Washington 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.
| Per paycheck | Amount | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $1,600.00 | $41,600.00 |
| Federal income tax · withheld | −$108.15 | −$2,812.00 |
| Social Security (6.2%) | −$99.20 | −$2,579.20 |
| Medicare (1.45%) | −$23.20 | −$603.20 |
| Washington income tax · Washington has none | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| WA Paid Family & Medical Leave · your share | −$12.91 | −$335.78 |
| WA Cares Fund (long-term care) · no cap | −$9.28 | −$241.28 |
| Take-home pay | $1,347.26 | $35,028.54 |
How the federal income tax was worked out
| 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.
Hourly pay in Washington
Washington's minimum wage is $17.13 an hour from January 1, 2026 — and some cities set more (Seattle $21.30, Tukwila $21.65). There is no lower tipped wage: tips and service charges can't count toward the minimum.
Overtime. Time-and-a-half for hours over 40 in a week. Washington has no daily overtime, except on certain public works projects.
Premiums on every hour. Paid family leave and WA Cares are percentages of your gross wages, so overtime and extra shifts raise them along with your pay. The workers' comp share (L&I) is charged per hour and depends on your job — enter it under after-tax deductions if you want it included.
Tips. Tips you report are wages for federal tax. Washington's paid family leave premium isn't charged on tips, so if you enter tips above, our PFML figure will be a little high.
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.
What comes out of a Washington 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.
Washington has no individual income tax. But unlike most no-income-tax states, two Washington programs are paid for by payroll deductions:
- Paid Family & Medical Leave (PFML) — the 1.13% premium for 2026 is split between you and your employer; you pay 71.43% of it, about 0.81% of your gross wages ($8.07 per $1,000). It stops once your pay for the year passes $184,500.
- WA Cares Fund (long-term care) — 0.58% of your gross wages ($5.80 per $1,000), paid only by you, with no yearly cap.
Both are worked out on gross wages, following the Employment Security Department's own formula, and both come out after tax — they don't lower your federal income tax.
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 Washington 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
- Washington Department of Revenue — Income tax — Washington does not currently have an individual income tax
- Washington ESD — PFML premium rate for 2026 — 1.13%; employees pay 71.43%
- Washington ESD — Paid Leave employer wage reporting and premiums toolkit (2026) — PFML 1.13% × 71.43% employee share up to $184,500; WA Cares 0.58% of gross wages, no cap
- WA Cares Fund — Exemptions
- Washington L&I — Workers' compensation rates notice — workers pay half of medical aid, Stay at Work and supplemental pension premiums
- Washington L&I — 2026 minimum wage — $17.13 from January 1, 2026
- Washington L&I — Overtime — 1.5× after 40 hours in a week; no daily overtime
- Washington L&I — Minimum wage and tips poster (F700-150-000) — no tip credit; paydays at least monthly; final wages on the next regular payday
- Seattle Office of Labor Standards — Minimum wage
- City of Tukwila — Minimum wage
Questions
Does Washington take state tax out of my paycheck?
Not income tax — Washington has none. But two state premiums do come out: paid family leave (your share is about 0.81% of gross wages) and WA Cares (0.58%). Many workers also pay a small workers' comp (L&I) amount per hour.
How much is taken out of a $1,000 paycheck in Washington?
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, leaving $871.55. Enter your own details in the calculator for your exact figure.
What is $20 an hour after taxes in Washington?
Working 40 hours a week and paid every two weeks, $20 an hour is $1,600.00 before tax and about $1,347.26 after tax per paycheck — $35,028.54 a year — for a single filer with a standard W-4.
What is WA Cares on my pay stub?
It's Washington's long-term care insurance program: 0.58% of your gross wages, with no cap. Some workers can be exempt, such as people who live outside Washington or veterans with a 70%+ service-connected disability.
What is the minimum wage in Washington in 2026?
$17.13 an hour statewide from January 1, 2026, with no tip credit. Some cities are higher: Seattle $21.30, Tukwila $21.65.
When do I get my last paycheck in Washington?
On the next regularly scheduled payday, whether you quit or were let go.