Illinois paycheck calculator
Illinois taxes wages at one flat rate, so every dollar you earn above your exemptions is taxed the same way no matter how much you make. Your employer works out the withholding from the allowances on your Form IL-W-4, and there are no city or county income taxes on top, not even in Chicago.
Take-home per paycheck
$2,232
- Take-home per year
- $58,025
- Total taxes per year
- $16,975
- Effective tax rate
- 22.6%
- Marginal tax rate
- 34.6%
- Assumes 1 basic allowance on Form IL-W-4 Line 1 and none on Line 2 (age 65+/blind).
Take-home per paycheck: $2,232 every 2 weeks
| Line | Every 2 weeks | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $2,885 | $75,000 |
| Federal income tax | −$295 | −$7,670 |
| Social Security | −$179 | −$4,650 |
| Medicare | −$42 | −$1,088 |
| State income tax | −$137 | −$3,568 |
| Take-home pay | $2,232 | $58,025 |
- Take-home pay$58,02577%
- Federal income tax$7,67010%
- Social Security & Medicare$5,7388%
- State & local taxes$3,5685%
How Illinois taxes your paycheck
- 4.95% flat
- One flat 4.95% rate on Illinois base income, after a personal exemption for you, your spouse and each dependent.
- None
- Illinois has no state payroll tax withheld from employees.
- None
- Illinois cities and counties do not levy local income taxes on wages; the state constitution lets home-rule units tax income only if the General Assembly authorizes it by law. Chicago has no city income tax.
- 4.95%
- Illinois has no separate bonus rate. Bonuses are compensation and are withheld at the same flat 4.95% rate as regular pay.
Illinois income tax rates for 2026
These are the return rates. Your employer withholds using Illinois's withholding method (Automated payroll method (Booklet IL-700-T, 2026)), which the calculator above follows.
| Taxable income | Rate |
|---|---|
| Over $0 | 4.95% |
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Personal exemption (each for you, your spouse and each dependent) — Not allowed on Form IL-1040 when federal AGI exceeds $500,000 (married filing jointly) or $250,000 (other returns). | $2,925 |
| Additional exemption, age 65 or older or legally blind (each) | $1,000 |
$51,960 in Illinois
$51,960 is the median annual wage in Illinois (May 2025, BLS OEWS). A single filer paid every two weeks with no other income or deductions takes home $41,502 a year, or $1,596 per paycheck.
| Line | Every 2 weeks | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $1,998 | $51,960 |
| Federal income tax | -$156 | -$4,055 |
| Social Security | -$124 | -$3,222 |
| Medicare | -$29 | -$753 |
| State income tax | -$93 | -$2,427 |
| Take-home pay | $1,596 | $41,502 |
How Illinois withholds tax from your paycheck
Employers use the Department of Revenue's IL-700-T booklet. Each pay period they subtract your exemptions from your wages and multiply what is left by the flat rate. Payroll software uses the booklet's automated formula; smaller employers can read the same result from the printed wage tables.
Your exemptions come from Form IL-W-4. Line 1 counts basic allowances: one for yourself, one for a spouse you can claim, and one for each dependent. Line 2 counts additional allowances if you or your spouse are 65 or older or legally blind. A Line 2 allowance is worth less than a Line 1 allowance.
If you never hand in an IL-W-4, your employer must withhold on your entire pay with no exemptions at all, so it is worth filling one in even if you already filed a federal W-4.
Which pre-tax deductions lower your Illinois wages
Illinois starts from federal wages. Traditional 401(k) and 403(b) contributions, HSA contributions through a cafeteria plan, and pre-tax health premiums are left out of federal wages, so they are left out of Illinois wages too. The Department tells employers that the state wages on your W-2 should match the federal wages in Box 1.
No local income tax and no employee payroll taxes
No Illinois city, county or village taxes your wages. Under the state constitution, home-rule governments can only tax income if the General Assembly passes a law allowing it, and it has not done so for wages.
Illinois also has no state disability or paid family leave deduction. Unemployment insurance is paid only by employers, and the Department of Employment Security says no deductions may be taken from workers' wages for it.
Working across the state line
Illinois has reciprocal agreements with Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan and Wisconsin. Residents of those states who work in Illinois can file Form W-5-NR so their employer does not withhold Illinois tax.
If you live in Illinois but work in a state without an agreement, that state taxes your wages and Illinois gives you a credit for the tax you pay there. You may still owe Illinois the difference.
High earners and the exemption
Withholding always subtracts your IL-W-4 exemptions, but on your annual return you lose the personal exemption entirely if your federal adjusted gross income is above $250,000, or above $500,000 on a joint return. High earners may want to claim fewer allowances or add an extra amount on Line 3 of the IL-W-4 to avoid a bill in April.
What changed recently
- 2026: The personal exemption rose from $2,850 in 2025 to $2,925 in 2026, which also raised the per-allowance amount in the 2026 withholding tables. The 4.95% rate did not change. Source
- 2026: The Department published the 2026 IL-700-T withholding booklet, effective January 1, 2026, with the new exemption amount built in. Source
Questions people ask
Is Illinois income tax a flat tax?
Yes. Illinois taxes all income at one rate, 4.95%, whatever your income. You only get exemptions for yourself, your spouse and your dependents, and there is no standard deduction.
Does Chicago have a city income tax?
No. Chicago and other Illinois cities and counties do not tax wages. Your paycheck only shows Illinois state income tax on top of federal taxes.
How many allowances should I claim on my IL-W-4?
On Line 1, claim one for yourself, one for a spouse you can claim, and one for each dependent. Add Line 2 allowances only if you or your spouse are 65 or older or legally blind. If you and your spouse both work, it is usually more accurate to claim all allowances at the higher-paying job and zero at the other.
How is a bonus taxed in Illinois?
Illinois has no special bonus rate. A bonus is regular compensation, so it is withheld at the same 4.95% rate. Your allowances have already been used on your regular pay.
Does my 401(k) contribution lower my Illinois tax?
Yes. Illinois uses your federal wages, so traditional 401(k) and 403(b) contributions, cafeteria-plan HSA contributions and pre-tax health premiums all reduce the wages Illinois taxes.
I live in Wisconsin and work in Illinois. Do I pay Illinois tax?
Usually not. Illinois has reciprocity with Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan and Wisconsin. Give your employer Form W-5-NR and they will stop withholding Illinois tax; you pay tax to your home state instead.
Sources
- Booklet IL-700-T (R-12/25), 2026 Illinois Withholding Tax Tables · retrieved 2026-10-16
- Form IL-W-4 (R-07/23), Employee's Illinois Withholding Allowance Certificate and Instructions · retrieved 2026-10-16
- Publication 130 (R-02/26), Who is Required to Withhold Illinois Income Tax · retrieved 2026-10-16
- Informational Bulletin FY 2026-15, What's New for Illinois Income Taxes · retrieved 2026-10-16
- Unemployment Insurance Notice to employees (poster): only employers contribute; no deductions from wages · retrieved 2026-10-16
- Constitution of the State of Illinois, Article VII, Section 6(e) (home-rule taxes on income) · retrieved 2026-10-16
- Publication 15-T (2026), Federal Income Tax Withholding Methods · retrieved 2026-10-16
- Publication 15 (2026), (Circular E), Employer's Tax Guide · retrieved 2026-10-16
- Rev. Proc. 2025-32: 2026 inflation-adjusted tax items · retrieved 2026-10-16
- Form W-4 (2026), Employee's Withholding Certificate · retrieved 2026-10-16
- Publication 505 (2026), Tax Withholding and Estimated Tax · retrieved 2026-10-16
- Form 1040-ES (2026), Estimated Tax for Individuals · retrieved 2026-10-16
- Schedule 1-A (Form 1040) 2026, Additional Deductions (early-release draft) · retrieved 2026-10-16
- Schedule 8812 (Form 1040) 2026, Credits for Qualifying Children and Other Dependents (early-release draft) · retrieved 2026-10-16
- Working Families Tax Cuts: Individuals and workers (tips, overtime, seniors, car loan interest) · retrieved 2026-10-16
- Working Families Tax Cuts provisions (charitable deduction for non-itemizers, Section 70424) · retrieved 2026-10-16
- Child Tax Credit · retrieved 2026-10-16
- IR-2025-111: 401(k) limit increases to $24,500 for 2026 · retrieved 2026-10-16
- Rev. Proc. 2025-19: 2026 HSA limits · retrieved 2026-10-16
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025, median annual wage by state · retrieved 2026-10-16