- Delaware Code Title 19, Chapter 9 — Minimum wage (§ 902) — $15.00 effective January 1, 2025; tipped employees (over $30 a month in tips) at least $2.23 an hour
- U.S. Department of Labor — Minimum wages for tipped employees — Delaware: $15.00 combined, $12.77 tip credit, $2.23 cash wage; tipped means more than $30 a month
- U.S. Department of Labor — State minimum wage laws — Delaware $15.00; premium pay after 40 hours a week
- Delaware Code Title 19, Chapter 11 — Wage Payment and Collection — § 1102 paid at least monthly, within 7 days of the end of the pay period; § 1103 final pay by the later of the next regular payday or 3 business days, liquidated damages 10% a day up to the unpaid wages; § 1112 civil penalties $1,000–$5,000; § 1113 court action, Department of Labor may collect claims
Questions
What is the Delaware income tax rate in 2026?
It's graduated: 0% on the first $2,000 of taxable income, then 2.2% and up in steps, to 6.6% on income over $60,000.
How much is taken out of a $1,000 paycheck in Delaware?
For a single filer paid every two weeks with nothing else on the W-4, a $1,000 paycheck has about $38.08 of federal income tax, $62.00 of Social Security and $14.50 of Medicare taken out, $29.77 of Delaware income tax, leaving $851.65. Enter your own details in the calculator for your exact figure.
What is $20 an hour after taxes in Delaware?
Working 40 hours a week and paid every two weeks, $20 an hour is $1,600.00 before tax and about $1,300.28 after tax per paycheck — $33,807.18 a year — for a single filer with a standard W-4.
How much is the Delaware Paid Leave deduction?
Up to 0.4% of your pay if your employer has 25 or more employees, or up to 0.16% with 10 to 24 employees. It stops at $184,500 of pay for the year.
Do I pay the Wilmington wage tax?
If you live in the City of Wilmington, or work there, a 1.25% wage tax applies to your earnings. Enter it above to see it on your paycheck.
What if I didn't fill out a DE W-4?
Your employer withholds as if you're single with no exemptions, so no exemption credit comes off your tax.