Pennsylvania Paycheck Calculator 2026
Enter your pay and your local tax rate to see what lands in your bank account. Pennsylvania takes a flat 3.07%, plus unemployment compensation and your local taxes — we show each one.
| 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 |
| Pennsylvania income tax · withheld | −$64.94 | −$1,688.44 |
| PA unemployment compensation · 0.07%, employee share | −$1.48 | −$38.50 |
| Local earned income tax · enter your local rate above | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Take-home pay | $1,717.14 | $44,645.56 |
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 Pennsylvania income tax was worked out
| Gross pay this paycheck | $2,115.38 |
| Pennsylvania taxable pay | $2,115.38 |
| Pennsylvania income tax this paycheck · × 3.07%, no allowances | $64.94 |
What comes out of a Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania paycheck usually has four state and local lines:
- Pennsylvania income tax: 3.07% of your pay, with no allowances or standard deduction. Unlike federal tax, Pennsylvania taxes what you put in a 401(k) or 403(b); pre-tax health insurance through a section 125 plan is not taxed.
- Unemployment compensation: 0.07% of your gross wages ($0.70 per $1,000), with no yearly cap.
- Local earned income tax — a percentage set where you live and where you work; your employer withholds the higher of the two. Enter your rate above.
- Local Services Tax — a flat amount of up to $52 a year where you work, split across your paychecks.
What's different about Pennsylvania
Your 401(k) doesn't lower your Pennsylvania tax
Pennsylvania's Department of Revenue treats elective 401(k) and 403(b) deferrals as taxable compensation. So a traditional 401(k) lowers your federal income tax but not your 3.07% Pennsylvania tax. The calculator handles this automatically: open "How the Pennsylvania income tax was worked out" under the result to see it.
Local earned income tax: look up your rate
Pennsylvania municipalities and school districts can levy a local earned income tax. Your employer compares the rate where you live with the non-resident rate where you work and withholds the higher one. Rates are published by address on the Department of Community and Economic Development's Municipal Statistics site. Enter yours in "Local earned income tax rate" above — we apply it to the same pay as Pennsylvania income tax.
Philadelphia wage tax
If you live or work in Philadelphia, your employer withholds the city wage tax. From July 1, 2026 it is 3.735% for residents and 3.425% for non-residents (it was 3.74% and 3.43% before). Enter the rate that applies to you.
Local Services Tax
Where the Local Services Tax is more than $10 a year, your employer divides it evenly across your paychecks, rounding down to the cent — $52 a year is $1 a week. Places charging more than $10 must exempt people earning under $12,000 a year there.
Paydays and your last paycheck
Pennsylvania employers must pay on regular paydays set in advance. When you leave, your final wages are due no later than the next regular payday.
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.
Other Pennsylvania calculators
Paycheck calculator · Hourly paycheck calculator · Salary paycheck calculator · What changed for 2026
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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
- Pennsylvania Department of Revenue — Employer withholding — flat 3.07% of compensation
- Pennsylvania Department of Revenue — REV-415 Employer withholding information guide — 401(k) elective deferrals are taxable
- Pennsylvania PIT Guide — Gross compensation — section 125 health coverage contributions are exempt
- Pennsylvania L&I — UC employee withholding — 0.07% of total gross wages, not limited to the taxable wage base
- Pennsylvania DCED — Act 32 earned income tax FAQ — withhold the higher of the resident or non-resident rate
- Pennsylvania DCED — Municipal Statistics: find your local tax
- Pennsylvania DCED — Local Services Tax — limited to $52 a year
- City of Philadelphia — Wage Tax (employers) — 3.735% residents, 3.425% non-residents from July 1, 2026
- Pennsylvania L&I — Overtime and tipped worker rules
- Pennsylvania Wage Payment and Collection Law — final pay by the next regular payday
Questions
How much Pennsylvania tax comes out of my paycheck?
3.07% of your pay after pre-tax health premiums — with no allowances — plus 0.07% unemployment compensation, your local earned income tax rate and any Local Services Tax.
How much is taken out of a $1,000 paycheck in Pennsylvania?
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, $30.70 of Pennsylvania income tax, leaving $854.02. Enter your own details in the calculator for your exact figure.
What is $20 an hour after taxes in Pennsylvania?
Working 40 hours a week and paid every two weeks, $20 an hour is $1,600.00 before tax and about $1,319.21 after tax per paycheck — $34,299.36 a year — for a single filer with a standard W-4.
Does my 401(k) lower my Pennsylvania tax?
No. Pennsylvania taxes elective 401(k) and 403(b) deferrals, so they lower your federal income tax but not your Pennsylvania income tax.
What is the Philadelphia wage tax?
From July 1, 2026, 3.735% for Philadelphia residents and 3.425% for non-residents who work in the city. Enter it as your local earned income tax rate.
What is the LST on my Pennsylvania pay stub?
The Local Services Tax: up to $52 a year where you work, split across your paychecks.