Missouri paychecks in 2026: what changed
Missouri's minimum wage reached $15.00 in 2026, and paid sick leave stopped being required.
The changes
- New federal withholding tables. The IRS updated Publication 15-T for 2026, including changes from the 2025 tax law. The standard deduction is $16,100 single, $32,200 married filing jointly, and $24,150 head of household.
- Social Security wage base: $184,500 (up from $176,100). If you earn more, Social Security stops later in the year.
- Tips and overtime deductions for 2025–2028 — see below.
- Top income tax rate: 4.7%; brackets step up every $1,348.
- Standard deduction: $16,100 single, $32,200 married with a spouse not working, $24,150 head of household.
- Minimum wage: $15.00 from January 1, 2026; tipped cash wage $7.50.
- Paid sick time no longer required from August 28, 2025.
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.
Work out your 2026 Missouri paycheck →
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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
- Missouri Department of Revenue — 2026 Missouri Withholding Tax Formula — annual method; standard deductions $16,100 / $32,200 / $24,150; rate table 0%–4.7% in $1,348 steps; worked example $35,000 → $707.81, $59.00 a month; 4.7% supplemental
- Missouri Department of Revenue — Employer's Tax Guide, Form 4282 (revised 03-2026) — round withholding to the nearest whole dollar; wages have the federal meaning; no MO W-4 → single rate
- Missouri Department of Revenue — Form MO W-4, Employee's Withholding Certificate — filing status; Line 2 additional withholding; Line 3 reduced withholding; Line 4 exempt
- Missouri Department of Revenue — Employer withholding tax
- Missouri Department of Labor — Employers' Rights and Responsibilities Under the Missouri Employment Security Law — unemployment insurance is paid entirely by employers; no part may be deducted from a worker's pay
- City of St. Louis — Employer withholding and payroll expense tax information — 1% on the wages of employees living or working in the City of St. Louis
- City of Kansas City, Missouri — Earnings tax — 1% on residents' earned income, and on non-residents' income earned in the city
- Missouri Department of Labor — Minimum wage — $15.00 in 2026; tipped employees at least 50% ($7.50) plus tips up to $15.00; retail or service businesses under $500,000 a year exempt
- Missouri Department of Labor — Minimum wage increases to $15.00 per hour for 2026 — effective January 1, 2026; HB 567 (2025) ended yearly CPI adjustments
- RSMo 290.512 — Tipped employees — wages of at least 50% of the minimum wage, tips making up the rest
- Missouri Department of Labor — When do employees stop earning paid sick time due to HB 567? — no longer required from August 28, 2025
- Missouri Department of Labor — When does overtime come into effect? — over 40 hours in a workweek, not an eight-hour day
- Missouri Department of Labor — Wages, hours and dismissal rights — final pay at dismissal; certified-mail request, 7 days, up to 60 days' extra wages; small claims under $5,000
- Missouri Department of Labor — File a minimum wage complaint — Division of Labor Standards takes minimum wage complaints; it cannot take other wage claims to court
- RSMo 290.080 — Semimonthly pay — corporations pay at least semimonthly, within 16 days of the close of the pay period