Iowa Salary Paycheck Calculator
Enter your yearly salary and how often you're paid. We split it into paychecks and take out exactly what the tax tables say.
| 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 |
| Iowa income tax · withheld | −$59.84 | −$1,555.84 |
| Take-home pay | $1,723.72 | $44,816.66 |
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 Iowa income tax was worked out
| Pay subject to Iowa tax this paycheck · after pre-tax 401(k) and benefits | $2,115.38 |
| Minus Iowa deduction amount · other (including single) ($13,000 a year) | −$500.00 |
| Taxable pay this paycheck | $1,615.38 |
| Iowa tax before allowances · × 3.8% flat rate | $61.38 |
| Minus IA W-4 allowances · $40 ÷ 26 paychecks | −$1.54 |
| Iowa tax from the formula this paycheck | $59.84 |
| Iowa income tax this paycheck · 2026 withholding formula | $59.84 |
Iowa salary after tax: common salaries
Take-home pay rounded to the dollar, for a single filer paid every two weeks with a standard W-4 and no 401(k) or benefits. Your own figure depends on your W-4 and deductions — use the calculator above.
| Salary | Per paycheck | Per year | Kept |
|---|---|---|---|
| $40,000 | $1,282 | $33,334 | 83% |
| $50,000 | $1,577 | $40,989 | 82% |
| $60,000 | $1,871 | $48,644 | 81% |
| $75,000 | $2,280 | $59,276 | 79% |
| $100,000 | $2,920 | $75,914 | 76% |
| $150,000 | $4,178 | $108,625 | 72% |
Salary to paycheck
Your salary is divided by the number of paychecks in the year: 52 weekly, 26 every two weeks, 24 twice a month, or 12 monthly. Every-two-weeks pay gives 26 checks, so two months a year have three paydays.
A traditional 401(k) lowers the pay federal income tax is worked out on, but not Social Security or Medicare. A Roth 401(k) comes out after tax — enter it as an after-tax deduction.
Salaried in Iowa
On a salary, Iowa's tax is close to 3.8% of your pay after pre-tax 401(k) and health benefits, less the yearly deduction amount for your IA W-4 filing status ($13,000, $19,500 or $26,000), and then less your IA W-4 allowance amount. If you live in a school district with a surtax, you will owe a bit more when you file.
What comes out of a Iowa 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.
An Iowa paycheck has one state line:
- Iowa income tax: 3.8% of your pay after pre-tax 401(k) and health benefits and a deduction amount that depends on the filing status on your IA W-4. Your IA W-4 allowances then lower the tax a little more.
There is no employee deduction for unemployment insurance. Iowa Workforce Development says it is a tax paid entirely by employers, and that you do not pay any part of the cost.
Other Iowa calculators
Paycheck calculator · Hourly paycheck calculator · Salary paycheck calculator · What changed for 2026 · Hourly to salary · Salary to hourly
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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
- Iowa Department of Revenue — Iowa Individual Income Tax Withholding Formula, Effective January 1, 2026 (released November 2025) — T1 = wages − deduction amount; T2 = T1 × 3.80%; T3 = T2 − allowance amount ÷ pay periods; T4 = T3 + additional; deduction amounts $13,000 / $19,500 / $26,000 a year; ten worked examples
- Iowa Department of Revenue — Iowa Withholding Tables Effective January 1, 2026 (released November 2025)
- Iowa Department of Revenue — 2026 IA W-4 Employee Withholding Allowance Certificate — filing status; line 1 $40 for yourself ($80 head of household), +$20 age 65 or blind; line 2 $40 per dependent; line 7 total allowances; line 8 additional amount; school district surtax advice
- Iowa Department of Revenue — IDR Announces 2026 Individual Income Tax and Interest Rates (October 21, 2025) — flat 3.8% on all levels of taxable income; Senate File 2442 (May 2024)
- Iowa Department of Revenue — IDR Issues New Income Withholding Tax Tables for 2026 (November 3, 2025) — formula and IA W-4 revised for 2026 federal law changes
- Iowa Administrative Code 701—307.3 — Withholding allowance certificates — an employee who fails to furnish a certificate is considered as claiming no withholding allowances
- Iowa Department of Revenue — IA 1040 expanded instructions, Line 19: School District Surtax / Emergency Medical Services Tax — surtax is a percentage of Iowa tax, based on the school district you live in on December 31, paid on the return
- Iowa Workforce Development — Unemployment Insurance Claimant Handbook 2026–2027 — "a tax paid entirely by employers"; "You do not pay any part of this cost."
- Iowa Code §91D.1 — Minimum wage — $7.25 as of January 1, 2008; tips may count for up to 40% of the minimum wage; $6.35 during the first 90 calendar days
- Iowa Code §91A.3 — Mode of payment — at least monthly, semimonthly or biweekly on regular paydays; payday no more than 12 days (excluding Sundays and legal holidays) after the end of the period
- Iowa Code §91A.4 — Payment on termination — all wages earned due no later than the next regular payday
- Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing — Wage and Child Labor: Wages — wage claims: less than one year since wages were due, under $6,500, all work in Iowa; overtime questions go to the U.S. Department of Labor
- U.S. Department of Labor — Overtime pay — time and one-half after 40 hours in a workweek
Questions
How much Iowa tax comes out of my paycheck?
3.8% of your pay after pre-tax 401(k), health benefits and the deduction amount for your filing status, minus your IA W-4 allowance amount spread over your paychecks.
How much is taken out of a $1,000 paycheck in Iowa?
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, $17.46 of Iowa income tax, leaving $867.96. Enter your own details in the calculator for your exact figure.
What is $20 an hour after taxes in Iowa?
Working 40 hours a week and paid every two weeks, $20 an hour is $1,600.00 before tax and about $1,329.19 after tax per paycheck — $34,558.84 a year — for a single filer with a standard W-4.
What does my employer use if I never filled in an IA W-4?
Iowa's rules treat you as claiming no allowances, and the formula uses the $13,000 deduction amount. That means a little more tax comes out than with the usual $40 allowance for yourself.
Is the school district surtax taken out of my paycheck?
Not by the withholding formula. You pay it on your Iowa return. You can lower your IA W-4 allowances or ask for extra withholding to cover it.
Is unemployment insurance taken out of Iowa paychecks?
No. Iowa Workforce Development says employers pay the whole cost.