Wisconsin 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 |
| Wisconsin income tax · withheld | −$64.32 | −$1,672.32 |
| Take-home pay | $1,305.13 | $33,933.28 |
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.
How the Wisconsin income tax was worked out
| Pay subject to Wis. tax, for the year · this paycheck × 26 | $41,600.00 |
| Minus Wis. withholding deduction · $6,702 − 12% of pay over $17,780 | −$3,843.60 |
| Minus WT-4 exemptions · 1 × $400 | −$400.00 |
| Yearly net wage for withholding | $37,356.40 |
| Yearly Wis. tax from the W-166 schedule · 3.54% / 4.65% / 5.30% / 7.65% | $1,672.37 |
| Wis. income tax this paycheck · ÷ 26 | $64.32 |
Hourly pay in Wisconsin
Wisconsin's minimum wage is $7.25 an hour, the same as the federal one. Tipped employees can be paid $2.33 an hour as long as tips bring them to an average of $7.25 over the pay period; if not, the employer must make up the difference. Workers under 20 can be paid an opportunity wage of $5.90 for their first 90 days in a row on the job.
Overtime. Time-and-a-half for hours over 40 in a workweek. Wisconsin has no daily overtime for most jobs.
Tips and overtime on your Wisconsin tax. Reported tips and overtime are part of your pay for Wisconsin withholding.
Unpaid wages. You can file a wage claim with the Department of Workforce Development's Equal Rights Division within 2 years of the date the wages were due.
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 Wisconsin 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.
Wisconsin has a graduated income tax. Employers work out how much to withhold with the Department of Revenue's formula in Publication W-166:
- Your pay subject to income tax — after a traditional 401(k) and pre-tax health insurance, as for federal tax — is turned into a yearly amount.
- A withholding deduction comes off. If you're single, it's $6,702 when your yearly pay is under $17,780. It then shrinks by 12% of every dollar above that and reaches zero at $73,630. If you're married, it's $9,461 under $25,727, shrinking by 20% of every dollar above that, and zero at $73,032.
- Each WT-4 exemption takes off another $400.
- The rest is taxed with the withholding schedule: 3.54% up to $12,760, 4.65% up to $25,520, 5.3% up to $280,950, and 7.65% above that. The yearly tax is divided by your number of paychecks and rounded to the cent.
If you never gave your employer a WT-4, it must treat you as claiming zero exemptions. Wisconsin's unemployment insurance is paid for by employers, not taken from your pay.
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 Wisconsin calculators
Paycheck calculator · Hourly paycheck calculator · Salary paycheck calculator · What changed for 2026
Other states: Alabama · Alaska · Arizona · Arkansas · California · Colorado · Connecticut · Delaware · District of Columbia · Florida · Georgia · Hawaii · Idaho · Illinois · Indiana · Iowa · Kansas · Kentucky · Louisiana · Maine · Maryland · Massachusetts · Michigan · Minnesota · Mississippi · Missouri · Montana · Nebraska · Nevada · New Hampshire · New Jersey · New Mexico · New York · North Carolina · North Dakota · Ohio · Oklahoma · Oregon · Pennsylvania · Rhode Island · South Carolina · South Dakota · Tennessee · Texas · Utah · Vermont · Virginia · Washington · West Virginia · Wyoming
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
- Wisconsin Department of Revenue — Publication W-166, Withholding Tax Guide (1/26) — alternate (formula) method, p. 26: sliding deduction, $400 per exemption, 3.54%–7.65% schedule, worked examples; no WT-4 → zero exemptions; reciprocity
- Wisconsin Department of Revenue — Withholding Tax Update, October 2025 — no plans to change the withholding tax rates; current rates are in W-166
- Wisconsin Statutes § 71.06 — Rates of taxation — (1r): 3.50%, 4.40%, 5.30% and 7.65% for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2024
- Wisconsin Department of Revenue — Form WT-4, Employee's Wisconsin Withholding Exemption Certificate (W-204, R. 8-23) — Single / Married / Married, but withhold at higher Single rate; exemptions for yourself, spouse, dependents
- Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development — Unemployment Insurance Employer Handbook (UCB-201-P) — the program is financed solely through employer contributions
- Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development — Minimum wage — $7.25; tipped employees at least $2.33 cash wage, with tips averaging at least $7.25; $5.90 opportunity wage for workers under 20 for their first 90 days
- Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development — Hours of work and overtime — time and one-half after 40 hours in a workweek; no daily overtime
- Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development — Wage payment and collection law — pay at least monthly, no more than 31 days between; final pay on the regular schedule; 2-year limit on wage claims
- Wisconsin Statutes § 109.03 — Time and manner of wage payment — (1) at least monthly; (2) final wages by the next regular payday
- Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development — How to file a wage claim — within 2 years of the date the wages were due
Questions
What are the Wisconsin income tax rates in 2026?
3.5%, 4.4%, 5.3%, 7.65%, depending on your taxable income. Withholding uses a separate schedule of 3.54%, 4.65%, 5.3%, 7.65%.
How much is taken out of a $1,000 paycheck in Wisconsin?
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, $30.11 of Wisconsin income tax, leaving $855.31. Enter your own details in the calculator for your exact figure.
What is $20 an hour after taxes in Wisconsin?
Working 40 hours a week and paid every two weeks, $20 an hour is $1,600.00 before tax and about $1,305.13 after tax per paycheck — $33,933.28 a year — for a single filer with a standard W-4.
What happens if I didn't fill out a WT-4?
Your employer must withhold as if you claim zero exemptions.
How much is a WT-4 exemption worth?
Each exemption takes $400 off your yearly pay before the withholding schedule is applied, which lowers your withholding by about $14.16 to $30.60 a year.
When do I get my last paycheck in Wisconsin?
By the next regular payday, whether you quit or were let go.
How long do I have to file a wage claim?
2 years from the date the wages were due.