CalcRaven

Washington Paycheck Calculator

Washington has no state income tax, but most Washington paychecks include two small state deductions: Paid Family and Medical Leave (0.81% of wages in 2026) and the WA Cares Fund (0.58%). A single filer on $90,000 paid every two weeks, putting 5% into a 401(k), takes home about $2,591.79 per paycheck. Enter your pay below for your own estimate.

Tax year 2026 · Uses IRS Publication 15-T (2026) · Estimates only, not tax advice

Estimate your Washington take-home pay

How are you paid?

Dollar amount, before tax. Leave out Roth contributions.

Premiums taken out before tax through your employer’s plan.

More W-4 options (dependents, second job, extra withholding)
$2,200 each on the 2026 W-4.

$500 each.

Includes any amount you entered for qualified overtime or tips.

How to use the Washington paycheck calculator

  1. Choose salary or hourly, then enter your pay before tax.
  2. Pick how often you’re paid and the filing status from your Form W-4.
  3. Add any traditional 401(k) and pre-tax health premiums that come out of each paycheck. Open “More W-4 options” if you claimed dependents, checked the Step 2 box, or asked for extra withholding.
  4. Press Calculate to see your estimated take-home pay, where every dollar goes, and the IRS working behind the federal tax figure.

How your Washington paycheck is calculated

Take-home pay = gross pay − pre-tax deductions − federal income tax − Social Security − Medicare − WA Paid Family and Medical Leave − WA Cares

Social Security = 6.2% of wages, up to $184,500 a year

Medicare = 1.45% of wages, plus 0.9% on wages over $200,000

Federal income tax = IRS percentage method, Worksheet 1A (Publication 15-T)

Traditional 401(k) contributions lower the wages used for federal income tax, but not for Social Security and Medicare. Pre-tax health premiums through a Section 125 plan lower both.

Worked example

$90,000 salary, paid every two weeks, single, 5% to a 401(k)

A single filer earning $90,000, paid 26 times a year, contributing 5% of pay to a traditional 401(k).

  1. Gross pay per paycheck: $3,461.54.
  2. Subtract the traditional 401(k) contribution of $173.08, leaving $3,288.46 of wages for federal income tax.
  3. Federal income tax: the adjusted annual wage is $76,900.00. The IRS table for single filers gives $5,800.00 + 22% of the amount over $57,900.00 = $9,980.00 a year, or $383.85 per paycheck.
  4. Social Security (6.2%): $214.62. Medicare (1.45%): $50.19.
  5. WA Paid Family and Medical Leave: $27.94.
  6. WA Cares Fund: $20.08.
  7. State income tax: $0.00.

Estimated take-home pay: $2,591.79 per paycheck, or about $67,386.56 a year.

Washington paycheck deductions

Paid Family and Medical Leave

Washington’s Paid Family and Medical Leave program is funded by a premium on wages. For 2026 the total premium is 1.13% of wages, and employees pay 71.43% of it, about 0.81% of each paycheck. Premiums stop once your wages reach the Social Security wage base of $184,500 for the year. Employers with fewer than 50 employees don’t have to pay their share, but they still deduct yours.

WA Cares Fund

WA Cares is Washington’s long-term care insurance program. It takes 0.58% of wages, with no yearly cap. Some workers have an approved exemption, for example because they had private long-term care insurance before the deadline. If you have one, tick the exemption box in “More W-4 options”.

Workers’ compensation (L&I)

Washington employers can deduct part of the workers’ compensation premium from your pay. It’s a small amount per hour worked that depends on your job’s risk class, so it isn’t included in this estimate. Check your pay stub for an “L&I” line.

Minimum wage

Washington’s statewide minimum wage is $17.13 an hour in 2026, one of the highest in the country. Some cities, including Seattle, set higher minimums.

What changed on the 2026 Form W-4

The 2026 W-4 raised the Step 3 credit for each child under 17 to $2,200, up from $2,000. Step 4(b) also has a longer deductions worksheet. You can now include estimated deductions for qualified overtime pay and qualified tips, which were added by the 2025 tax law known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. A larger Step 4(b) amount means less federal tax withheld from each paycheck.

These deductions only lower federal income tax. Social Security and Medicare still apply to overtime and tips. Our overtime calculator estimates how much of your overtime pay could qualify.

When you’d actually use a paycheck calculator

  • Weighing a job offer in Washington. Turn the salary on the offer letter into the amount that actually lands in your bank account every payday.
  • Budgeting rent before you sign the lease. Landlords quote rent against gross pay. Your budget runs on take-home pay, and the difference is bigger than most people expect.
  • Deciding how much to put in your 401(k). Try a few contribution amounts and watch how little each extra dollar of savings costs your paycheck.

What this calculator doesn’t include

To keep it simple, the calculator leaves out a few things that can change a real paycheck:

  • Roth 401(k) contributions, union dues, wage garnishments and other after-tax deductions.
  • Bonuses and other supplemental pay, which employers often withhold at a flat 22%.
  • Pay that changes during the year. Social Security and the extra Medicare tax depend on your pay so far this year, so the per-paycheck figures here are yearly averages.
  • Forms W-4 from 2019 or earlier, which use allowances instead of the current steps.
  • Washington workers’ compensation (L&I) deductions, which depend on your job’s risk class.

How we calculate

Federal income tax uses the 2026 percentage method tables for automated payroll systems in IRS Publication 15-T, Worksheet 1A, for Forms W-4 from 2020 or later. Social Security uses the 2026 wage base of $184,500 announced by the Social Security Administration. Washington Paid Family and Medical Leave uses the 2026 premium of 1.13%, with the employee paying 71.43% (0.8072% of wages), on wages up to $184,500. WA Cares uses 0.58% of all wages. We calculate at full precision and round to the cent for display. Your employer may round differently or use the IRS wage bracket tables, so expect your real paycheck to differ by a few cents or more. We review these figures each January when the IRS publishes new tables. Found a difference? Tell us.

Other states: Texas, Florida, Nevada, Tennessee

Frequently asked questions

Does Washington state take taxes out of my paycheck?

Washington has no state income tax, but it deducts Paid Family and Medical Leave premiums (about 0.81% of wages in 2026) and WA Cares (0.58%) from most paychecks.

What is the WA Cares deduction on my paycheck?

WA Cares is Washington’s long-term care insurance program. Most workers pay 0.58% of their wages. Workers with an approved exemption pay nothing.

How much is the Washington PFML deduction in 2026?

The total premium is 1.13% of wages, and employees pay 71.43% of it, which is about 0.81% of wages, up to $184,500 a year.

How much is $90,000 a year after taxes in Washington?

For a single filer paid every two weeks, putting 5% into a traditional 401(k), about $67,386.56 a year, or $2,591.79 per paycheck. Without the 401(k), take-home pay is higher, but you save less.

What is the minimum wage in Washington in 2026?

$17.13 an hour statewide. Some cities, such as Seattle, have higher local minimum wages.