Kentucky Hourly Paycheck Calculator
Your hourly rate and hours in, your take-home pay out. Overtime is paid at 1.5× your rate; tips you report are taxed like wages.
= $658.98 a week · $2,855.59 a month · $34,267.12 a year
Gross pay$1,600.00$41,600.00
Your pay before anything is taken out: yearly pay divided by the 26 paychecks in a year (hourly pay is a week's pay × 52, spread the same way).
Federal income tax · withheld−$108.15−$2,812.00
Worked out from your pay and your Form W-4 with the IRS percentage method (Worksheet 1A): yearly pay, minus the allowance for your filing status, into the 2026 annual table, minus W-4 credits, divided by paychecks. Each line, for this paycheck:
| Pay subject to income tax, for the year · $1,600.00 × 26 paychecks | $41,600.00 |
| Minus the IRS withholding allowance · Pub 15-T Worksheet 1A, line 1g | −$8,600.00 |
| Adjusted yearly wage | $33,000.00 |
| Tax from the IRS yearly table · standard table | $2,812.00 |
| Federal income tax per paycheck · divided by 26 | $108.15 |
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.
Adjusted yearly wage: $33,000.00, so this row applies:
| Over | Not over | Base tax | + rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0 | $7,500 | $0.00 | 0% |
| $7,500 | $19,900 | $0.00 | 10% |
| $19,900 | $57,900 | $1,240.00 | 12% Your row |
| $57,900 | $113,200 | $5,800.00 | 22% |
| $113,200 | $209,275 | $17,966.00 | 24% |
| $209,275 | $263,725 | $41,024.00 | 32% |
| $263,725 | $648,100 | $58,448.00 | 35% |
| $648,100 | - | $192,979.25 | 37% |
$1,240.00 + 12% × ($33,000.00 − $19,900.00) = $2,812.00
Source: IRS Publication 15-T (2026) · checked Sep 21, 2026
Social Security (6.2%)−$99.20−$2,579.20
6.2% of your pay (after pre-tax benefits, not after 401(k)) up to $184,500 of pay in 2026. Once your pay for the year passes that, it stops until January. Stubs often call it OASDI or FICA.
Source: Social Security Administration - 2026 wage base · checked Sep 21, 2026
Medicare (1.45%)−$23.20−$603.20
1.45% of all your pay, with no yearly limit, plus 0.9% Additional Medicare on pay above $200,000 in the year.
Source: IRS Publication 15 (2026) · checked Sep 21, 2026
Kentucky income tax · withheld−$51.48−$1,338.48
3.5% plus local occupational tax. Worked out with Kentucky's official 2026 withholding method, step by step:
| Pay subject to Kentucky tax, for the year · this paycheck × 26, after pre-tax 401(k) and benefits | $41,600.00 |
| Minus Kentucky standard deduction | −$3,360.00 |
| Kentucky taxable wages for the year | $38,240.00 |
| Yearly Kentucky tax · × 3.5% flat rate | $1,338.40 |
| Kentucky income tax this paycheck · ÷ 26 (2026 withholding formula) | $51.48 |
Source: Kentucky - 103 KAR 18:070, Supplemental wages and other payments subject to withholding · checked Oct 16, 2026
Local occupational license tax · enter your local rate above$0.00$0.00
Local occupational license tax: an employee-paid Kentucky payroll program, taken as a share of your pay (enter your local rate above).
Source: Kentucky - 103 KAR 18:070, Supplemental wages and other payments subject to withholding · checked Oct 16, 2026
Built by Ashish Hirpara · figures from IRS and state publications · sources · corrections
Hourly pay in Kentucky
Kentucky's minimum wage is $7.25 an hour, the same as the federal rate, in effect since July 1, 2009. Tipped employees - people who usually get more than $30 a month in tips - can be paid $2.13 an hour if tips bring them up to $7.25.
Overtime. Time-and-a-half for hours over 40 in a workweek. Kentucky also requires time-and-a-half for hours on the seventh day if you work all seven days in one workweek, unless your employer doesn't let you work more than 40 hours that week.
Extra hours raise both taxes. The state and local taxes are percentages of your pay, so overtime adds to both.
Minimum wage after taxes in Kentucky
At Kentucky's minimum wage of $7.25 an hour (since July 1, 2009), a full-time worker takes home about $519.85 every two weeks - $13,516 a year, or $6.50 for each hour worked after tax. No increase is scheduled.
| Minimum wage, $7.25/hour | Gross per paycheck | Take-home per paycheck | Take-home a year | After tax per hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40 hours a week | $580.00 | $519.85 | $13,516 | $6.50 |
| 30 hours a week | $435.00 | $391.02 | $10,167 | $6.52 |
| 20 hours a week | $290.00 | $262.18 | $6,817 | $6.55 |
Paid every two weeks, single filer, standard W-4, no benefits. Tipped workers can be paid $2.13 an hour in cash if tips bring them to the full minimum; their tax depends on the tips they report. Every state's figures: minimum wage after taxes by state.
Take-home at common hourly rates in Kentucky
Full time (40 hours a week), paid every two weeks, single filer with a standard W-4 and no benefits. The last column is what you keep for each hour worked.
| Hourly rate | Take-home per paycheck | Take-home a year | Kept per hour |
|---|---|---|---|
| $7.25 (minimum wage) | $519.85 | $13,516 | $6.50 |
| $15 | $1,010.57 | $26,275 | $12.63 |
| $18 | $1,195.01 | $31,070 | $14.94 |
| $20 | $1,317.97 | $34,267 | $16.47 |
| $22 | $1,440.93 | $37,464 | $18.01 |
| $25 | $1,625.37 | $42,260 | $20.32 |
| $30 | $1,932.77 | $50,252 | $24.16 |
Part time and overtime at $20 an hour in Kentucky
Every two weeks, single filer, standard W-4. Overtime is paid at 1.5 times the rate. More hours mean a larger share is withheld, because withholding is worked out as if each paycheck were repeated all year.
| Hours a week | Gross per paycheck | Take-home per paycheck | Kept |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 hours | $800.00 | $697.24 | 87% |
| 30 hours | $1,200.00 | $1,010.57 | 84% |
| 40 hours | $1,600.00 | $1,317.97 | 82% |
| 40 hours + 5 overtime | $1,900.00 | $1,548.52 | 82% |
| 40 hours + 10 overtime | $2,200.00 | $1,779.07 | 81% |
Because hours change from week to week, your withholding changes too: a week with lots of overtime is withheld as if you earned that much every week, so more comes out. It usually evens out when you file your return.
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.
Every line that comes out of a Kentucky paycheck, with its official source, is set out on the Kentucky paycheck calculator.
More for Kentucky
Paycheck calculator · Hourly · Salary · Bonus tax · Rent you can afford · Employer payroll taxes
Other tools: What changed for 2026 · Hourly to salary · Salary to hourly · Overtime · Raise · Net to gross · Compare two states · All state tax rates · How Kentucky ranks on $75,000 · Pay stub checker · W-4 guide
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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
- Kentucky - 103 KAR 18:070, Supplemental wages and other payments subject to withholding - supplemental wages: aggregate with regular wages of the current or most recent payroll period; no flat rate (read Sep 27, 2026)
- Kentucky Department of Revenue - 42A003 (TCF)(10-2025), 2026 Kentucky Withholding Tax Formula - 3.5% flat rate; $3,360 standard deduction; four-step formula; monthly and bi-weekly examples
- Kentucky Department of Revenue - 2026 Withholding Tax Tables, Computer Formula 42A003 (TCF)(10-2025) - wage-bracket tables to the cent
- Kentucky Department of Revenue - Form K-4 (42A804), Kentucky's Withholding Certificate (2026) - flat 3.5% with $3,360 standard deduction; low-income exemption threshold $15,650 for a household of one; K-4 only needed to claim exemption or request extra withholding
- Kentucky Department of Revenue - Withholding Kentucky Income Tax, Instructions for Employers (42A003, 4-21) - wages as defined in IRC §3401; 401(k) and cafeteria plan amounts not subject to withholding
- Kentucky General Assembly - 2025 HB 1 - rate cut from 4% to 3.5% for taxable years beginning on or after Jan. 1, 2026
- KRS 141.310 - Withholding of tax from wages paid by employer - voluntary additional withholding by agreement
- KRS 67.750 - Definitions (local occupational license taxes) - compensation includes 401(k) deferrals and section 125 contributions
- Louisville Metro Revenue Commission - W-1 tax form instructions - 2.2% residents, 1.45% non-residents
- Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government - Occupational license fee rates - 2.25% of compensation
- Fayette County Public Schools - Tax Collection Office - 0.5% on compensation of Fayette County residents for work in Fayette County (KRS 160.605)
- Kentucky Office of Unemployment Insurance - Employer guide - employers pay for unemployment insurance through taxes on their payroll
- Kentucky Labor Cabinet - Kentucky Wage and Hour Laws poster - $7.25 since July 1, 2009; $2.13 tipped cash wage; overtime after 40 hours and on the seventh day; final pay
- KRS 337.020 - Time of payment of wages - at least semimonthly, for work up to 18 days before payday
Questions
What is minimum wage after taxes in Kentucky?
At $7.25 an hour for 40 hours a week, about $519.85 every two weeks and $13,516 a year after federal and state taxes, Social Security and Medicare (single filer, standard W-4).
What is $15 an hour after taxes in Kentucky?
Working 40 hours a week and paid every two weeks, $15 an hour is $1,200.00 before tax and about $1,010.57 after tax per paycheck - $26,275 a year - for a single filer with a standard W-4.
What is $20 an hour after taxes in Kentucky?
Working 40 hours a week and paid every two weeks, $20 an hour is $1,600.00 before tax and about $1,317.97 after tax per paycheck - $34,267 a year - for a single filer with a standard W-4.
What is $25 an hour after taxes in Kentucky?
Working 40 hours a week and paid every two weeks, $25 an hour is $2,000.00 before tax and about $1,625.37 after tax per paycheck - $42,260 a year - for a single filer with a standard W-4.
How much does 5 hours of overtime a week add at $20 an hour in Kentucky?
Five overtime hours at $30 add $300.00 of gross pay to each two-week paycheck, and about $230.55 after tax (single filer, standard W-4).